“Who runs the world? Girls!” This hook from Beyonce’s very famous song says it all. Women create life. They give birth despite a lot of pain, nourish their children and help them shape their career. Mothers transfer knowledge, experience and wisdom to their offspring. Women are important part of a family, society and nation.

On March 8 every year, we celebrate women. On the International Day of Women, the world comes together to celebrate women’s achievements, and promote gender quality. The day is marked with discussions, performances, awareness programmes, networking events and marches all across the globe with governments, women’s organisations and others coming together to celebrate women’s progress and courage.

But are girls actually running the world?

My grandmother faced hard times throughout her life. She was only seven when the Rana regime came to an end. She was married at the age of 15. My mother’s situation got much better than that of my grandmother. My sister enjoyed as much privilege as I and my brother did. We all went to the same school.

Most of us have grown up seeing our grandmothers, mothers and sisters working in the kitchen doing household chores. They did not have many opportunities for themselves and were limited within the four walls.

But things are certainly getting better. Today, women and men are getting equal preferences based on their abilities. The notion that women and men are equal is getting stronger.

More girls are going to school. The rate of early marriage has gone down. According to the Economic Survey 2016/17, female enrolment rates in the primary, basic and secondary level are 96.6 per cent, 81.5 per cent and 58.9 per cent respectively.

These are good signs. Things are slowly turning into women’s favour over the years. But still, there is no room for us to be complacent. We still have a long way to go.

While March 8 reminds us of the importance of women in our family, society and nation, we got to do more.

We must change our mindset and negative attitude towards women and womanhood. Women continue to be discriminated against. Gender-based discrimination must come to an end.

We all need to put equal efforts, not only on March 8 but round the year, to eliminate discrimination against women. Let’s celebrate women and womanhood all the time in a bid to establish a discrimination free just society this International Women’s Day.