International Women's Day is being celebrated across the world Tuesday, praising the social, economic, cultural and political achievements of women.

The Okotoks Museum & Archives has a display of the history of prairie women and the fight for their right to vote, going hand-in-hand.

The exhibit explores the local suffrage movement that lead to winning the right to vote as well as the right for women to hold office.

Museum Specialist Kathy Coutts says it was the prairie mentality that pushed the women of those times to promote equality.  

"It's quite remarkable that women of the prairies were behind getting women the right to vote before the rest of Canada. So Manitoba, Alberta, Saskatchewan they lead the way in bringing the vote to women," she says. "I think it's because that hardworking determination, that prairie mind set that really spurred them on. They weren't afraid of a challenge, they didn't back down, really the characteristics that define a prairie woman."

Though this day is about celebration it also focuses on and acknowledges that progress has slowed in many places in the world and urgent action is needed to accelerate gender parity.

Coutts says the exhibit gives the community an opportunity to be reminded about the rights not every woman has.

"I think we sometimes take for granted the right that we have to vote and to run for office. So this exhibit reminds us of the work women did one hundred years ago and unfortunately in the world there are still countries that don't allow women to vote as well as to run for office. So international women's day is an opportunity to remind ourselves that the rights that we have in Canada aren't the same as the rest of the world and there still big challenge for gender equality for the rest of the world."

The display also represents the women of Okotoks in office and will be on display until the end of April.

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