KARACHI, March 7: The International Women’s Day is a celebration of the spirit of women of today and tomorrow. Its 95-year journey may have been long and arduous but is far from thankless.

Many events are held across the globe to inspire women and celebrate their success, pride and collective power. But where large- scale initiatives such as political rallies, NGO conferences, theatre performances, films and award ceremonies, have gone a long way in pushing the envelope for what was once dubbed the second sex, it is the daily battle of the common woman that remains largely unsung.

This year Dawn has chronicled the lives of two working women from either side of the great social divide.

One is a maid who fought through purdah, convention and societal sanctions to eke out a living for her children and in the process become something of an icon of courage for her orthodox clan.

The other, however, inhabits a genteel, far more affluent world but has had to overcome trauma to begin life anew and in doing so, she has soared in the corporate sector.