Today is a remarkable day - everyone takes the time to celebrate the women and women-identifying around them. It’s such a wonderful day, it’s a pity things like this don’t happen on such a global scale every single day!
What is International Women’s Day?
International Women’s Day (IWD for short) can claim some of its roots here in America. In 1909, the Socialist Party of America organized a Women’s Day on February 28 of that year. From there, the idea spread like wildfire, really taking root in socialist countries (or strong socialist leaning countries) like Germany. They started the first International Women’s Day with the help of the International Socialist Woman’s Conference. When women started protesting the czarist regime demanding bread and peace in Russia, it became an annually celebrated national holiday on the 8th of March once the Soviets came into power.
Soviet poster: "8th of March is the day of rebellion of the working women against kitchen slavery. Down with the oppression and narrow-mindedness of household work!" PC: plakaty.ru
It was adopted in the US during the civil rights movement in the 1960s, and the UN followed suit in 1977.
Official Holiday
International Women’s Day is an official holiday in Afghanistan, Angola, Armenia, Azerbaijan, Belarus, Burkina Faso, Cambodia, China (for women only), Cuba, Georgia, Guinea-Bissau, Eritrea, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Laos, Madagascar (for women only), Moldova, Mongolia, Nepal, Russia, Tajikistan, Turkmenistan, Uganda, Ukraine, Uzbekistan, Vietnam, and Zambia.
Female members of the Australian Builders Labourers Federation march on International Women's Day 1975 in Sydney. PC: Tirin
The Impact It Has Had
International Women’s Day is gaining more and more of an impact as time goes along. In my opinion, it is currently more of a gathering and awareness event in the US, rather than an actual meaningful moment like in many other countries listed above.
2019 march in Spain PC: Garabata
The Concerns
IWD is awesome. But it certainly isn’t a cure-all or even a bandaid for problems that are pervasive and oppressive every day. For recent stats, check out the UN’s cool infographic.
Women celebration in Cameroon. PC: Mbiele Happi
Thanks for reading. If you want to be part of the change, make sure you are supporting equal rights for everyone, of all genders, races, religions and walks of life.
Originally published on The Wondrous Expanse on March 8, 2020.