International Women's Day is a global event celebrated annually on March 8th. It is a day to recognise the social, economic, cultural, and political achievements of women around the world, as well as to advocate for gender equality and women's rights. The day also serves as a call to action to accelerate gender parity, challenge gender stereotypes and biases, and promote women's empowerment. International Women's Day has been observed since the early 1900s and is recognized by the United Nations as an official holiday.
THE HISTORY BEHIND INTERNATIONAL WOMEN’S DAY
International Women's Day (IWD) has its roots in the early 20th century when women in many countries began to organize and campaign for better working conditions, the right to vote, and other issues related to gender inequality. The first observance of a Women's Day was held in 1909 in the United States, organized by the Socialist Party of America to honour the 1908 garment workers' strike in New York City.
The idea of an IWD emerged at the second International Conference of Working Women held in Copenhagen in 1910. A woman named Clara Zetkin proposed the idea of an annual international day to honour the women's rights movement and to promote equal rights and suffrage for women. The proposal was unanimously adopted by the conference attendees, and the first IWD was celebrated on March in 1911, in Austria, Denmark, Germany, and Switzerland, with rallies and demonstrations attended by millions of women and men.
In subsequent years, IWD was celebrated on various dates, and it became an important platform for women's rights activists to advocate for political and social change. During World War I, IWD was used to promote peace and protest against the war. In the 1960s and 1970s, the feminist movement reinvigorated the observance of IWD, and it became an official holiday in many countries. Today, IWD is celebrated globally, with events and activities organized by governments, NGOs, and individuals to promote gender equality and women's empowerment.
Written and edited by: Tamima 12H