Worldwide, 8th March is celebrated as Women’s Day. Who are women? Physically, I would say women are a source of life; they originate life within them, carrying it for 9 healthy months. Even women who are not mothers nurture the world with their presence. Isn’t that the reason why our planet is called “mother earth”?. I celebrate women because they have demonstrated what they are capable of.
Growing up, I saw my mom stepping up as a breadwinner. The unstoppable woman behind the scenes is largely responsible for Elton’s success today. Dear Mom, enjoy Women’s Day.
Women throughout generations have endured all sorts of “isms.”. Classism, racism, sexism, and numerous other forms of discrimination have plagued women throughout generations.
Ever heard of Europe’s era of witch hunts? These acts were also called women hunts. Do you remember? If you don’t know, let me educate you a bit.
The European witch hunts, which occurred roughly between the 15th and 18th centuries, were a series of trials and executions of people accused of witchcraft. These hunts were fuelled by religious fears, social tensions, and legal changes, leading to the persecution of thousands—most of whom were women. The peak of these hunts was from the late 1500s to the mid-1600s, with the most infamous cases occurring in places like Germany, Switzerland, Scotland, and England.
Why Were Women Targeted More?
People sometimes use the term “women hunt” instead of “witch hunt” because the majority of accused witches—estimated to be 75-85%—were women. There are several reasons for this gendered focus:
Misogyny and Gender Roles: The perceived weaker moral and intellectual nature of women made them more susceptible to the devil’s influence. At that time, Christian doctrine frequently linked women to Eve’s alleged role in humanity’s decline.
2. Association with Healing and Midwifery: Many accused witches were healers or midwives. Men dominated medicine, so people viewed women practicing folk medicine with suspicion.
3. Social and Economic Factors: Many of the accused were poor, widowed, or socially isolated. The witch hunts often targeted women who were considered a burden to society or had conflicts with their neighbours.
4. Religious and Legal Frameworks: The Malleus Maleficarum (1487), a highly influential witch-hunting manual, specifically framed women as the main culprits of witchcraft. It argued that women were more prone to making pacts with the devil.
5. Scapegoating During Crisis: Periods of famine, war, or disease led communities to seek explanations, and women—particularly elderly or outspoken ones—became easy targets for blame.
Why Call It a “Women Hunt”?
While witch hunt is the common term, some feminist historians and scholars argue that the phrase “women hunt” more accurately reflects the gendered nature of the persecution. Since the vast majority of those accused and executed were women, calling it a witch hunt might obscure the fact that it was largely a systematic persecution of women under the guise of rooting out supernatural evil.
Ages later, the practices stopped. But persecution of women never stopped. There was a cult of domesticity in the US. Could you imagine? The entire United States denied women the right to vote. The same country advocating to be a land of the free denied women their vote until the 20th century.
Women were (and in some parts of the world are still) being treated as second-class citizens [consider the work of the likes of Simone de Beauvoir (The Second Sex) and Betty Friedan (The Feminine Mystique, 1963)]. Worldwide, women have endured and continue to endure prejudices and discrimination.
Black women have endured significant hardships within the layers of society. Every factor that stratifies society positions Black women at the bottom. Black women have suffered from the glass ceiling, the male glass escalator, colonialism, sexism, racism, imperialism, classism, ethnocentrism, and all other sorts of isms. Up to date, Black women are still fighting racism, sexism, and classism. Our culture celebrates “the only Black woman,” “the only Black,” and “the only woman” as if exclusiveness is normal. In fact, the phrase itself, “the only,” highlights systemic exclusion problems. For this reason, I specifically celebrate Black women on 2025 International Women’s Day.
My life has been shaped by women in my career and academic journey. From Mom and Aunties to Mrs. Chibwana/Chigono (at Nyungwe Primary School) and Mrs. Moyenda and Mrs. Matoliro (at St. Kizito Boys Primary School) to Mrs. Michembo (in high school), even further to Dr. Tizifa, Dr. Shame Kalilombe, Mrs. Kadzandira (at the University of Malawi), to Dr. Memory Pankuku and Mrs. Serwa Ofei in Norway, etc. I am grateful to all Black women in my life, who have shown me love, care, and grace. These women have been instrumental in laying the foundation of my destiny, no matter how small. There are countless women whose contributions are beyond my comprehension. Kudos, world women.
Women who are role models, have substance, broke the glass ceiling, or are still trying to break it. Women who have achieved success in life continue to inspire hope, as do those who remain uncertain about their prospects due to the powerful forces that surround them.
Just being a woman is a blessing, an achievement worth celebrating regardless of what one has achieved. Whether you are childless, with children, jobless, on the job, married, single, etc., your achievements are worth celebrating. Women, I celebrate you. As we celebrate you in this year, may you band together and become unstoppable; may you create the culture of women helping women. May you overcome all challenges, regardless of your race, nationality, class, economic status, or political or religious affiliation. Women can.
Happy International Women`s Day!
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