8 March: International Women's Day

While it might seem like a fairly recent development, the origins of International Women's Day (IWD) date back to the early 20th century and are closely linked to labour and socialist movements in the United States and across Europe.

As early as 1908, 15,000 women gathered to march through New York City, demanding better working conditions and the right to vote. Just a year later, in 1909, the Socialist Party of America declared the first National Women's Day, which was – until 1913 – observed on 28 February.
Around the same time, in 1910, Clara Zetkin, a member of the German Social Democratic and later the Communist party raised the idea of having a yearly women's day to promote and demand women's rights at a conference in Copenhagen.

The delegation, comprised over 100 women representing various countries, women's associations, and socialist parties, approved of the idea, and International Women's Day (IWD) was born. The following year the first IWD was observed on 19 March in several European countries, and both men and women took to the streets to protest for more women’s rights.

The date we know today, 8 March, stems from the involvement of Russian women who supported peace as the murmurs of the First World War started to become more distinct in 1913. They agreed to celebrate IWD annually on 23 February, which is 8 March on the widely used Gregorian Calendar. Despite these early efforts, it wasn’t until 1975 that IWD was globally recognised by the United Nations.

Beginning in 1997, the UN announced specific yearly themes for IWD, a tradition that is continued until this day. Previous themes have included 'Celebrating the past, Planning for the Future', 'Women and Human Rights', or 'Women in the Changing World of Work'. This year's theme is "For ALL Women and Girls: Rights. Equality. Empowerment." More information about the UN's involvement can be found here.

Despite some initial success, by the early 2000s, IWD grew to be less widely celebrated. Although many women's issues had improved since the first calls for a Women's Day, many inequalities remain. In light of this, the platform internationalwomensday.com was founded in 2001 and is still active today.

The platform aims to rekindle the wider public's enthusiasm for IWD and draw attention to why it is still needed today. The association also chooses an annual theme for IWD, independent of the UN. This year’s theme, '#EmbraceEquity', highlights why  "'equal opportunities are no longer enough' – and can in fact be exclusionary, rather than inclusive".

The platform breaks down the differences between easily confounded concepts in this explainer. Through their tireless engagement, IWD is now again recognised and celebrated across the globe. As an additional mark of recognition, Barack Obama declared March to be women's history month in 2011, exactly 100 years after the first IWD in 1911.

Also in 2011, the platform JIF (Journée Internationale des Femmes) was founded in Luxembourg to promote and organise collective activities for IWD. Reminiscent of the beginnings of IWD, JIF is made up of various associations, political parties, and individuals. JIF is an inclusive organisation; they welcome everyone who socially identifies as a woman and run a group for men who wish to show solidarity.

In 2020 the platform organised the first Women's Strike in Luxembourg, which also took place on 8 March. JIF's annual main event is usually a march taking place on International Women's Day. During the march, the participants voice several demands, including a call for fair wages and for real action in the fight to end violence against women. This year's march starts at Place de Paris at 3pm. More information about JIF and how to get involved can be found on their website (in French).

As long as gender parity is not yet a reality, IWD remains an important day of activism that draws attention to remaining issues and strengthens women's rights. However, IWD is not only a day of demands but also a day of celebration where everyone is encouraged to appreciate the achievements of women across the globe. In several countries, including Armenia and Laos, IWD is a national holiday. In Europe, IWD is a national holiday in the federal state of Berlin.