The quiet 'evolution' of women, the question we are afraid to ask

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By Andama Alfred Kili

Today marks International Women’s Day, a day that is celebrated globally and annually.  The international theme of this year’s Women’s Day is Give to gain. It is important to note that this day originated from early 20th-century labour movements in Europe and North America, where women campaigned for inclusion in terms of better working conditions, the right to vote, and equality in all aspects of social and economic livelihood and wellbeing. Up to date, these challenges that the women struggled with keep featuring within the life of a woman in Uganda and differently across the globe.

Whether while raising families or running a nation, women are increasingly taking charge and shaping the world in seriously exciting ways.  This International Women’s Day for the year 2026 offers a well-deserved opportunity to voice this fact and celebrate women’s individual and collective accomplishments.

It’s a day to honour and praise the women who have made a difference in your life, and a day to recognise the incredible advancements the world has made toward gender equality.  Celebrate a woman today.

More than this, International Women’s Day acts as an important reminder that not all women have equal opportunity to realise their full potential.  It’s a day to reaffirm our commitment to the countless women who still live in poverty, as second-class citizens, and without access to education, gainful employment or the resources needed to live secure lives.

It is important to note that despite huge advances in women’s rights, it’s estimated that 60% of hungry people and 70% of those living in poverty are women and girls.  Across developing nations like Uganda, women do two-thirds of the work, yet receive only 10 per cent of the world's income and own just 1 per cent of the means of production.  Only through collective, deliberate action can we hope to change this sad reality, and International Women’s Day offers an excellent reminder to breathe new life into our commitment to making female inequality a distant memory.

Bottom line, no celebration of global womanhood would be complete without recognising the unique needs of women across the developing world and addressing them. 

Therefore, empowering women through education and entrepreneurship is vital for poverty reduction and promoting gender equality. In addition, educating girls enables workforce participation, healthier families, and societal contributions. However, many girls face educational barriers due to costs.

This calls for supporting women-led businesses and entrepreneurship to facilitate their integration into the workforce. Furthermore, advocating for women's empowerment through self-education is a crucial step towards creating change.

One of the quickest and easiest ways to help women achieve complete equality is to let the world know how many women suffer disadvantages based solely on their gender.  In the Health Sector, from the problem of drug stockouts to schools where school fees are now soaring at its highest and to the public service where women continue to feature mostly in service positions.

Let’s use International Women’s Day or Women’s History Month (celebrated the entire month of March!) as a point to raise your voice for women worldwide and see what an incredible impact you’ll have on your daughters, sisters, Mothers, and all the women who feature closely in your life.

The writer is a Social Development Expert and Gender scholar at Makerere University (Institute of Gender and Development Studies- IGDS)