Every year, International Women’s Day is celebrated on March 8. This year’s theme is about gender equality today for a sustainable tomorrow that recognizes and celebrates women and girls who are highlighting the issue of climate change, are taking the charge and leading.
Below are 10 things women all over the world should know about International Women’s Day 2022:
1. Spurred on by the universal female suffrage movement that had begun in New Zealand, IWD originated from labor movements in North America and Europe during the early 20th century. The earliest version was purportedly a “Women’s Day” organized by the Socialist Party of America in New York City February 28, 1909.
2. The first National Woman’s Day was observed in the United States on February 28 1909, which the Socialist Party of America dedicated in honour of the 1908 garment workers’ strike in New York where women protested against harsh working conditions.
3. In 1910, a second International Conference of Working Women was held in Copenhagen. A woman named Clara Zetkin tabled the idea of an International Women’s Day. She proposed that every year in every country there should be a celebration on the same day – a Women’s Day – to press for their demands.
4. It was in 1945 that the Charter of the United Nations became the first international agreement to affirm the principle of equality between women and men but it was only on March 8 during International Women’s Year in 1975 that the UN celebrated its first official International Women’s Day.
5. This day honoured the 1908 garment workers’ strike in New York, where women protested against working conditions. Years later, in 1917 women in Russia chose to protest and strike for “bread and peace” on the last Sunday of February, which was 23 February; this date was March 8 as per Gregorian calendar.
6. The history of International Women’s Day stretches back more than 100 years, when the day was first observed across Europe and America. But according to NPR, it wasn’t until March 8, 1946, that feminists in Italy chose the mimosa flower as a symbol of strength, sensibility and sensitivity for Women’s Day.
7. To commemorate the day and stand in solidarity, many people wear the official color of International Women’s Day—purple.
8. The unification of the colors purple, green and white are the symbol of International Women’s Day. Purple, often associated with royalty, signifies justice and dignity. The color of nature and the natural world- green means hope.
9. The International Women’s Day logo is a looping, arrowed circle with the female (or Venus) gender symbol at the inset.
10. Significance. “International Women’s Day is an occasion to celebrate the progress made towards achieving gender equality and women’s empowerment but also to critically reflect on those accomplishments and strive for a greater momentum towards gender equality worldwide.
What is the 2022 theme for International Women’s Day? Each year IWD is given a theme, which often relates to contemporary events, trends and struggles. This year the focus is on ‘breaking the bias‘, as explained on the official website. ‘Imagine a gender equal world.
