International Women’s Day, also known as IWD, originated in the labor movement and became an annual event recognized by the United Nations (UN). The seeds of this day were planted in 1908, when 15,000 women marched in New York City demanding shorter working hours, better wages and the right to vote.
A year later, the Socialist Party of America proclaimed the first National Women’s Day. The idea to make this day international came from a woman named Clara Zetkin, a communist activist and defender of women’s rights. She proposed the idea in 1910 at an international conference of working women in Copenhagen. The 100 women present, from 17 countries, unanimously accepted his proposal. It was celebrated for the first time in 1911, in Austria, Denmark, Germany and Switzerland.
Things were formalized in 1975, when the United Nations began celebrating this day. The first theme adopted by the UN (in 1996) was “Celebrating the past, planning for the future”.
International Women’s Day has become a day to celebrate the achievements of women in society, politics and the economy, with the roots of the day meaning strikes and demonstrations are held to raise awareness of ongoing inequality.