International Women’s Day 2024: history, marches and celebrations

The seeds of this day were planted in 1908, when 15,000 women marched through New York City demanding reduced working hours, increased wages, and the right to vote.

The following year, the Socialist Party of America declared International Women’s Day for the first time.

The idea of ​​this day being international was born from the mind of a woman named Clara Zetkin. Clara was a left-wing activist and feminist.

Clara proposed the idea in 1910, at an international conference for working women in the Danish capital, Copenhagen, in the presence of 100 other women from 17 countries. Clara’s idea was unanimously approved by the attendees.

The first global celebration of this day took place in 1911, in Australia, Denmark, Germany, and Switzerland. In 2011, the centenary of International Women’s Day was celebrated.

The celebration of International Women’s Day gained an official character in 1975, when the United Nations began to celebrate that day.

After that, March 8 became a date for global celebration of women, regardless of their position in society, politically or economically, while the political roots of that event meant strikes and demonstrations that were organized primarily to raise awareness of existing inequality between the sexes.

When Clara Zinkin proposed launching an International Women’s Day, she did not specify a specific day.

The matter did not take an official character before a strike was organized during wartime, specifically in 1917, when Russian women demanded “bread and peace.” As that strike entered its fourth day, the Tsar was forced to yield to the demands of these striking women, and the government also granted them the right to vote. .

The day on which the Russian women began their strike was Sunday, February 23, according to the Julian (Roman) calendar that was in effect in Russia at that time. That day fell on the eighth of March, according to the Gregorian (Gregorian) calendar in effect now.

Purple, in addition to green and white, are the distinctive colors for celebrating International Women’s Day.

The color purple symbolizes justice and dignity. Green symbolizes hope, while white symbolizes purity.

The colors go back to the Women’s Social and Political Union in the United Kingdom in 1908, according to the International Women’s Day website.

Yes, there is indeed an International Men’s Day on November 19 every year.

But Men’s Day was not designated before the 1990s, while the United Nations has not yet recognized it. However, people celebrate it in more than 80 countries around the world.

On November 19 of each year, “the positive qualities that men add to the world, to their families, and to their communities” is celebrated, according to the organizers of the celebration. Positive role models are highlighted, men’s health awareness is raised, as well as relations between the sexes are improved.

International Women’s Day is considered an official holiday in a number of countries, including Russia, where flower sales double during the three or four days around March 8.

In China, many women are given half a day off on March 8, according to the authorities’ directives.

In Italy, International Women’s Day is celebrated by giving mimosas, in a tradition whose exact origin is not known, but which is believed to have begun in Rome after World War II.

In the United States, March is considered a month to celebrate women’s history. Every year, a presidential proclamation is issued listing the achievements of American women.

The United Nations has adopted the theme for this year’s International Women’s Day celebration as “Investing in Women: Accelerating Progress.” The title highlights the lack of investment in gender equality measures.

“The escalation of conflicts and the high prices of goods may push many countries (75 percent of countries) to reduce public spending by 2025, which will negatively affect women and the necessary services provided to them,” according to United Nations estimates.

It is estimated that an additional $360 billion (£284 billion) is needed annually if the world is to achieve gender equality by 2030.

But there are other topics that are scheduled to be raised during the celebration of International Women’s Day this year: This includes the idea of ​​“encouraging inclusion” and participation in order to “break down barriers, challenge stereotypes, and create environments to respect and appreciate all women.”

Last year, women in many countries, such as Afghanistan, Iran, Ukraine, and the United States, fought for their rights, despite wars, violence, and changing policies in their countries.

In the Middle East, women are facing strong waves of violence in light of the outbreak of the latest conflicts between Israelis and Palestinians.

UN experts say they have received credible allegations of violations against women and girls in Gaza, including cases of rape at the hands of Israeli forces, as well as evidence (seen by the BBC) of cases of rape and sexual violence against women during the seventh attacks. Since October, at the hands of members of the Hamas movement.

This conflict has seen women bear the brunt of the crisis; In the first month of the conflict, about 5,500 women gave birth in Gaza amid a shortage of medical supplies, according to estimates by the United Nations Population Fund.

In Afghanistan, girls over primary school age are still prohibited from entering school by the Taliban, which denies women their right to education on an equal basis with men.

In Sudan, the intense conflict between the Sudanese Armed Forces on the one hand, and the Rapid Support Forces on the other, has had devastating effects.

There have been reports of women and girls being kidnapped and raped in areas controlled by the Rapid Support Forces, where they are forced to marry or kidnapped for ransom, according to the United Nations.

It is estimated that more than 1.2 million people have been displaced from Sudan to neighboring countries, and nearly nine out of every ten asylum seekers fleeing the Sudanese conflict are women and children.

Next September, one year will have passed since the killing of 22-year-old Mahsa Amini, who died in the hands of the morality police who arrested her on charges of violating the dress code in force in Iran. Where women are required to cover their hair.

Many women continue to defy these strict rules, while Nobel Peace Prize laureate Narges Mohammadi faces a lengthy prison sentence.

Last year, despite everything, saw some progress.

In October 2023, the Argentine Parliament adopted the Olympia Law, which aims to prevent online gender-based violence and punish those involved.

One in three women in Argentina have experienced online violence, according to Amnesty International.

Taiwan has witnessed a wave of allegations of sexual violence, sparked by a Netflix show that in turn sparked the Me Too movement in Taiwan.

This prompted the Progressive Democratic Party to tighten laws against sexual harassment, through new measures that facilitate the opening of channels for reporting incidents, all of which employers must investigate and report to local authorities.

In Mexico, feminist rights groups welcomed the decriminalization of abortion in the country last September. This cancellation came after a campaign of calls to ease restrictions on abortion across Latin America, which is referred to as the “green wave.”

In France, Parliament recently voted by a majority to include women’s right to abortion in the country’s constitution.

In Australia and New Zealand, the stands at the Women’s World Cup in July and August witnessed the attendance of about two million fans, an increase of more than 600,000 from the highest number recorded in this field. This reflects an increasing interest in women’s sports.

A record 46.7 million people will watch women’s sports competitions on screens in the UK in 2023.

However, what should have been a day to celebrate the Spanish team that won the World Cup, a kiss from former Spanish Football Federation President Luis Robales on the lips of player Jennifer Hermoso caught the attention.

Hermoso said that the kiss was not with her consent, before she filed a lawsuit against Rubales, who resigned from his position and denied any wrongdoing.

However, the incident sparked widespread controversy about the culture of gender discrimination, both inside and outside women’s football.