From today's Telegraph:
International Women's Day: What is it, how did it start and what is this year's theme?
What is International Women's Day?
International Women’s Day is a worldwide event that celebrates women’s achievements – from the political to the social – while calling for gender equality. It has been observed since the early 1900s and is now recognised each year on March 8.
This year there is a Google Doodle marking the celebration featuring women and girls across the world who complete the sentence ‘One day I will’, talking about their dreams and ambitions.
Google visited 13 countries and spoke to 337 women to create the video. Their goals varied from "swimming with pigs in the Bahamas" to "giving a voice to those girls who can’t speak".
Women and girls who are inspired by the doodle are encouraged to take to Twitter to share their own aspirations with the hashtag #OneDayIWill.
How did it start?
It’s difficult to say exactly when IWD (as it’s known) began. Its roots can be traced to 1908, when 15,000 women marched through New York City demanding voting rights, better pay and shorter working hours.
A year later, the first National Woman’s Day was observed in the US on 28 February in accordance with a declaration by the Socialist Party of America.
In 1910, a woman called Clara Zetkin – leader of the ‘women’s office’ for the Social Democratic Party in Germany – tabled the idea of an International Women’s Day. She suggested that every country should celebrate women on one day every year to push for their demands.
A conference of more than 100 women from 17 countries agreed to her suggestion and IWD was formed. In 1911, it was celebrated for the first time in Austria, Denmark, Germany and Switzerland on March 19.
In 1913, it was decided to transfer IWD to March 8, and it has been celebrated on that day ever since. The day was only recognised by the United Nations in 1975, but ever since it has created a theme each year for the celebration.
What anniversary are we on now?
The first IWD to be officially recognised as thus happened in 1911, so the centenary was celebrated in 2011. This year is the 105th.
In 2011, US President Barack Obama proclaimed March to be ‘Women’s History Month’.
Why do we still celebrate it?
The original aim of the day – to achieve full gender equality for women the world – has still not been realised. A gender pay gap persists across the globe and women are still not present in equal numbers in business or politics. Figures show that globally, women’s education, health and violence towards women is still worse than that of men.
On IWD, women across the world come together to force the world to recognise these inequalities – whilst celebrating the achievements of women who have overcome these barriers.
What’s this year’s theme?
The 2016 theme is “Planet 50-50 by 2030: Step It Up for Gender Equality”. The idea is to accelerate the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development which was formally adopted by world leaders at a 2015 UN summit. It focuses on reducing poverty, huger, disease and gender equality.
How can you celebrate?
There are many ways you can get involved in IWD:
1. Make a pledge for parity.
This involves going to the IWD website and pledging to help women and girls achieve their ambitions; call for gender-balanced leadership and create flexible cultures.
2. Join one of the many events happening around the world.
The IWD website shows where events are happening in countries and towns. For instance in London, there are a number of panels, luncheons, and even a football match between West Ham ladies and Tottenham Hotspur ladies.
3. Host your own event
It’s still not too late. IWD encourages people to host a prominent speaker and create an event of their own.
4. Go to Southbank's Women of the World festival
This takes place in London from March 8-13 to celebrate IWD with a series of events.
Thousands of women marched last weekend in the UK - was this for IWD?
No, not specifically. But they are connected. As March is women's history month, a number of organisations have set up events around this time to highlight inequality.
On Saturday March 5, around 10,000 women marched in London as part of the ninth annual Million Women Rise march. It takes place on the weekend before IWD every year, and brings together thousands of women marching to end male violence against women.
On Sunday March 6, women marched in London as part of Care International's Walk In Her Shoes. Annie Lennox, Bianca Jagger and Dr Helen Pankhurst led the event that celebrated women's achievement across the globe.
How is IWD celebrated across the world?
Countries celebrate it in different ways. It is an official holiday in a number of places including: Afghanistan, Armenia, Azerbaijan, Belarus, Burkina Faso, Cambodia, China (for women only), Cuba, Georgia, Guinea-Bissau, Eritrea, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Laos, Madagascar (for women only), Moldova, Mongolia, Montenegro, Nepal (for women only), Russia, Tajikistan, Turkmenistan, Uganda, Ukraine, Uzbekistan, Vietnam and Zambia.
Other countries celebrate it in a similar way to Mother’s Daywith men presenting their wives, girlfriends, mothers and female friends with flowers and gifts.
