Inequality Celebrated on March 8th, 2008  Save as Bookmark  Send this Page to Friend. International Women's Day Home   International Women's Day Wallpapers   About Iwd   Brief History   Greetings   Inequality   Purpose Of Iwd   Reasons   Women's History   In one word, yes. It is true, though, that recent decades have seen progress. Women's access to education and proper health care has increased; their participation in the paid labour force has grown; and legislation that promises equal opportunities for women and respect for their human rights has been adopted in many countries. The world now has a growing number of women as policy-makers.     However, nowhere in the world can women claim to have the same rights and opportunities as men. They continue to be among the poorest overall: the majority of the world's 1.3 billion absolute poor are women. On average, women receive between 30 and 40 per cent less pay than men earn for the same work. And everywhere women continue to be victims of violence, with rape and domestic violence listed as significant causes of disability and death among women of reproductive age worldwide.