Azernews.Az

By Amina Nazarli

March is considered to be one of the most important and special month of the year in Azerbaijan, as it is full of beautiful holidays.

International Women's Day, which is celebrated globally every year on March 8 is one of those special days.

Many women look forward for this occasion, as on that day they feel themselves a little more special, being in the center of attention and all.

Women’s Day is the day of femininity, beauty and tenderness. It’s a holiday of love and admiration for women, admittingly the most beautiful creatures on the earth.

Almost every woman will receive flowers and other gifts from their husbands, brothers, sons or fathers. For their turn men will make some special efforts toward making every women in their life feel extra special.

March 8 is an official holiday in Azerbaijan. Several days and weeks before the holiday people will shop and plan, keen to celebrate the event with due pomp.

On the holiday, the country has already been transformed into a flower haven.

Sometimes men in order to show their care and love for their loved -- mothers, sisters or wifes -- will undertake all household duties -- from washing dishes to cooking dinner and looking after the children, so that women can enjoy a full day of rest.

International Women's Day is currently an official holiday in Azerbaijan, Afghanistan, Armenia, Belarus, Burkina Faso, Cambodia, China (for women only), Cuba, Georgia, Guinea-Bissau, Eritrea, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Laos, Madagascar (for women only), Moldova, Mongolia, Montenegro, Nepal (for women only), Russia, Tajikistan, Turkmenistan, Uganda, Ukraine, Uzbekistan, Vietnam, and Zambia.

Women's Day is similar to Mother's Day, which is mostly celebrated in the United States, Turkey, European countries, India, Japan, Australia, etc.

On this day, people show their love and gratefulness to women in many ways. Men, children, even women themselves give gifts, present flowers, postcards with poetry, chocolate, and other pleasant gifts to their mothers, wives, grandmothers, sisters and daughters, wishing them happiness, joy and prosperity.

Originally, the holiday was purely politically motivated. It was not the holiday of spring, love and admiration for beautiful creatures, but a day of struggle... Women's struggle for their rights, for equality with men in family and life, as well as equal suffrage.

But time has shed away this political husk, leaving us instead with the beautiful simplicity of love and gratitude. This day is now celebrated as it should - the celebration of women.

Women have played an important role in Azerbaijan over the centuries.

It is not a coincidence that Azerbaijan was the first country to grant women the right of vote, which is the fundamental basis of a democratic society.

In 1998, Azerbaijan established the State Committee for Family, Women and Children Affairs.

Nowadays, women are closely involved in the socio-political, socio-economic, scientific-cultural, and other aspects of life in Azerbaijan.

The State Statistics Committee of Azerbaijan reported that as of 2014, women accounted for 50.3 percent of the total population of the country, or 4,763,600 people.

Most of all working women in Azerbaijan are involved in the educational sphere.

Women account for 76.2 percent of the total number of teachers in secondary schools, 77.5 percent of the total number of teachers in vocational schools, 47.2 percent of the teachers in higher educational institutions. Also, 64.4 percent of the doctors working in the country are women.

Women also play a major role in the development of science. Some 49.2 percent of PhD candidates and 51.2 percent of all academics are women. Three academic and 11 associate members of the Azerbaijan National Academy of Sciences are women.

The overall percentage of women in public service stands at 28 percent. Some 17 percent of entrepreneurs are also women.

On the Women’s Day celebrate all women by wishing, greeting, and making them feel important and special. Be sure to brighten their day with kindness and appreciation, as they do for you all year round.

Dear women we wish you only happiness, love and prosperity!

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Amina Nazarli is AzerNews’ staff journalist, follow her on Twitter: @amina_nazarli

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