Today on March 8, 2020, as the world celebrates international women’s day let us know what exactly is women’s day and how and when did it begin?
International women’s Day is celebrated by all the countries across the world by recognizing the achievements made by women but also discusses the issues and obstacles faced and battled by women be it a homemaker or a working female, each has their own story of struggle, criticisms, discrimination and achievements.
To know the brief history of its significance here’s everything you need to know about International women’s Day –
How and when did it begin?
Although the international women’s day wasn’t officially recognized until 1917 by the United Nations, the history of the celebration can be traced back to the early 20th century, owing gratitude to labor movements across North America and Europe.
The first international women’s Day was celebrated on March 8, 1913, by the members of the women’s movement in Russia during World War I to peacefully protest the war.
A year later, women across Europe held rallies in solidarity on the same date.
Thousands of women on March 8, 1917, rallied together for bread and peace and this demonstration had sparked the Russian revolution.
A women’s day was organized by the Socialist Party of America on February 28, 1909, after which the German delegates Clara Zetkin, Kate Dunker and others proposed at the 1910 international socialist women’s conference that a special women’s day should be organized annually.
After women gained suffrage in Soviet Russia in 1917, March 8 became a national holiday there. The day was then predominantly celebrated by the Socialist movement and Communist countries until the feminist movement adopted it in about 1967. The day had started being celebrated by the United Nations in 1977.
International women’s day today ranges from being a public holiday in some countries while some countries ignoring it completely.
The day in some countries and places is recognized as the day of protest or a day that celebrates womanhood.
