International Women’s Day (IWD) is a global yearly celebration that falls this month. The United Nations formally recognized International Women’s Day in 1975. It has now expanded to commemorate the enormous contributions made by women all throughout the world. More than 80 nations throughout the world mark the event, which is always observed on March 8, since it was acknowledged by the UN. Additionally, the day has grown to be a significant component of the women’s rights movement and has sparked discussions concerning gender prejudice.
The holiday is observed annually eight days following the start of Women’s History Month, a thirty-one-day commemoration of the contributions made by women to a variety of historical events. The UN and the official IWD website have established themes for this year’s International Women’s Day that emphasize attaining gender equality.
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According to the official IWD website, 15,000 women marched through New York City in 1908 to call for social reform. These women asked for the ability to vote, higher compensation, and less working hours.
On February 28, 1909, National Women’s Day was first commemorated. A woman called Clara Zetkin, a member of the German Social Democratic Party, proposed the concept of having a Women’s Day on the same day “every year in every country” in order “to press for their demands” a year later.
International Women’s Day was observed on March 19 for the first time in Austria, Denmark, Germany, and Switzerland following an agreement reached in Denmark in 1911. Later in 1914, it was shifted to March 8 and has continued to be observed on that day ever since. The United Nations formally recognized IWD in 1975.
The website for International Women’s Day has declared that “Inspire Inclusion” will be the theme this year. The campaign’s objective is to “inspire others to understand and value women’s inclusion” so that “we forge a better world”.
“And when women themselves are inspired to be included, there’s a sense of belonging, relevance, and empowerment,” the website shared. “Collectively, let’s forge a more inclusive world for women.”
Additionally, the website stated that the campaign aims to inspire inclusivity through conversations such as: “When women aren’t present, we must ask, ‘If not, why not?’” or “When women are discriminated against, we must call out poor practice.”
Additionally, the UN selects a theme each year for the event; the topic for this year is: “Invest in women: Accelerate progress”. The advertising campaign admitted that “achieving gender equality and women’s well-being in all aspects of life is more crucial than ever,” particularly if we want to“create prosperous economies and a healthy planet”.
“However, we are facing a key challenge: the alarming $360 billion annual deficit in gender-equality measures by 2030,” the website mentioned.
The page also outlined five major areas that needed to be prioritized this year: promoting gender-responsive financing; addressing poverty; investing in women as a human rights issue; transitioning to a “green economy and care society”; and assisting female trailblazer.
You may question ways in which you may participate in the commemoration of 2024 International Women’s Day.
According to the official IWD website, one option to participate in this year’s theme is to “understand, value, and seek out the inclusion of women and girls”. In addition, “sharing this knowledge, support, and encouragement with others is key”.
The organization also invites social media users to post a photo of themselves striking the IWD #InspireInclusion posture, which involves forming a heart with your hands. In addition to utilizing the hashtags #IWD2024 and #InspireInclusion when sharing images on social media, IWD encourages users to submit their photos along with a message to be considered for inclusion in the IWD gallery.
The UN has provided many avenues for participation in the IWD theme. “Invest in women: Accelerate progress”. On March 8, for instance, you can share a set of social media messages that the organization has put on your page.
The social media bundle includes one GIF that exemplifies the subject and says as follows: “Investing in women benefits the entire society.” There are other images with statistics, one of which says: “An additional $360 billion per year is needed to achieve gender equality.” You may include the hashtag #InvestInWomen in your post’s caption when sharing these or any other photographs that illustrate the UN’s IWD theme.
Finally, watch the official UN International Women’s Day ceremony in the ECOSOC Chamber on March 8th. Live streaming of the event will be available on IWD from 10 a.m. to 11.30 a.m. EST.
