International Women’s Day is a celebration of women rights and equality. It falls on the same day every year March 8 and is celebrated with rallies and activities in cities and towns around the world.
This year’s theme, A Balanced World is A Better World, is a call-to-action for driving gender balance across the world.
There are two claims to the origins of the Women’s Day. In 1908 when 15,000 women garment workers went on strike and marched through the streets of New York, demanding better working conditions and voting rights.
The other is 1910 when inspired in part by the American socialists, German Socialist Luise Zietz proposed the establishment of an annual Women’s Day at an international conference attended by 100 women. The idea was accepted unanimously.
Whether it’s one or the other, maybe even both, unfortunately, while today International Women’s Day is celebrated around the world, and a public holiday in some countries, it is still largely ignored in others.
In 1975 the United Nations officially recognized International Women’s Day. This year the theme is, “Think equal, build smart, innovate for change,” highlighting ways to promote gender equality and the empowerment of women.