
Women across the world observe International Women’s Day with a call for equal pay, reproductive rights, education, justice, decision-making jobs and other essential needs today.
Officially recognized by the United Nations in 1977, International Women’s Day is commemorated in different ways and to varying degrees in places around the world. Protests are often political and, at times, violent, rooted in women’s efforts to improve their rights as workers.
This year’s global theme is “Inspire Inclusion.”
Here is what to know about the March 8 global event:
WHAT IS INTERNATIONAL WOMEN’S DAY?
International Women’s Day is a global celebration — and call to action — marked by demonstrations, mostly of women, around the world, ranging from combative protests to charity runs. Some celebrate the economic, social and political achievements of women, while others urge governments to guarantee equal pay, access to healthcare, justice for victims of gender-based violence and education for girls.
It is an official holiday in more than 20 countries, including Afghanistan, Burkina Faso, Ukraine, Russia and Cuba, the only one in the Americas.
Like in other aspects of life, social media plays an important role during International Women’s Day, particularly by amplifying attention to demonstrations held in countries with repressive governments toward women and dissent in general.
WHEN DID IT START AND WHY DOES IT FALL ON MARCH 8?
While the idea behind a women’s day originated in U.S. with the American Socialist Party in 1909, it was a German feminist who pushed for a global commemoration during an international conference of socialist women held in 1910 in Copenhagen. The following year, events across Europe marked the day, and during World War I, women used it to protest the armed conflict, which lasted from 1914 to 1918.
International Women’s Day is observed on March 8 after a massive protest in Russia on Feb. 23, 1917, that led to the country’s eventual withdrawal from the war. At the time, Russia had not adopted the Gregorian calendar — named after Pope Gregory XIII, who introduced it in 1582 – and still used the Julian calendar – the brainchild of Julius Caesar and still used by Orthodox churches for religious rites.
“On Feb. 23 in Russia, which was March 8 in Western Europe, women went out on the streets and protested for bread and peace,” said Kristen Ghodsee, professor and chair of Russian and East European studies at the University of Pennsylvania. Demonstrators included widows, wives and mothers of men who died or were injured during the war. “The authorities weren’t able to stop them, and then, once the men saw that the women were out on the streets, all of the workers started coming and joining the women.”
The U.N. began commemorating the holiday in 1975, which was International Women’s Year, and its General Assembly officially recognized the day two years later.
-AP
Comprehensive Data Protection Law Critically
Gender Differences In Mental Healthcare
Messi Wins Best FIFA Men’s
Erosion of Democracy
“Complexities of the South Asian
Strategic Doctrine Critical in Dynamic