For over a century, International Women’s Day (IWD) has been celebrated across the globe to highlight the extraordinary achievements of ordinary women. Held annually on March 8, I used to think it was a positive day. This year, however, I just feel angry.
Although proud of the progress we’ve made, we find ourselves fighting on a new front — and in the unimaginable position of seeing hard-won rights being rolled back.
Incredibly, we’re at a point when even the word
EDITOR’S NOTE: This story was produced in collaboration with the Food & Environment Reporting Network, a nonprofit journalism organization.
When Sian Austin and Emma Swingle got engaged last May, they immediately started planning their dream wedding.
They would marry in front of 100 family and friends before dancing the night away in a rustic Essex barn while the champagne flowed.
But, despite putting down a £500 deposit for the venue and sending out ‘save the date’ invites, the couple started having doubts.
‘Having a big wedding felt like what we should do,’ says Emma, 27. ‘But when we imagined
