Today, March 8, is International Women's Day. Since 1975 this day has been commemorated by millions of people across the world. It is a day to take stock of progress made towards equality for women and girls and to celebrate the important role played in our societies by women from all walks of life. It is also a day to recognise the challenges and the human rights violations women and girls still face, and to call for faster action on gender equality and women's empowerment.
In African politics today, there are two female heads of state: Joyce Banda in Malawi, and Ellen Sirleaf-Johnson in Liberia. The country with the highest representation of women parliamentarians in the world is Rwanda.
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