International Women’s Day is a global day celebrating the social, economic, cultural and political achievements of women.
The day also marks a call to action for accelerating gender parity.
Significant activities are witnessed globally as groups come together to celebrate women’s achievements or rally for women’s equality.
Marked annually on March 8th, International Women’s Day (IWD) is one of the most important days of the year to: celebrate women’s achievements; raise awareness about women’s equality and lobby for accelerated gender parity fund rise for female-focused charities.
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Below is a brief history the events that occurred that eventually birthed International Women’s Day now celebrated globally on March 8:
Ø International Women’s Day (IWD) has been observed since the early 1900s, a time of great expansion and turbulence in the industrialised world that saw booming population growth and the rise of radical ideologies.
Great unrest and critical debate was occurring amongst women. Women’s oppression and inequality was spurring women to become more vocal and active in campaigning for change.
Ø Then in 1908, 15,000 women marched through New York City demanding shorter hours, better pay and voting rights.
Ø In 1909, the first National Woman’s Day (NWD) was observed across the United States on February 28. Women continued to celebrate NWD on the last Sunday of February until 1913.
Ø In 1910, a woman named Clara Zetkin (Leader of the ‘Women’s Office’ for the Social Democratic Party in Germany) tabled the idea of an International Women’s Day.
She proposed that every year in every country there should be a celebration on the same day – a Women’s Day – to press for their demands.
The conference of over 100 women from 17 countries, representing unions, socialist parties, working women’s clubs including the first three women elected to the Finnish parliament greeted Zetkin’s suggestion with unanimous approval and thus, International Women’s Day was the result.
Ø Following the decision agreed at Copenhagen in Denmark, in 1911, International Women’s Day was honoured the first time in Austria, Denmark, Germany and Switzerland on 19 March.
More than one million women and men attended IWD rallies campaigning for women’s rights to work, vote, be trained, to hold public office and end discrimination.
Ø On the eve of World War I, campaigning for peace, Russian women observed their first International Women’s Day on February 23, the last Sunday in February.
Ø Following discussions, International Women’s Day was agreed to be marked annually on March 8 that translated in the widely adopted Gregorian calendar from February 23 and this day has remained the global date for International Women’s Day from 1914 till date.
Ø International Women’s Day was celebrated for the first time by the United Nations in 1975.
Ø Then, in December 1977, the General Assembly adopted a resolution proclaiming a United Nations Day for Women’s Rights and International Peace to be observed on any day of the year by the Member States, in accordance with their historical and national traditions.
Ø The UN announced their first annual theme “Celebrating the past, Planning for the Future” which was followed in 1997 with “Women at the Peace table”, in 1998 with “Women and Human Rights”, in 1999 with “World Free of Violence Against Women”, and so on each year.
Ø The International Women’s Day website announced that this year’s theme is #BreakTheBias.
The organisation is calling on people to “imagine a gender-equal world” that is free of biases, stereotypes and discrimination against women.
The UN’s theme is “gender equality today for a sustainable tomorrow”. It is focusing on advancing gender equality in the context of the global climate crisis.
“Continuing to examine the opportunities, as well as the constraints, to empower women and girls to have a voice and be equal players in decision-making related to climate change and sustainability is essential for sustainable development and greater gender equality,” the UN said.
“Without gender equality today, a sustainable future, and an equal future remains beyond our reach.”
Ø Purple, green and white are the colours of IWD.
“Purple signifies justice and dignity. Green symbolises hope. White represents purity, albeit a controversial concept,” the International Women’s Day website reads.
The colours originated from the Women’s Social and Political Union in the UK in 1908.
Ø In accordance with its #BreakTheBias theme, IWD organisers are asking people to pose with their arms crossed as a symbol of their commitment to calling out bias, dismantling stereotypes, and rejecting discrimination and inequality.
The public is being encouraged to photograph themselves in the pose and submit pictures to the official website.