International Women's Day

By: Jenna Smith

March 19th, 2018

Recently, on March 8, it was International Women’s Day. In reality, however, the whole month of March is dedicated to women's history. Do you know what actually happened in the past?

Beginning in 1908, according to BBC, “15,000 women marched through New York City demanding shorter working hours, better pay, and the right to vote.” A year later, the Socialist Party of America declared the first National Women’s Day.

Furthermore, in the year 1910, a women, Clara Zetkin, suggested the idea of making the day international at an International Conference of Working Women in Copenhagen. This conference held 100 women from 17 different countries, and they agreed unanimously.

When the idea finally settled around, the first International Women’s Day was celebrated in 1911 by Austria, Denmark, Germany, and Switzerland. Although, things were made official in 1975 when the United Nations celebrated the day and made it an annual theme. In 1996, the first one was “Celebrating the past, Planning for the Future.”

With the progress that had previously occurred, International Women’s Day is now a national holiday in many countries. According to bbc.com, there are different ways of celebrating this day.

Russia, for example, raises the sale of flowers during the three or four days around March 8, as people give these flowers to their female loved ones and co-workers. In China, women are given a half-day off from work, although not all employers follow this tradition. The Italian International Women’s Day, also known as la Festa della Donna, the giving of mimosa blossom is traditional, although it is unclear where it began. Lastly, where we know it best in the United States, a presidential proclamation is issued in recognizing the achievements of American women.

In 2018, women still do not receive the same pay as males or possess equal numbers in businesses; many more inequities exist. However, there have been several improvements. Currently, according to internationalwomensday.com, there are female astronauts and prime ministers, female college students, and professional women. Therefore, we celebrate this day to bring awareness to female achievements.

Recently, tens of thousands of people gathered throughout the streets across America to encourage women to sign up to vote and fight for their rights. Not only should you show love towards the women in your life during March, you should recognize them for how far they have come.