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Today is International Women’s Day.

International Women’s Day is the story of ordinary women as makers of history; it is rooted in the centuries-old struggle of women seeking to participate equally in society on an equal footing with men. In ancient Greece, Lysistrata initiated a sexual strike against men in order to end war; during the French Revolution, Parisian women calling for “liberty, equality, fraternity” marched on Versailles to demand women’s suffrage.

The idea of an International Women’s Day first arose at the turn of the century, which in the industrialized world was a period of expansion and turbulence, booming population growth and radical ideologies.

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The growing international women’s movement has helped make IWD a special day for promoting women’s rights and participation in political and economic processes. Increasingly, International Women’s Day is a time to reflect on the progress made, to call for change and to celebrate acts of courage and determination by ordinary women who have played an extraordinary role in the history of women’s rights.

Lets take a quick skim of how the newspaper media in Australia are observing IWD.

The Sydney Morning Herald doesn’t have an editorial on the subject, but there is a Ross Gittins article observing the mixed Howard legacy for women. Some of the policies like Family Tax Benefit B and the appalling lack of investment in child care are called out by Gittins as a potential topic for Peter Costello to differentiate himself from Howard.

Not exactly on theme, but close. Perhaps after yesterday’s Labor Party shananigans he could have rewritten the piece as a way for Future Opposition Leader Julia Gillard to wedge the Prime Minister into providing real opportunities for women.

The Australian has nothing on IWD.

The Daily Telegraph has nothing specific about IWD. But there is an Op Ed. by Anita Quigley on what it takes for a woman to be “fit for high office” by contrasting Condoleezza Rice’s recent work-out-driven press profile with Amanda Vanstone’s successful approach to working within the male dominated domain of Australian politics.

It’s not surprising. Most “World Days” pass unobserved. Some days are more significant than others. When was the last time you noticed “World Meteorological Day” (March 23rd) pass you by?

I have thought that IWD, and other more prominent “World Days” would work as they were intended – to be a prompt for a public accounting of progress on the day’s theme by the media and political opinion leaders.

Not today, it seems.