On International Women’s Day, we often talk about famous women who have succeeded in business, politics, social work, entertainment and so on. As the United Nations' International Women's Day will be celebrated on March 8 this year, we let you peep inside the lives of “common” women from around the world. Click on Start to view the slideshow presenting the not-so-common lives of these common women from different strata of society.
Ninjutsu practitioners prepare for a sword drill as members of various Ninjutsu schools showcase their skills to the media at a park in Karaj, 45 km (28 miles) northwest of Tehran Feb. 13, 2012. Currently about 3000 to 3500 women train in Ninjutsu in independently run clubs throughout Iran working under the supervision of the Ministry of Sports' Martial Arts Federation. All Ninjutsu-practicing women in Iran will observe International Women's day on March 8. REUTERS/Caren FirouzOdilia Bran, 40, a volunteer firefighter, unrolls hoses to help put out a fire in Mixco, on the outskirts of Guatemala City, March 2, 2012. Bran, a certified paramedic in the 22nd company of Cuerpo de Bomberos Voluntarios (Volunteer Firefighters), joined the service 12 years ago. Women make up around 5 percent of the 4800 volunteer firefighters in Guatemala. Women in Guatemala will observe International Women's day on March 8. REUTERS/Jorge LopezAnguri, a 26-year-old pregnant woman who just gave birth, rests on a bed along with her newborn baby in the post delivery ward at a community health centre in the remote village of Chharchh, in the central Indian state of Madhya Pradesh, Feb. 24, 2012. In rural Madhya Pradesh, an innovative free maternity ambulance service called "Janani Express", run in partnership between the state government and the United Nations Children's Fund (UNICEF), is trying to increase the number of babies born in clinics where proper care can be provided to the mothers and newborn children, and infant mortality can be decreased. Before this initiative, women like Anguri would have been left to give birth in the fields or on mud floors. Now, the free ambulance brings pregnant women across dusty roads to health clinics where they can give birth safely under basic medical supervision, be nursed afterwards and educated on the importance of breastfeeding and hygiene before returning to their villages and communities. The United Nations' International Women's Day will be celebrated on March 8.REUTERS/Vivek PrakashWomen ride bicycles during an event to celebrate International Women's Day in downtown Mexico City March 3, 2012. Women, some of them in high heels and wearing dresses, attended the 'Rodada de Altura' ride to mark International Women's Day, which falls on March 8, and to promote the use of the bicycle as an ecological mode of transport.REUTERS/Tomas BravoA woman dries her saree, a traditional cloth used for women's clothing, after washing it on the banks of river Tawi in Jammu March 3, 2012. REUTERS/Mukesh GuptaOleksandra Shevchenko (C) stands in a subway car on her way to her apartment in Kiev, Feb. 21, 2012. Oleksandra, 23, is a common woman; she is human resources student, born in the city of Khmelnitsky, who rents a two-bedroom apartment together with her four friends. Besides her common on-campus life, Shevchenko is one of the activists of Ukrainian activist group Femen, which is famous for holding topless protests in Ukraine and abroad demonstrating for women's rights. REUTERS/Gleb GaranichPhysically disabled Dong Jingli practises modern dance with her partner at a disabled persons activity center in Beijing, Feb. 28, 2012. Two times a week, a group of 42 dancers including 24 women with physical disabilities, mostly between the ages of 21 and 62, from the commonwealth organization of the Beijing Disabled Dance Team practice modern dance using wheelchairs. These women will observe International Women's day on March 8. REUTERS/Jason LeeMakpal Abrazakova, 25, trains her golden eagle Akzhelke outside her home village of Aksu-Ayuly in central Kazakhstan, Feb. 23, 2012. Makpal, who is professionally trained as a lawyer, is the only female eagle hunter in Kazakhstan. She started learning falconry from her father at the age of 13. REUTERS/Shamil ZhumatovBlacksmith Dora Kolchina works in her shop in the Russia's Siberian city of Krasnoyarsk, Feb. 13, 2012. Dora, 29, is the only female blacksmith in the region. REUTERS/Ilya Naymushin
