New York, N.Y. — International Women’s Day (IWD) is celebrated on 8 March, commemorating women’s fight for equality and liberation along with the women’s rights movement. International Women’s Day gives focus to issues such as gender equality, reproductive rights, and violence and abuse against women.
Spurred by the universal female suffrage movement, International Women’s Day originated from labor movements in Europe and North America during the early 20th century.
The earliest version reported was a “Woman’s Day” organized by the Socialist Party of America New York City on February 28, 1909.
In solidarity with them, communist activist and politician Clara Zetkin proposed the celebration of “Working Women’s Day,” approved at the 1910 International Socialist Women’s Conference in Copenhagen, albeit with no set date; the following year saw the first demonstrations and commemorations of International Women’s Day across Europe.
Vladimir Lenin declared March 8 as International Women’s Day in 1922 to honor the women’s role in the 1917 Russian Revolution; it was subsequently celebrated on that date by the socialist movement and communist countries. The holiday became a mainstream global holiday following its promotion by the United Nations in 1977.
International Women’s Day is a public holiday in several countries. The U.N. observes the holiday in connection with a particular issue, campaign, or theme in women’s rights.
Translation from German:
Give Us Women’s Suffrage | Women’s Day, March 8, 1914
To the women who fulfill their full duties as workers, mothers, and community citizens, who must pay their taxes to both the state and the municipality, prejudice and reactionary attitudes have so far denied full civic rights.
Fighting for this natural human right must be the unwavering, firm will of every woman, every female worker. There must be no rest, no pause in this struggle.
Therefore, come all of you—women and girls—to the public women’s assembly taking place on Sunday, March 8, 1914, at 3 PM.”
International Women’s Day Promotes Rights Worldwide (March 8, 2025)
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