Women's Day

We explain what International Women's Day is, its historical origin and why it is celebrated. Also, why it is important today.

women's day
Women's Day seeks to make gender inequality visible and demand rights for women.

What is International Women's Day?

International Women's Day (formerly known as International Working Women's Day) It is an international anniversary that each year pays tribute to the role of women in the construction of society and seeks to make visible the social, economic and political conditions in which most women live in today's world. This day is often referred to by the acronym “8M” or “8-M,” since It is celebrated every March 8.

The celebration of Women's Day, however, is not a holiday, but a commemoration of tragic episodes in the history of feminist struggle. Normally it is a day to visualize gender inequality, demand rights for women and in some nations it is a holiday, similar in nature to Workers' Day.

Origins of Women's Day

Triangle Shirtwaist Women's Day
In New York, the victims of the Triangle Shirtwaist factory fire are still remembered.

The celebration of Women's Day It was first proposed in the United States at the beginning of the 20th century by the National Women's Committee of the Socialist Party of the United States. The latter called on the last Sunday of February for the mobilization of women to denounce the state of oppression in which they lived, marginalized in the workplace and without the right to vote.

Thus, on February 28, 1909, the Socialist Party called throughout the country to celebrate “Women's Day” to honor the struggle of the Chicago and New York strikers of 1857, harshly repressed by the police. That same year, on November 23, the shirtmakers of New York, mostly European immigrants and of Jewish origin, began their famous labor strike that lasted until February of the following year, demanding better wages, less slavering hours and safer working conditions. job.

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Although this long strike was demobilized, the justness of their demands became clear on March 25 of the following year (1911), when the fire occurred at the Triangle Shirtwaist factory in New York in which 146 people died: 129 female workers and 17 male workers, also leaving 70 people injured. The majority of the victims were immigrant women from Eastern Europe between the ages of 14 and 23.

These events, along with the international fight for women's suffrage, laid the groundwork for the first commemoration of Working Women's Day in 1911, in Germany, Denmark and Switzerland, and in Russia in 1913. Finally, in 1914, the Women's organizations from these four nations agreed and celebrated March 8 for the first time jointly. Even so, the anniversary became global only in 1977, year in which the UN invited its member countries to choose and make official a day of the year to honor the struggle of women.

When and why is Women's Day celebrated?

International Women's Day is celebrated every year, every March 8, commemorating the first strike of working women in Chicago and New York, which took place in 1875. The celebration of this day varies greatly from country to country, but generally consists of events linked to feminist militancy, the struggle of working women and the denunciation of gender inequality.

On March 8, 2017, for example, different feminist organizations called for an International Women's Strike against sexist violence in all its forms. However, in some countries the celebration can take on a more family tone, with school events and children giving gifts to their mothers and sisters.

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It is also common to give mimosas to women, a plant chosen by the communist activist Teresa Mattei as a symbol of International Women's Day in Italy, unlike the violets and lilies given in France and other countries.

Importance of Women's Day

International Women's Day is an annual opportunity to review the living conditions of women in society and remember the struggles and sacrifices that this has cost them and to move even further towards inclusion and equality in labor, legal and social matters.

Currently, women continue to occupy a position of subalternity with respect to men in most cultures and countries of the world, which translates into the payment of lower salaries, the exclusive performance of work at home or limits on job promotion, or even in much worse things, such as female semi-slavery, genital cutting or the prohibition of showing oneself in public, depending on the country and culture.

Should we congratulate women on their day?

women's day congratulate
On International Women's Day it makes no sense to congratulate women as if it were their birthday.

In principle, International Women's Day is not a holiday, and therefore there is little point in congratulating women, as if it were their birthday or they had won an award. International Women's Day It is not a romantic day, dedicated to love or gallantry, but a commemoration of the long and painful history of social struggle for gender equality.

So, The best way to celebrate this day is to show solidarity with the historical struggle of women, that is, to inform and educate yourself about it. However, if we want to have an affectionate gesture with the women around us, it will be important to do so only with those who wish to receive it. It is normal for many women to feel that this would trivialize an important historical struggle.

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References

  • “International Women's Day” on Wikipedia.
  • “The painful story behind International Women's Day” in National Geographic in Spanish.
  • “International Women's Day, March 8” at the United Nations (UN).
  • “International Women's Day” on International Women's Day.