On 8 March, the world traditionally celebrates International Women's Day. However, this holiday has a complex historical background, having been transformed and filled with new meanings many times. Learn more about the history of International Women's Day

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International Women's Day is dedicated to celebrating the achievements of women and the pursuit of gender equality. The theme of the 2024 campaign is #InspireInclusion, and the official UN theme for the day is "Invest in Women: Accelerating Progress".

According to the World Economic Forum's Global Gender Gap Report 2023, it will take another 131 years to achieve gender parity. Gender equality is central to the United Nations' Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) and is a permanent fixture on the Secretary-General's annual list of priorities.

The historical background of 8 March

International Women's Day, now celebrated as a day of "spring, femininity and beauty", has deep roots in the struggle for equality and women's rights. It emerged as a response to the systemic discrimination women faced in the nineteenth century.

The Social Democratic Women's Organisation of New York City held a rally on 28 February 1908 to demand shorter working hours and equal pay for women. This event was an important step in the formation of the women's rights movement.

In 1910, at the Second International Conference of Socialists in Copenhagen, it was proposed to celebrate International Women's Day as a day of solidarity for women in the struggle for full rights. After that, in 1911, this day was celebrated in a number of European countries.

The date chosen for the celebration, 8 March, was symbolically chosen to commemorate the events of the March Revolution of 1848 in Prussia, which was part of a European wave of democratic uprisings. Over the years, this day has become a symbol of the struggle for equality and recognition of women's rights.

Over the following years, International Women's Day was celebrated in different countries on different dates, but eventually settled on 8 March. Today's International Women's Day is celebrated as a day to honour women's achievements in the struggle for equality and to express support for the further development of women's rights.

The impact of the First World War and the Revolution on the feminist movement

Until 1914, the feminist movement was distinguished by its international and pacifist orientation. Its supporters had been marching for peace long before the outbreak of the First World War, in particular in 1899 and 1907. However, the outbreak of the war interrupted this stream of activity. Feminists in France and other countries temporarily abandoned their demands. Some of them even joined charitable activities, and many women were forced to work in military enterprises. Marcelle Capy, a French journalist, feminist and libertarian, spent several weeks incognito in a military factory, describing the harsh working conditions in her report for the magazine La Voix des femmes.

However, when it became clear that the war would last much longer than expected, protest movements were revived. In 1915, Aletta Jacobs of the Netherlands and Jane Adams of the United States organised the International Congress for a Future Peace in The Hague, which brought together women from nine countries. Feminists renewed their cooperation and called for an end to the war, but did not forget about the struggle for equal rights.

At the same time, against the backdrop of the war, the February Revolution took place in Petrograd, forcing the Russian emperor to sign a decree granting women the right to vote. However, even this did not satisfy the Bolsheviks and other anti-government groups, and rallies and strikes quickly turned into a national struggle for women's rights and an end to the war.

After the war ended, International Women's Day gained special significance in the USSR, where it became a symbol of the "new Soviet woman". However, over time, the idealised image of the Soviet woman began to change, and the role of women in society became more diverse.

Over the years, International Women's Day has undergone various transformations and lost some of its political content, becoming more of a holiday dedicated to honouring women and women's achievements in various spheres of life.

How the day is celebrated around the world

After 1917, International Women's Day became a traditional holiday, mainly in socialist countries. However, its significance gradually spread, and in 1975, it received international recognition at the level of the United Nations for the first time. The UN General Assembly adopted a resolution in 1977 recommending that countries around the world celebrate the International Day for Women's Rights and International Peace on any day that suits their historical and national traditions.

Today, 8 March is officially recognised as a national holiday in most former Soviet countries, such as Armenia, Azerbaijan, Belarus, Georgia, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Latvia, Moldova, Russia, Uzbekistan, Ukraine, Tajikistan and Turkmenistan. In addition, the International Women's Day is celebrated in Angola, Cambodia, Guinea-Bissau, Eritrea, Kenya, Madagascar, Mongolia, North Korea, Uganda, Zambia and Zambia. In Laos, this day is a day off for women, and in China, they have a shorter working day. In the German capital Berlin, 8 March is celebrated as a regional holiday.

This day has become a symbol of the struggle for equality, women's rights and international peace. Its celebration has spread around the world, reminding us of the importance of fighting for women's rights and solidarity in achieving this goal.

Daria Rogova, Head of Insurance at Visit World

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