Wednesday, 4 March 2020

By the numbers: The history of International Women’s Day

1909

The first National Women’s Day is observed on 28 February in the United StatesIt aims to honour a garment workers’ strike in 1908, which saw 15,000 women march through the streets of New York to protest against working conditions.  

International womens day
Illustration of Clara Zetkin. Photo credit: Natata/Shutterstock.com

1910

At the International Socialist Women’s Conference in Copenhagen, German activist Clara Zetkin suggests that 8 March be celebrated annually in honour of women’s rights. Her proposal receives unanimous support.  

1911

International Women’s Day is celebrated for the first time in Austria, Denmark, Germany and Switzerland, albeit on 19 March. Over one million people attend rallies.  

International womens day
United Nations flag. Photo credit: Alexandros Michailidis/shutterstock.com

1975

The United Nations finally recognises 8 March as International Women’s Day. It has since become the main sponsor of the annual event.  

International womens day
Barack Obama giving a speech. Photo credit: Jose Gil/Shutterstock.com

2011

To commemorate the event’s centenary, US president Barack Obama declares the entire month of March as Women’s History Month, urging Americans to reflect on “the extraordinary accomplishments of women”.  

2020

This year’s campaign theme is #EachforEqual, which highlights the importance of challenging stereotypes, fighting bias and broadening perceptions to create a gender-equal world.  

SEE ALSO: 3 fun facts about upcoming global art exhibitions

This article was originally published in the March 2020 issue of SilverKris magazine

The post By the numbers: The history of International Women’s Day appeared first on SilverKris.



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