Why Do We Celebrate International Women's Day?

What is the history of International Women’s Day?

In the early 1900s, there were many women-led movements taking place in the U.S. and Europe. Through these movements, women were asking for their right to vote, hold public office, get paid properly, etc. They were finally standing up against discrimination.

On March 8, 1913, for the first time, women in Russia and European countries came together to protest against the ongoing wars and show support for each other's struggle. In 1917, Russian women again gathered, on this day, to protest for ‘Bread and Peace’.

In 1975, the United Nations officially declared March 8 as International Women’s Day to honour its history. Since then, UN member countries have taken significant steps towards achieving gender equality and women empowerment in their own countries.

Why do we need to empower women?

In earlier times, humans divided the duties of women and men. Women were to take care of the house, while men were to bring home money and food. Initially, this division of work made things easy for everyone. However, soon, men started to gain more power over women. This is why most of our past rulers and religious leaders were men.

Under kings and priests, this division between men and women became more strict and difficult to change. As a result, women started becoming more dependent on men for their survival and well-being. Initially, it helped protect women from harm and danger. But later, they were discriminated against and unfairly treated because of their gender.

However, with time, we realised that all humans, men and women, are born equal and thus should be treated equally. Our differences must be celebrated and not used as a reason to treat anyone unfairly.

Since women faced many injustices in the past, it put them behind men in many ways. This is why we need to empower them today!

What did we learn from this article?

All women deserve the same rights and opportunities as men, such as good education, fair pay, the chance to be leaders, a safe environment, equal treatment, etc.

You can make a difference by supporting the women in your life, understanding their problems and worries, and raising your voice against people who mistreat women.