Kathmandu, March 8
International Women’s Day, also known as IWD for short, grew out of the labor movement to become an annual event recognized by the United Nations.
The seeds were planted in 1908, when 15,000 women marched through New York demanding shorter working hours, better pay and the right to vote. A year later, the Socialist Party of America declared the first National Woman’s Day.
International Women’s Day (IWD), celebrated on March 8, is a global day celebrating the social, economic, cultural, and political achievements of women. The women’s day has been celebrated for well over a century, with the first one in 1911. Women’s day which marked annually on March 8th, is one of the most important days of the year to celebrate women’s achievements, raise awareness about women’s equality, lobby for accelerated gender parity and fundraise for female-focused charities.
The day marks a call to action for accelerating gender parity. Significant activity is witnessed worldwide as groups come together to celebrate women’s achievements or rally for women’s equality.
History of International Women’s Day
The International Women’s Day has been observed since the early 1900’s – a time of great turbulence in the industrialized world that saw booming population growth and the rise of radical ideologies.
In 1908, women’s oppression and inequality was spurring women to become more vocal and active in campaigning for change. Around that time, 15,000 women marched through New York City demanding shorter hours, better pay and voting rights.
A year later, in accordance with a declaration by the Socialist Party of America, the first National Woman’s Day was observed across the US on February 28. Women continued to celebrate NWD on the last Sunday of February until 1913.
In 1910, a second International Conference of Working Women was held in Copenhagen. A woman named Clara Zetkin 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.
Following the decision agreed at Copenhagen in Denmark in 1911, International Women’s Day was honored the first time in Austria, Denmark, Germany and Switzerland.
How is Women’s Day celebrated, and will there be virtual events this year?
International Women’s Day is a national holiday in many countries, including Russia, where flower sales double during the three or four days around 8 March.
In China, many women are given a half-day off work on 8 March, as advised by the State Council.
In Italy, International Women’s Day, or la Festa Della Donna, is celebrated by the giving of mimosa blossoms. The origin of this tradition is unclear but it is believed to have started in Rome after World War Two.
In the US, the month of March is Women’s History Month. A presidential proclamation issued every year honors the achievements of American women.
This year, celebrations will continue to look a little different because of coronavirus and virtual events are expected to take place around the world, including this one organized by the UN.
What is IWD Theme?
UN celebrates Women’s day with theme every year. At the year 2021 the theme of Women’s Day was “Women in leadership: Achieving an equal future in a COVID-19 world”, highlighting the impact that girls and women worldwide had as health care workers, caregivers, innovators and community organizers during the COVID-19 pandemic. The theme that year was: #ChooseToChallenge.
The UN announced their theme for 2022 as “Gender equality today for a sustainable tomorrow”. Their events will recognize how women around the world are responding to climate change.
But there are also other themes around. The International Women’s Day website – which says it’s designed to “provide a platform to help forge positive change for women” – has chosen the theme #BreakTheBias and is asking people to imagine “a world free of bias, stereotypes, and discrimination”.
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