By Burnett Munthali
International Women’s Day, observed on March 8th, was a global celebration of women’s achievements and a call to action for gender equality.
International Women’s Day was on the horizon. It was the day to remember women leaders and women’s rights activists who advocated for gender equality and gender justice. After UNGA’s (United Nations General Assembly) mandate in 1977, every year 8th March is observed as International Women’s Day.
The Socialist Party of America designated this day in honour of “the 1908 garment workers’ strike in New York, where women protested against working conditions.” Around 15,000 women marched that day for shorter hours of work, better pay and voting rights, the International Women’s Day (IWD) website says.
The United Nations began celebrating International Women’s Day in 1975, which proclaimed the International Women’s Year. In 1977, the United Nations General Assembly invited member states to proclaim March 8 as an official UN holiday for women’s rights and world peace.
In celebrating International Women’s Day 2024, under the theme of ‘Investing in women: Accelerate progress’, the International Labour Organisation (ILO) puts a spotlight on the essential and inseparable roles of decent work and gender equality.
While the idea behind a women’s day originated in U.S. with the American Socialist Party in 1909, it was a German feminist who pushed for a global commemoration during an international conference of socialist women held in 1910 in Copenhagen.
The day is dedicated to celebrating achievements of women, and marks a call to action for accelerating gender parity.
8 March is International Women’s Day devoted to celebrating the achievements of women and seeking gender equality. The campaign theme in 2024 is #InspireInclusion, while the official theme of the UN observance of the day is ‘Invest in women: Accelerate progress’.
The Women’s Social and Political Union in the UK started using purple, green and white to symbolise women’s equality as far back as 1908. Historically, purple was a colour that denoted justice and dignity, and now it is used to represent women. Green is a symbol of hope.
We need women’s day. It’s an opportunity to celebrate women’s accomplishments. History bursts with important events that have made the world a better place. Women have always played essential roles in the movements for voting rights, civil rights, rights, labor rights, children’s rights, and much more.
