Select a language
"Women, the never-ending struggle," runs a headline in French daily Le Monde on International Women's Day.
In a leader, however, the paper calls "for the abolition of March 8" -
It has gotten ridiculous to obstinately shine the spotlight, once a year, on one half of the world's population only to note that it is still not equal with the other half. The struggle for women's equality is a daily struggle, not just a struggle on March 8.
Receive the best of the independent European journalism straight to your inbox every Thursday
Certainly the year gone by has amply shown that women struggle on a daily basis and the Arab Spring put women centre stage who now pose a real challenge to the Muslim parties. "In Europe, in particular in France, women must not let their guard down a single day of the year," the article warns.
Taking France as an example, Le Monde notes that women remain under-represented in positions of political responsibility and in the category of high-level civil servants. Furthermore, the gap between men's and women's salaries remains at 25%. In short, Le Monde concludes, "the struggle continues," with or without March 8.
