Today is International Women’s Day, designated annually since 1911 on March 8 to recognize the social, economic, cultural and political achievements of women around the world — and acknowledge the work that remains for equality and women’s rights.

The day serves as a call to action as well, according to the International Women’s Day website at www.internationalwomensday.com. It aims to celebrate what women have accomplished, raise awareness about women’s equality, lobby for gender parity and fundraise for female-focused charities.

This year’s theme is #BreakTheBias that can be seen in communities, workplaces, schools, colleges and universities, according to IWD. “Whether deliberate or unconscious, bias makes it difficult for women to move ahead,” the IWD website states. “Knowing that bias exists isn’t enough. Action is needed to level the playing field.”

Women in the United States still earn only 82.3% of what men are paid annually, according to Bureau of Labor Statistics in 2020. The gap is even wider for many women of color.

While that is an improvement from 57 cents per dollar earned by men in 1973, “progress has stalled,” according to the BLS. In a survey of more than 350 occupations, BLS data showed only a handful of occupations where women earn slightly more than their male counterparts, such as health care social workers.

“So what can we do achieve pay equity? There’s clearly a lot of work to be done, but it is possible to level the playing field for working women by increasing transparency around wages across the board, disrupting occupational segregation, expanding access to paid leave and child and elder care, and creating more good union jobs,” Janelle Jones, chief economist for the U.S. Department of Labor, wrote in 2021 for Equal Pay Day on March 24. That symbolic day represents the number of extra days women, on average, must work to earn what men earned the year before — and for mothers and many women of color, this date falls much later in the year. More information is available at dol.gov/EqualPay.

The article on this page shows as well that as the level of anger in U.S. politics increases female elected officials, and particularly women of color, are being disproportionately targeted, be they Democrat or Republican, in the U.S. Senate or House, or a member of the local school board.

“While criticism of public officials is healthy and expected in a democracy, researchers say women are dramatically more likely than their male counterparts to face threats and violence,” Sara Burnett of the Associated Press wrote. “As more women are elected, the hostility grows, ranging from death threats to armed people gathered outside homes, or attacks on social media that go beyond policy positions to include gendered or racial slurs and insults about intelligence or appearance.

“That could have longer-term effects by pushing women to leave public office or deterring them from running, potentially reversing the progress women have made in diversifying who represents the country at City Hall, on school boards and in statehouses and other offices.”

So, while marking International Women’s Day — and, while at it, March as Women’s History Month — the celebration must be tempered with thoughts and actions on how to move even further toward positive change.

“Each and every day, women across Michigan step up in incredible ways to get things done. But these are tough times, especially for women,” Gov. Gretchen Whitmer said in proclaiming March as Women’s History Month in the state. “That’s why we must work together, Democrats and Republicans, to create better opportunities for women and an economy that supports them and their families. I’m proud of what women in Michigan have accomplished, especially to strengthen our economy, and I’ll keep working with anyone to create even more progress for women.”