Wiz Quiz 8: Holding half the sky, but waiting for full equality

There is a well known Chinese proverb, which was supposedly favoured by Mao Zedong, saying “Women hold up half the sky.” Despite this, women have had to fight for their rightful place society for much of history — and the struggle for gender equality continues in the 21st Century.

International Women’s Day (IWD), which falls on March 8, symbolizes this long-running quest. This year marks the centenary of the worldwide observance that started in Europe.

Wiz Quiz this week, coinciding with IWD, starts off with a few questions on women’s rights and gender equality, and then roams the knowledge universe exploring other topical matters.

But not before we talk about the Convention on the Elimination of All Forms of Discrimination Against Women (CEDAW), adopted by the United Nations General Assembly some years ago, and UN Women , the newest UN agency established on in July 2010 ‘to lead, support and coordinate the work on gender equality and the empowerment of women at global, regional and country levels’.

Read the full text of Wiz Quiz 8: Half the Sky…

This video is on the YouTube channel of FeelGood, a student-led movement in the US to end world hunger.

Author: Nalaka Gunawardene

A science writer by training, I've worked as a journalist and communication specialist across Asia for 30+ years. During this time, I have variously been a news reporter, feature writer, radio presenter, TV quizmaster, documentary film producer, foreign correspondent and journalist trainer. I continue to juggle some of these roles, while also blogging and tweeting and column writing. View all posts by Nalaka Gunawardene