International Women’s Day 2023: Date, history, importance and why we celebrate Women’s Day on March 8?

The concept of International Women’s Day first emerged in the early 1900s. Women’s Day first came into existence in 1909 and it was known as National Women’s Day. The day was initially celebrated on 28 February 1909, when 15,000 women marched through New York City demanding shorter hours, better pay, and voting rights.

Around the same time in Europe, in 1910 to be precise, the second International Conference of Working Women was held in Denmark’s Copenhagen, where Clara Zetkin, who led the Women’s Office for the Social Democratic Party in Germany tabled the idea of an International Women’s Day and on March 9, 1911, International Women’s Day was honoured for the first time in Austria, Denmark, Germany and Switzerland.

The United Nations (UN) started celebrating International Women’s Day in 197 and in 1977, it was officially agreed that the day will be widely observed on March 8 every year.

Significance of International Women’s Day

Gender inequality and discrimination are rampant in our societies, and most of the time, women are victims of them. To fight these gender biases and to bring attention to issues such as gender equality, reproductive rights, and violence and abuse against women, International Women’s Day is celebrated. It has become a forum to raise awareness and galvanize change in society.

International Women’s Day Theme – 2023

The theme for this year’s Women’s Day, according to the United Nations is “DigitALL: Innovation and technology for gender equality” and it aims to emphasise the importance of technology in bringing gender issues to light. Director General of UNESCO Audrey Azoulay, in her message for this year’s International Women’s Day, said, “”This year, on International Women’s Day, I would like to applaud this new generation of young women – for their courage in speaking out, inspiring others and mobilizing their peers, for a more sustainable tomorrow.”

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