A Quick History Lesson: International Women's Day March 8, 2019 12:30
“Feminism has never been about getting a job for one woman. It's about making life more fair for women everywhere. It's not about a piece of the existing pie; there are too many of us for that. It's about baking a new pie.” — Gloria Steinem
Welcome, Adornia babes. International Women's Day is March 8th, so we thought we'd do a little history lesson for you. Celebrated in many countries around the world, this day is when women are recognized for their contributions and achievements, without national, cultural, economical or political divides. The day also marks a call to action for accelerating gender parity. International Women's Day was first celebrated on March 19, 1911, when a million women and men rallied in support of women's rights on that first International Women's Day.
This year's International Women's Day campaign has chosen the theme #BalanceforBetter, which encourages people around the world to take action towards accelerating gender balance. The past 18 months have seen the women's movement reach a scale higher than before with the #metoo movement (millions began using the hashtag to speak out against experiences of harassment and assault and to form a bond with others that have suffered similarly), the midterm elections, and marches occurring almost monthly. Although these strides are amazing, there is still so much that has to change and continue to change.
Women are still not paid equally to that of their male co-workers, women still are not present in EQUAL numbers in business or politics, women's education, health and the violence against them are still worse than what men go through and deal with. If you can, take the opportunity to rally, vote, protest, speak out, and be bold.
Quick history timeline ///
1909: The first National Woman's Day was observed across the United States on February 28th.
1910: Clara Zetkin, Leader of the 'Women's Office' for the Social Democratic Party in Germany, presented the idea of an International Women's Day. Over 100 women from 17 countries vouched and agreed for and with her.
1917: Russian women began a 4-day strike for "bread and peace" after the death of over 2 million Russian soldiers in World War 1. After those four days, the Czar was forced to step down and the provisional Government granted women the right to vote.
1975: International Women's Day was celebrated for the first time by the United Nations.
1996: The UN adopted the idea of a yearly theme.
2011: 100 year centenary of International Women's Day.
Today: The world has witnessed a massive change and attitude shift in both women's and society's thoughts about women, their rights and equality for all. Daily, improvements are being made but there are still many to be altered.
Make everyday International Women's Day; then we'll witness a fully gender-equal society.