International Women’s Day

Today, March 8th, marks the 111th International Women’s Day. The theme for this year’s IWD is “Gender equality today for a sustainable tomorrow”. Explore the history of International Women’s Day and why it still matters today.

Origins

On February 28, 1909, National Woman’s Day was held in New York City. Theresa Malkiel, a member of the Socialist Party of America, suggested its formation. Theresa was a Ukrainian-born American labor activist, suffragist, author and educator.

Malkiel was instrumental in helping to reform New York state labor laws. She saw a need to draw attention to the struggle of women in the workforce.

An International Socialist Women’s Conference was held in August 1910. During this conference, the establishment of an annual “Women’s Day” was proposed. The 100 delegates from 17 countries agreed with the formation of a day that would promote equal rights and women’s suffrage.

March 19,1911 was the first International Women’s Day. Over a million people in Austria, Denmark, Germany and Switzerland marked the day with demonstrations, marches and parades. Europe witnessed the demand for women’s right to vote and hold public office.

Initially there was no set date for the celebration of International Women’s Day. In 1914, Germany held IWD on March 8th for the first time. IWD was very popular in communist countries, especially Russia.

Gains Popularity

IWD was predominantly a communist holiday until around 1967. Around this time, the day re-emerged as a day of activism across Europe. In the 1970’s and 1980’s, women’s groups were joined by leftists and labor organizations. They were demanding equal pay, equal economic opportunity, equal legal rights, reproductive rights, subsidized childcare and the prevention of violence against women.

The United Nations began celebrating IWD in 1975. 1975 was also declared International Women’s Year. 1987 saw the United States begin to annually observe women’s contributions to history, culture and society during the month of March. IWD is still not celebrated in the United States the same way it is around the world. More than 25 countries celebrate IWD as an official holiday. It is an unofficial holiday in at least a dozen more.

Is It Still Necessary?

Yes! International Women’s Day is just as important today as it was in 1911. Originally, IWD drove forward the right of women to vote, hold political office, gender equality, reproductive rights and violence and abuse against women. Women were expected to stay home, run the household and have children. Women had to fight tooth and nail, even being arrested, for the right to vote. They had to fight to work outside of the home.

While many countries have granted women the right to vote and hold political office, many places are still struggling in the other areas. Even in the United States women face physical and sexual abuse daily. Some states have more freedom in reproductive rights than others. In many states and businesses there is still a wage gap. As a first world country that still struggles for these rights, imagine how much further many third world countries have to go in women’s rights.

Audre Lorde said, “I am not free while any woman is unfree, even when her shackles are very different from my own.” We as a world must come together and celebrate

International Women’s Day to help bring freedom and equality to all women everywhere.

How can you do your part? Visit International Women’s Day website. There you will find hashtags to use, events, resources, videos, influencers and so much more. So, wear your green, purple or white (the colors for International Women’s Day) and #BreakTheBias in support of IWD.