A Brief History of Women’s Day – March 8
International Women’s Day has been observed since the early 1900’s. This was a time of great expansion due to the advent of the Industrial Revolution with its system of mass production. It was a time also when the demand for labour was high, wages and working conditions low and benefits non-existent. Money was scarce and women deprived of the right to vote, to own or to inherit property and were often expected to work in terrible conditions. Women’s oppression and inequality worldwide spurred them to become more vocal and active in campaigning for change. The urgency of their situation was further brought home following a tragic fire in New York which took the lives of 140 young girls working in miserable conditions. This disastrous event drew significant attention to working conditions in that labour legislation became a focus of subsequent International Women’s Day events. In 1908, over 15,000 women marched through New York City demanding shorter working hours, better pay and their right to vote. In accordance with a declaration, by the Socialist Party of America, we know that the first National Women’s Day was observed across the United States on February 28, 1909. In 1910, during a second International
Conference of Working Women held in Copenhagen, a woman named 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 proposed that every year, in every country, there should be a celebration – a Women’s Day – to press for their demands. The conference, composed of over 100 women from 17 countries, greeted Zetkin’s suggestion with unanimous approval of an annual International Women’s Day (IWD). Following the decision, an IWD was honored for the first time in Austria, Denmark, Germany & Switzerland on March 19, 1911. More than one million women and men attended IWD rallies campaigning for women’s right to work, vote, to be educated and to hold public office. On the eve of World War I, in 1913, during a campaign for peace, IWD was set on March 8. In 1975, during International Women’s Year, the United Nations began celebrating International Women’s Day on 8 March. Two years later, in December 1977, the United Nations (UN) General Assembly passed a resolution proclaiming a United Nations Day for Women’s Rights and International Peace. In adopting its resolution, the General Assembly recognized the role of women in peace efforts and development and urged an end to discrimination and an increase of support for women’s full and equal participation. This day is now observed worldwide every March 8, as IWD. It is designated in many countries as a national holiday. Today, a central organization principle of the UN work is that no enduring solution to social, economic or political problems can be found without the full participation and full empowerment of women. Kenya began celebrating International Women’s Day in 1988. This day has become an opportunity for the women of Kenya, who now find themselves divided by ethnic, political, social and economic differences, to come together to create a better Kenya for all on a specified day.
