Annually on 8 March, thousands of events are held throughout the world to inspire women and celebrate achievements. A global web of rich and diverse local activity connects women from all around the world ranging from political rallies, business conferences, government activities and networking events through to local women's craft markets, theatric performances, fashion parades and more. International Women's Day has been observed since in
the early 1900's, a time of great expansion and turbulence in the
industrialized world that saw booming population growth and the rise of radical
ideologies.
1908
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. Then in 1908, 15,000 women
marched through New York City demanding shorter hours, better pay and voting
rights.
1909
In accordance with a declaration by the Socialist
Party of America, the first National Woman's Day (NWD) was observed across the
United States on 28 February. Women continued to celebrate NWD on the last
Sunday of February until 1913.
1910
n 1910 a second International Conference of Working
Women was held in Copenhagen. A woman named a 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, and 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.
1911
Following the decision agreed at Copenhagen in 1911,
International Women's Day (IWD) 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. However less than a week
later on 25 March, the tragic 'Triangle Fire' in New York City took the lives
of more than 140 working women, most of them Italian and Jewish immigrants.
This disastrous event drew significant attention to working conditions and
labour legislation in the United States that became a focus of subsequent
International Women's Day events. 1911 also saw women's 'Bread and Roses'
campaign.
1913-1914
On the eve of World War I campaigning for peace,
Russian women observed their first International Women's Day on the last Sunday
in February 1913. In 1913 following discussions, International Women's Day was
transferred to 8 March and this day has remained the global date for
International Women's Day ever since. In 1914 further women across Europe held
rallies to campaign against the war and to express women's solidarity.
1917
On the last Sunday of February, Russian women began
a strike for "bread and peace" in response to the death over 2
million Russian soldiers in war. Opposed by political leaders the women
continued to strike until four days later the Czar was forced to abdicate and
the provisional Government granted women the right to vote. The date the
women's strike commenced was Sunday 23 February on the Julian calendar then in
use in Russia. This day on the Gregorian calendar in use elsewhere was 8 March.
1918 - 1999
Since its birth in the socialist movement,
International Women's Day has grown to become a global day of recognition and
celebration across developed and developing countries alike. For decades, IWD
has grown from strength to strength annually. For many years the United Nations
has held an annual IWD conference to coordinate international efforts for
women's rights and participation in social, political and economic processes.
1975 was designated as 'International Women's Year' by the United Nations.
Women's organisations and governments around the world have also observed IWD
annually on 8 March by holding large-scale events that honour women's
advancement and while diligently reminding of the continued vigilance and
action required to ensure that women's equality is gained and maintained in all
aspects of life.
2000 and beyond
IWD is now an official holiday in Afghanistan,
Armenia, Azerbaijan, Belarus, Burkina Faso, Cambodia, China (for women only),
Cuba, Georgia, Guinea-Bissau, Eritrea, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Laos, Madagascar
(for women only), Moldova, Mongolia, Montenegro, Nepal (for women only),
Russia, Tajikistan, Turkmenistan, Uganda, Ukraine, Uzbekistan, Vietnam and
Zambia. The tradition sees men honouring their mothers, wives, girlfriends,
colleagues, etc with flowers and small gifts. In some countries IWD has the
equivalent status of Mother's Day where children give small presents to their
mothers and grandmothers.
The new millennium has witnessed a significant
change and attitudinal shift in both women's and society's thoughts about
women's equality and emancipation. Many from a younger generation feel that
'all the battles have been won for women' while many feminists from the 1970's
know only too well the longevity and ingrained complexity of patriarchy. With
more women in the boardroom, greater equality in legislative rights, and an
increased critical mass of women's visibility as impressive role models in
every aspect of life, one could think that women have gained true equality. The
unfortunate fact is that women are still not paid equally to that of their male
counterparts, women still are not present in equal numbers in business or
politics, and globally women's education, health and the violence against them
is worse than that of men.
source: internationalwomensday.com
