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International Women’s Day

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<b>International Women's Day</b> (<b>IWD</b>), originally called <b>International Working Women’s Day</b> is marked on the <b>8th of March</b> every year. It is a major day of global celebration for the economic, political and social achievements of women.

[Image infos="Frauen_tag_1948.jpg|thumb|right|250px"]

Started as a political event, the holiday blended in the culture of many countries (primarily [Pagelink infos="Gender Equality in the Russian Federation|Gender Equality in the Russian Federation"] and the countries of former Soviet bloc).
In some celebrations, the day lost its political flavour, and became simply an occasion for men to express their love to the women around them in a somewhat similar to [Pagelink infos="Mother's Day|Mother's Day"] and [Pagelink infos="Valentine's Day: the cost of romance|Valentine's_Day"] mixed together. In others, however, the political and human rights theme as designated by the [Pagelink infos="United Nations|United Nations"] runs strong, and political and social awareness of the struggles of women worldwide are brought out and examined in a hopeful manner.

"<i>It is a day when women are recognized for their achievements without regard to divisions, whether national, ethnic, linguistic, cultural, economic or political. It is an occasion for looking back on past struggles and accomplishments, and more importantly, for looking ahead to the untapped potential and opportunities that await future generations of women</i>." ([Pagelink infos="United Nations Women Watch|United Nations Women Watch"])

IWD is also celebrated as the first spring holiday, as in the listed countries (see below) the first day of March is considered the first day of the spring season.
<div id="toc">
<h2>Table of Contents</h2>
<ul>
	<li class="toclevel-1"><a href="#w_history"><span class="tocnumber">1</span> <span class="toctext">History</span></a></li>
	<li class="toclevel-1"><a href="#w_womens-day-in-modern-culture"><span class="tocnumber">2</span> <span class="toctext">Women's Day in modern culture</span></a></li>
	<li class="toclevel-1"><a href="#w_references"><span class="tocnumber">3</span> <span class="toctext">References</span></a></li>
	<li class="toclevel-1"><a href="#w_see-also"><span class="tocnumber">4</span> <span class="toctext">See Also</span></a></li>
</ul>
</div>
<h2 id="w_history">History</h2>
International Women’s Day first emerged from the activities of labour movements at the turn of the twentieth century in North America and across Europe.
<ul>
	<li><b>1909</b>: The first National Woman's Day was observed in the [Pagelink infos="Gender Equality in the United States of America of America|Gender Equality in the United States of America of America"] on 28 February. The Socialist Party of America designated this day in honour of the 1908 garment workers’ strike in New York, where women protested against working conditions.</li>
</ul>
<ul>
	<li><b>1910</b>: The Socialist International, meeting in Copenhagen, established a Women's Day, international in character, to honour the movement for women's rights and to build support for achieving universal suffrage for women. The proposal submitted by the German Socialist [Pagelink infos="Clara Zetkin|Clara Zetkin"] was greeted with unanimous approval by the conference of over 100 women from 17 countries, which included the first three women elected to the Finnish Parliament. No fixed date was selected for the observance.</li>
</ul>
<ul>
	<li><b>1911</b>: As a result of the Copenhagen initiative, International Women's Day was marked for the first time (19 March) in [Pagelink infos="Gender Equality in Austria|Gender Equality in Austria"], [Pagelink infos="Gender Equality in Denmark|Gender Equality in Denmark"], [Pagelink infos="Gender Equality in Germany|Gender Equality in Germany"] and [Pagelink infos="Gender Equality in Switzerland|Gender Equality in Switzerland"], where more than one million women and men attended rallies. In addition to the right to vote and to hold public office, they demanded women’s rights to work, to vocational training and to an end to discrimination on the job.</li>
</ul>
Among other relevant historic events, it came to commemorate the (25 March 1911) Triangle Shirtwaist Factory fire (90 girls or women killed among 148 dead).
<ul>
	<li><b>1913-1914</b>: International Women's Day also became a mechanism for protesting World War I. As part of the peace movement, Russian women observed their first International Women’s Day on the last Sunday in February. Elsewhere in Europe, on or around 8 March of the following year, women held rallies either to protest the war or to express solidarity with other activists.</li>
</ul>
<ul>
	<li><b>1917</b>: Against the backdrop of the war, women in Russia again chose to protest and strike for ‘Bread and Peace’ on the last Sunday in February (which fell on 8 March on the Gregorian calendar). Four days later, the Czar abdicated and the provisional Government granted women the right to vote.</li>
</ul>
<h2 id="w_womens-day-in-modern-culture">Women's Day in modern culture</h2>
The day remains an official holiday in [Pagelink infos="Gender Equality in Albania|Gender Equality in Albania"], [Pagelink infos="Gender Equality in Armenia|Gender Equality in Armenia"], [Pagelink infos="Gender Equality in Azerbaijan|Gender Equality in Azerbaijan"], [Pagelink infos="Gender Equality in Belarus|Gender Equality in Belarus"], [Pagelink infos="Gender Equality in Gender Equality in Bosnia and Herzegovina and Herzegovina|Gender Equality in Gender Equality in Bosnia and Herzegovina and Herzegovina"], [Pagelink infos="Gender Equality in Bulgaria|Gender Equality in Bulgaria"], [Pagelink infos="Gender Equality in China|Gender Equality in China"], [Pagelink infos="Gender Equality in Cuba|Gender Equality in Cuba"], [Pagelink infos="Gender Equality in Italy|Gender Equality in Italy"], [Pagelink infos="Gender Equality in Kazakhstan|Gender Equality in Kazakhstan"], [Pagelink infos="Gender Equality in Kyrgyzstan|Gender Equality in Kyrgyzstan"], Macedonia, [Pagelink infos="Gender Equality in Moldova|Gender Equality in Moldova"], [Pagelink infos="Gender Equality in Mongolia|Gender Equality in Mongolia"], [Pagelink infos="Gender Equality in Serbia and Montenegro and Montenegro|Gender Equality in Serbia and Montenegro and Montenegro"], [Pagelink infos="Gender Equality in the Russian Federation|Gender Equality in the Russian Federation"], [Pagelink infos="Serbia and Montenegro|Serbia and Montenegro"], [Pagelink infos="Gender Equality in Tajikistan|Gender Equality in Tajikistan"], [Pagelink infos="Gender Equality in Ukraine|Gender Equality in Ukraine"], [Pagelink infos="Gender Equality in Uzbekistan|Gender Equality in Uzbekistan"], and [Pagelink infos="Gender Equality in Vietnam|Gender Equality in Vietnam"], and is observed by men giving the women in their lives - mothers, wives, girlfriends, colleagues, etc., flowers and small gifts. In some countries it is also observed as an equivalent of Mother's Day, where children also give small presents to their mothers and grandmothers.

After the collapse of the Soviet Union celebrations of IWD were abandoned in Armenia. Instead April 7 was introduced as state holiday of ‘Beauty and Motherhood.’ The new holiday immediately got popular among Armenians, as it commemorates one of the main holidays of Armenian Church, Annunciation. However, people still kept celebrating IWD on March 8 as well. Public discussion held on the topic of two ‘Women’s Days’ in Armenia resulted in the recognition of the so called ‘Women’s Month’ which is the period between March 8 and April 7.

In [Pagelink infos="Gender Equality in Italy|Gender Equality in Italy"], to celebrate the day, men give yellow mimosas to women. Yellow mimosas and chocolate are also one of the most common March 8 presents in Russia.

In [Pagelink infos="Gender Equality in Gender Equality in Bosnia and Herzegovina and Herzegovina|Gender Equality in Gender Equality in Bosnia and Herzegovina and Herzegovina"], [Pagelink infos="Gender Equality in Brazil|Gender Equality in Brazil"], [Pagelink infos="Gender Equality in Croatia|Gender Equality in Croatia"], [Pagelink infos="Gender Equality in Hungary|Gender Equality in Hungary"], [Pagelink infos="Gender Equality in Serbia and Montenegro and Montenegro|Gender Equality in Serbia and Montenegro and Montenegro"], [Pagelink infos="Gender Equality in Poland|Gender Equality in Poland"], [Pagelink infos="Gender Equality in Bulgaria|Gender Equality in Bulgaria"], [Pagelink infos="Gender Equality in Romania|Gender Equality in Romania"], [Pagelink infos="Serbia and Montenegro|Serbia and Montenegro"] and [Pagelink infos="Gender Equality in Macedonia|Gender Equality in Macedonia"], the custom of giving women flowers still prevails. Women usually get gifts from their employers too. School children often bring gifts for their teachers as well.

In [Pagelink infos="Gender Equality in India|Gender Equality in India"], IWD holds a lot of significance. Many celebrations are held during the day. This portrays the power of women in the modern era and how vital their role is in the society.

In 1975, which had been designated as International Women’s Year, the [Pagelink infos="United Nations|United Nations"] the United Nations began celebrating International Women’s Day on 8 March.

Two years later, in December 1977, the General Assembly adopted a resolution proclaiming a United Nations Day for Women's Rights and International Peace to be observed on any day of the year by Member States, in accordance with their historical and national traditions. <i>"In adopting its resolution, the General Assembly recognized the role of women in peace efforts and development and urged an end to discrimination and an increase of support for women’s full and equal participation."</i>

The 2005 Congress (conference) of the British Trades Union Congress overwhelmingly approved a resolution calling for IWD to be designated a public holiday in the United Kingdom.

Today many events are held by women's groups around the world. The global women's organization Aurora hosts a free worldwide register of IWD local events (<a href="http://www.internationalwomensday.com">www.internationalwomensday.com</a>) so that women and the media can locate local activity. Many governments and organisations around the world support IWD. For example, HSBC hosts a range of IWD activity including co-hosting of the [Pagelink infos="Gender Equality in the United Kingdom|Gender Equality in the United Kingdom"]'s flagship IWD event with women's group Aurora. Global interest in IWD shows a steady increase.
<h2 id="w_references">References</h2>
<ul>
	<li><a href="http://www.un.org/en/events/womensday/">International Women's Day</a> (UN page)</li>
	<li><a href="http://imaginingourselves.imow.org">International Museum of Women</a></li>
	<li><a href="http://www.internationalwomensday.com">www.internationalwomensday.com</a></li>
	<li><a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/International_Women%27s_Day">http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/International_Women%27s_Day</a></li>
</ul>
<h2 id="w_see-also">See Also</h2>
<ul>
	<li>[Pagelink infos="Feminism|Feminism"]</li>
	<li>[Pagelink infos="Women's rights|Women's rights"]</li>
	<li>[Pagelink infos="International Men's Day|International Men's Day"] (November 19 in 40 countries)</li>
</ul>

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