International Women’s Day

Admin March 9, 2018
International Women’s Day

“The best protection any woman can have… is courage.”

Elizabeth Cady Stanton, American suffragist and social activist

International Women’s Day (March 8) is a global day celebrating the social, economic, cultural and political achievements of women. The day also marks a call to action for accelerating gender parity. Over the decades, the objective of Women’s Day celebration has evolved and embraced culture and ethnicity to emerge as a celebration of appreciation, respect and love towards women.It has been observed since the early 1900s and is now recognised each year on March 8.

But far from singling out women, the day focuses on unity, equality and advocacy – especially in a world where the differences and injustices between women and men are as great as ever.

Clara Zetkin founded International Women’s Day

Clara Zetkin’s initial idea for an International Women’s Day had no fixed date and it wasn’t formalized until a war-time strike in 1917 when Russian women demanded “bread and peace”. Four days into the women’s strike the Tsar was forced to abdicate and the provisional government granted women the right to vote. The date when the women’s strike commenced on the Julian calendar, which was then in use in Russia, was Sunday 23 February. This day in the Gregorian calendar was 8 March – and that’s when it’s celebrated today.

The centenary was celebrated in 2011, so this year we’re technically celebrating the 107th International Women’s Day.

The theme for this year is #PressforProgress.

“A strong call to motivate and unite friends, colleagues and whole communities to think, act and be gender inclusive.”

So this International Women’s Day, take a moment to thank your friends, mothers, sisters, co-workers and more for all that they do to make the world a little bit better, every single — but then take it one step further. Continue the conversation and find out what you can do to press for progress and practice gender parity in your own daily life.Pledge your support, call out gender-based bias, challenge convention, and encourage the ambition and creativity of men and women equally.

 

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