History of International Women’s Day: Fighting for Gender Equality

VIVA – Every year, International Women’s Day is celebrated on March 8th. It is a day to celebrate the social, economic, cultural, and political achievements of women, as well as to raise awareness about gender equality and women's rights.

The theme for International Women's Day (IWD) 2023 is "Choose to Challenge". This theme encourages individuals to challenge gender bias and inequality and to create a more inclusive world for all. It is a call to action for everyone to take responsibility for creating a more gender-equal world, by actively challenging stereotypes, calling out bias, and promoting gender diversity.

International Women's Day is celebrated in many different ways around the world, including marches, rallies, and events promoting women's rights and gender equality.

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Keikutsertaan perempuan dalam aksi unjuk rasa selama Hari Perempuan Internasional. (Brussel, Belgia)

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• vstory

Furthermore, International Women's Day has been celebrated for over a century. The first IWD was celebrated on February 28th, 1909, in New York City, by the Socialist Party of America. The purpose of the day was to highlight the need for women to have the right to vote, work, and hold public office.

It brought together an audience of 1,500 women who demanded economic and political equality, on a day officially dedicated to “the female workers’ causes.”

In 1910, the second International Conference of Working Women was held in Copenhagen, Denmark, and the idea of an annual International Women's Day was proposed. The conference was attended by over 100 women from 17 countries, and they unanimously agreed to celebrate IWD on March 8^th of each year.

What would seem a fairly innocuous gesture marked a significant break with socialist tradition. Though ideologically committed to human equality, socialists had long argued that women’s liberation would only materialize under socialism, and the only way for working-class women to improve their lot in life was to join working-class men in their struggle.

Feminism was seen as a cause for middle and upper-class women with their class interests in mind. Yet fearful that the feminist demand for female suffrage might attract too many working-class women, socialist leaders decided to embrace it. Still, they insisted that the vote was a means to an end, not an end in itself.

In the following years, IWD was celebrated across Europe, with women using the day to call for equal rights, suffrage, and an end to discrimination. In 1975, the United Nations officially recognized March 8th as International Women's Day.

Well, Happy International Women’s Day to all women in the world!

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What would seem a fairly innocuous gesture marked a significant break with socialist tradition. Though ideologically committed to human equality, socialists had long argued that women’s liberation would only materialize under socialism, and the only way for working-class women to improve their lot in life was to join working-class men in their struggle.