The International Women`s Day is a day to celebrate the achievements we have done so far in getting closer and closer to gender equality, but it is also a day to remind everyone that we are still facing many problems and challenges. There is still gender inequality when it comes to many sectors like job opportunities, different payment for the same work, lack of female presence in politics and STEM and so on. Many women are unfortunately also still facing oppression, violence and abuse.
Now a little bit more about the history of IWD. In the beginning of the 20th century, women started to become more vocal and active and started protesting and going on the streets to fight for equal rights between women and men. Especially powerful was the Suffragette – Movement which wanted women to have the right to vote. On the 28th of March in 1909, the first National Women`s Day was celebrated in the United States. In 1910, there was an International Conference of Working Women and the German politic Clara Zetkin proposed the idea of an International Women`s Day. So women can fight united for their rights on the same day, at the same time, in every country in the world. In March of the following year, the first IWD was celebrated and in 1914 the date was settled on the 8th of March. In 1975, it was celebrated for the first time by the UN and since 1996 they provide us each year with a different annual theme. Why do I write „annual“? Because it is important to not only stand up and fight for gender equality and women`s rights once a year, but the whole year!
Lena