- What is International Women's Day?
- Origins of Women's Day
- When and why is Women's Day celebrated?
- Importance of Women's Day
- Should we congratulate women on their day?
We explain what International Women's Day is, its historical origin and why it is celebrated. Also, why is it important today?
What is International Women's Day?
International Women's Day (previously known as International Working Women's Day) is an international event that pays tribute each year to the role of women in building the society and seeks to make visible the social, economic and political conditions in which most women live in today's world. This day is often referred to by the acronym “8M” or “8-M”, since it is celebrated every March 8.
The celebration of Women's Day, however, is not a holiday, but a commemoration of tragic episodes in the history of the struggle feminist. Normally it is a day to visualize the inequality of gender, claim rights for women and in some nations It is a public holiday, similar in nature to All Saints' Day. workers.
Origins of Women's Day
The celebration of Women's Day was first proposed in the United States at the beginning of the 20th century, by the National Committee for Women of the Socialist Party of the United States. The latter called for the mobilization of women on the last Sunday of February to denounce the state of oppression in which they lived, marginalized in the workplace and without the right to vote.
Thus, on February 28, 1909, the Socialist Party called throughout the country to celebrate "Women's Day" to honor the struggle of the Chicago and New York strikers of 1857, harshly repressed by the police. That same year, on November 23, the shirtmakers of New York, mostly European immigrants and of Jewish origin, began their famous labor strike that lasted until February of the following year, demanding better wages, less enslaving hours and safer working conditions. worked.
Although this long strike was demobilized, the fairness of its demands became clear on March 25 of the following year, when the fire occurred in the Triangle Shirtwaist factory in New York, in which 146 people died: 129 female workers and 17 male workers, leaving In addition to 70 people injured. Most of the victims were women. immigrants of Europe from the East between the ages of 14 and 23.
These events, along with the international struggle for women's suffrage, laid the groundwork for the first commemoration of Working Women's Day in 1911, in Germany, Denmark, and Switzerland, and in Russia in 1913. Finally, in 1914, the Women's organizations from these four nations agreed and celebrated March 8 for the first time together. Even so, the event became global only in 1977, the year in which the UN invited his countries members to choose and make official a day of the year to honor the struggle of women.
When and why is Women's Day celebrated?
International Women's Day is celebrated every year, every March 8, in commemoration of the first strike of working women in Chicago and New York, which took place in 1875. The celebration of this day varies greatly from country to country, but it generally consists of acts linked to the feminist militancy, the struggle of working women and the denunciation of the inequality of genre.
On March 8, 2017, for example, different feminist organizations called for an International Women's Strike against the violence macho in all its forms. However, in some countries the celebration can take on a more familiar hue, with school events and the delivery of gifts by children to their mothers and sisters.
The gift of mimosas to women is also common, a plant chosen by the communist militant Teresa Mattei as a symbol of International Women's Day in Italy, unlike the violets and lilies given in France and other countries.
Importance of Women's Day
International Women's Day is an annual opportunity to review the living conditions of women in society and remember the struggles and sacrifices that this has cost them, and to move even further towards inclusion and equality in labor, legal and social matters.
Currently, women continue to occupy a subordinate position with respect to men in most cultures and countries of the world, which translates into the payment of minors wages, the exclusive realization of work at home or job promotion caps, or even in much worse things, such as female semi-slavery, genital cutting or the prohibition of appearing in public, depending on the country and culture.
Should we congratulate women on their day?
In principle, International Women's Day is not a public holiday, and therefore it does not make much sense to congratulate women, as if it were their birthday or they had won an award. International Women's Day is not a romantic day, dedicated to love or gallantry, but rather a commemoration of the long and painful history of social struggle for gender equality.
Thus, the best way to celebrate this day is to show solidarity with the historical struggle of women, that is, to be informed and educated about it. However, if we want to have an affectionate gesture with the women around us, it will be important to do it only with those who want to receive it. It is normal for many women to feel that this would trivialize an important historical struggle.