Women perform important roles in the building of the family and the society in general, and, so, they should be cherished and pampered by men, Cecilia Abena Dapaah, Minister of Aviation, has said.

“All over the world women are playing important roles in their families and the society in general, and, so, we deserve to be pampered. We acknowledge the role of the men but today is for women, and, so, the women should be pampered,” Mrs Dapaah told Chief Jerry Forson on Ghana Yensom on Accra100.5FM on 8 March on the occasion of the International Women’s Day celebration.

This year’s celebration is under the theme: “Press for Progress”.

The day has been set aside to recognise the achievements of women without regard to national, ethnic, linguistic, cultural, economic or political divisions.

The first observance of a Women's Day was held on 28 February 1909 in New York.

March 8 was suggested by the 1910 International Woman's Conference to become an International Woman's Day.

After women gained suffrage in Soviet Russia in 1917, March 8 became a national holiday there. The day was then predominantly celebrated by the socialist movement and communist countries until it was adopted in 1975 by the United Nations.

The Charter of the United Nations, signed in 1945, was the first international agreement to affirm the principle of equality between women and men. Since then, the UN has helped create a historic legacy of internationally-agreed strategies, standards, programmes and goals to advance the status of women worldwide.

Over the years, the UN and its technical agencies have promoted the participation of women as equal partners with men in achieving sustainable development, peace, security, and full respect for human rights.