International Women's Day
Vladimir Lenin declared the 8th of March as International Women's Day in 1922 to honor women's role in the Russian Revolution. Textile workers in Petrograd began a demonstration on the 8th of March 1917 demanding bread and peace. Their actions triggered the February Revolution which led to Tsar Nicholas II abdicating seven days later. The provisional government granted women the right to vote shortly after. Bolsheviks officially fixed the date as March 8 during the third world congress of Communist International in 1921. Nikolaeva from the RSFSR proposed setting this date to remember Petrograd women's participation in the 1917 demonstrations. The resolution passed unanimously among delegates. China adopted the holiday beginning in 1922 with a Guangzhou march featuring twenty-five thousand women and male supporters. After establishing the People's Republic of China on the 1st of October 1949, the State Council made the 8th of March an official holiday granting women half-day off. Joseph Stalin initiated Hujum policies on International Women's Day 1927 to remove gender inequality manifestations like female veiling in Central Asia. On the 8th of May 1965, the Presidium of the Supreme Soviet issued a decree making it a non-working public holiday honoring Soviet women's achievements.
International Women's Day remained predominantly communist until circa 1967 when second-wave feminists reclaimed it. Activist Laura X organized a march in Berkeley California on International Women's Day 1969. This led to creating The Women's History Research Center which collected nearly one million documents on microfilm between 1968 and 1974. Laura X argued that half the human race deserved more than one day annually for recognition. She called for National Women's History Month built around International Women's Day. Large marches began in Australia during 1972. In Argentina, María Elena Oddone climbed stairs of the Monument of the Two Congresses on the 8th of March 1984 holding a banner reading No to motherhood yes to pleasure. Her radical sign faced harsh criticism from press and some within the feminist movement. Elena Tchalidy president of the Alicia Moreau de Justo Foundation recalled how three girls approached Oddone after the event while thousands distanced themselves. Oddone stated she wrote banners not to be liked but to tell truth about their condition. She predicted her banners would take eighty years to be understood just as earlier suffragists were called crazy.
The United Nations began celebrating International Women's Day in 1975 which had been proclaimed the International Women's Year. In 1977 the UN General Assembly invited member states to proclaim any day as United Nations Day for Women's Rights and International Peace. Most countries recognized the 8th of March as the traditional date for observance. Each year since then has centered on a particular theme or issue within women's rights. The UN themes range from Celebrating Past Planning for Future in 1996 to For ALL Women and Girls Rights Equality Empowerment in 2025. On the 8th of March 1979, a women's march took place in Tehran Iran transforming into massive protests against mandatory hijab introduction. Thousands participated over six days resulting in temporary retraction of veiling decree. When conservatives secured sole control later, veiling was enforced again. In 1995, the Women's Committee of Glasgow City Council erected a plaque beside The Suffrage Oak commemorating votes granted to women on the 20th of April 1918. The committee announced programs promoting literacy health education and embroidery classes while starting daycare centers for working-class families.
By the twenty-first century critics argued International Women's Day became heavily diluted and commercialized especially in Western nations. Major corporations began sponsoring events using vague notions of equality rather than radical social reforms. The website internationalwomensday.com established in 2001 managed by British marketing firm Aurora Ventures promoted hashtags unconnected with UN themes. Business breakfasts and social media communications drew comparisons to Mother's Day greetings. McDonald's flipped its arches upside down on social media accounts during 2018 and 2019 changing M to W. A franchise operated by Patricial Williams in Lynwood California also flipped its sign prompting mild backlash about hypocrisy due to employee underpayment. Burger King UK tweeted Women belong in kitchen on International Women's Day 2021 labeling it sexist before deleting the message twelve hours later. Vivek Sharma CEO of Fairmont Hot Springs resort asked women at BC Tourism Conference to stand then told them go clean rooms after applause. He issued an apology a week later offering to make industry safer place for women. These corporate actions sparked debates over whether they honored or undermined the holiday's political roots.
Global marches and online campaigns like #MeToo and #TimesUp originated in United States but gained popularity worldwide starting around 2017. They allowed many women from different regions to confront injustice regarding sexual harassment assault and gender pay gap. The International Women's Strike coordinated across over fifty countries on the 8th of March 2017 and 2018 aimed decriminalizing sex work. Participants included writer Molly Smith author of Revolting Prostitutes. In Mexico City estimated eighty thousand people protested demanding government accountability for gender violence during 2020. Brujas del Mar group led another protest called Un Día Sin Mujeres simulating world without women existing. Women stayed home from work school social media refraining from online purchases. On the 4th of March 2007 police beat hundreds planning rally in Tehran Iran arresting dozens who faced solitary confinement. Shadi Sadr Mahbubeh Abbasgholizadeh and others released after fifteen-day hunger strike ending the 19th of March 2007. Pakistan began Aurat Marches parallel to #MeToo movement with first march held the 8th of March 2018 in Karachi now annual socio-political demonstration across multiple cities.
Common questions
When was International Women's Day first organized by the Socialist Party of America?
The Socialist Party of America organized the first Woman's Day event on the 28th of February 1909 in New York City. Activist Theresa Malkiel suggested holding this gathering to highlight women's labor struggles and garment workers who had protested for better conditions earlier that month.
Who proposed expanding International Women's Day to an international scale and when did delegates agree?
Clara Zetkin, a communist activist and politician from Germany, proposed expanding the idea at an International Socialist Women's Conference in Copenhagen during August 1910. Delegates representing seventeen countries agreed to support equal rights including women's suffrage without specifying a date.
Why is the 8th of March chosen as the official date for International Women's Day?
Vladimir Lenin declared the 8th of March as International Women's Day in 1922 to honor women's role in the Russian Revolution. Textile workers in Petrograd began a demonstration on the 8th of March 1917 demanding bread and peace which triggered the February Revolution leading to Tsar Nicholas II abdicating seven days later.
When did the United Nations begin celebrating International Women's Day officially?
The United Nations began celebrating International Women's Day in 1975 which had been proclaimed the International Women's Year. In 1977 the UN General Assembly invited member states to proclaim any day as United Nations Day for Women's Rights and International Peace with most countries recognizing the 8th of March as the traditional date for observance.
How has International Women's Day evolved since the twenty-first century regarding corporate involvement?
By the twenty-first century critics argued International Women's Day became heavily diluted and commercialized especially in Western nations where major corporations began sponsoring events using vague notions of equality rather than radical social reforms. The website internationalwomensday.com established in 2001 managed by British marketing firm Aurora Ventures promoted hashtags unconnected with UN themes while business breakfasts drew comparisons to Mother's Day greetings.