International Women’s Day: What It Means and How Is It Commemorated

Like every year, this March 8th is International Women’s Day. This day commemorates the social, economic, cultural, and political achievements of women and serves as a call to action for accelerating gender equality.

When did IWD begin?

The first Women’s Day was celebrated in 1908 when 15,000 women marched through New York City demanding shorter working hours, better pay, and the right to vote. A year later, the Socialist Party of America declared the first National Woman’s Day.

In 1910, at the International Conference of Working Women in Copenhagen, a communist activist and advocate for women’s rights called Clara Zetkin proposed making the day international. The 100 women present from 17 countries unanimously agreed to her suggestion. The first commemoration took place in 1911 in Austria, Denmark, Germany, and Switzerland.

March 8th wasn’t established until 1917, during World War I. A group of Russian women demanded “bread and peace.” Four days into the strike the Tsar was forced to abdicate, and the provisional government granted women the right to vote. Since this strike began on March 8th, it became the date to celebrate International Women’s Day.

However, it took 60 years for the United Nations to recognize the day and make it official in 1975.

What is the 2023 theme?

The UN’s theme for 2023 is “DigitALL: Innovation and technology for gender equality,” which aims to recognize and celebrate the contributions women and girls are making to technology and online education.

This year, IWD will also explore the impact of the digital gender gap on inequality for women and girls, as the UN estimates that women’s lack of access to the online world will cause a $1.5 trillion loss to the gross domestic product of low and middle-income countries by 2025 if action isn’t taken.

The International Women’s Day website has chosen the theme #EmbraceEquity, which seeks to “challenge gender stereotypes, call out discrimination, draw attention to bias, and seek out inclusion.”

Why is IWD important?

During 2022, women in many countries such as Afghanistan, Iran, Ukraine, and the US have been fighting for their rights amid war, violence, and policy changes in their respective countries.

The resurgence of the Taliban in Afghanistan has taken away any advancement in human rights for women and girls, who are now banned from higher education, working most jobs outside of the home, traveling long distances without a male chaperone, and are instructed to cover their faces in public.

In Iran, the murder of Mahsa Amini, a 22-year-old woman arrested by the morality police for allegedly violating the country’s strict rules requiring women to cover their hair with a scarf, sparked protests all around the world, calling for better rights for women and a change from the current political leadership. More than 500 people have died.

Following the invasion of Ukraine by Russian forces a year ago, the UN reported that gender gaps in food insecurity, malnutrition, poverty, and increased gender-based violence have worsened inside Ukraine and around the world due to war-induced price hikes and shortages.

On June 24th, the US Supreme Court overturned Roe v Wade, a historic law which protected the right to abortion for American women.

How is IWD celebrated in Latin America?

In Latin America, “8M” is an intense day of protests and speaking up against misogyny, injustice, and gender inequality. Over the past decade, more and more women are demanding that their needs and rights be addressed by their governments. Reproductive rights, equal pay, and femicide are the three central issues.

In 2021, 11 Latin American countries registered a rate equal to or greater than one victim of femicide for every 100,000 women. Around 4,473 women have been assassinated. Throughout the region, including the Caribbean, 12 women are murdered every day just because of their gender.

Today, more than ever, the #NiUnaMenos, the #VivasNosQueremos and the Latino version of “#MeToo” (#YoTambién) are heard. For the more than 300 million women in Latin America, March 8th is no longer celebrated with cards and flowers, it is a day of resistance.  

Who are some Latina women that made history?

1. Rigoberta Menchu: A Guatemalan human rights activist who was awarded the Nobel Peace Prize in 1992 for her fight to defend indigenous and human rights in her country.

1. Frida Kahlo: A Mexican artist who used art to express her suffering and difficulties to survive. In 1939 she exhibited her paintings in France at the invitation of André Breton. One of her works became the first painting by a Mexican artist acquired by the Louvre Museum.

3. Manuela Saenz: An Ecuadorian patriot and Simón Bolívar’s lover, better known as “Libertadora del Libertador” for defending Bolívar during an assassination attempt. Manuela confronted the conspirators, while Bolívar fled through the window.

4. Eva Duarte de Perón: The wife of Argentine President Juan Domingo Perón and First Lady of Argentina. She had an important participation in the approval of women’s right to vote in 1947.

5. Juana Azurduy: The heroine of the independence of Upper Perú (now Bolivia). After the death of her husband, she assumed the command of the troops and won important military victories.

6. The Mirabal sisters: Patria, Minerva, and María Teresa were three Dominican sisters who bravely opposed the dictatorship of Rafael Leónidas Trujillo. They continued in their fight against the dictatorship until the day they were assassinated on Trujillo’s orders.

7. Elvia Carrillo Puerto: Also called the Red Nun of Mayab, she was one of Mexico’s most important feminists and actively fought to achieve women’s suffrage.

8. Isabel Allende: A Chilean writer who received her country’s National Literature Award in 2010, Allende has sold more than 57 million copies and her works have been translated into 35 languages.

9. Policarpa Salavarrieta: She fought for the independence of Colombia. Policarpa, also known as La Pola, was a spy for the independence forces and was shot by the Spanish. La Pola is considered a symbol of courage and freedom.

10. Rosa Campuzano Cornejo: She fought for the independence of Perú. They called her “The Protector” since she was the mistress of General José de San Martín, who was known as “The Protector of Peru.” Rosa used her social status to obtain information and thus became a patriotic spy.

11. Gabriela Mistral: She was one of the most important figures in Chilean literature. Mistral was the first Latin American awarded the Nobel Prize for Literature in 1945.

12. Abuelas de Plaza de Mayo: This is an Argentine human rights organization whose purpose is to locate and return to their legitimate families all of the children who were kidnapped or “disappeared” by the last military dictatorship (1976-1983), and obtain the corresponding punishment for those responsible. The Grandmothers have recovered the original identity of 1,151 grandchildren. They have been nominated five times for the Nobel Peace Prize between 2008 and 2012.

13. Damas de Blanco: This is a Cuban civilian movement that fights for the freedom of men and women who are unjustly imprisoned in Cuba.

Check our Women’s Special Mujeres In Charge to hear some amazing latinas sharing their journey!