March
8
Holi in India (2012)
International Women's Day or Mother's Day
(primarily Eastern Europe, Russia, and the
former Soviet bloc)
Revolution Day
(Syria)
March
8 : International Women's Day
8 March 2011 was celebrated in many parts
of the world as the 100th anniversary of International
Women's Day. It is also the first International
Women’s Day for UN Women, created by the UN
General Assembly on 2 July 2010. The official
theme of International Women’s Day 2011 is
"Equal access to education, training
and science and technology: Pathway to decent
work for women".
Past
Observances
2010: "Equal Rights, Equal Opportunities,
Progress for All"
2009: "Women and men united to end violence
against women and girls"
2008: "Investing in women and girls"
2007: "Ending impunity for violence against
women and girls"
2006: "Women in decision-making: meeting
challenges, creating change"
2005: "Gender equality beyond 2005: building
a more secure future"
2004: "Women and HIV/AIDS"
2003: "Gender equality and the Millennium
Development Goals"
2002: "Afghan women today: realities
and opportunities"
2001: "Women's rights and international
peace"
2000: "Women uniting for peace"
About
International Women's Day
International Women's Day is celebrated in
many countries around the world. It is a day
when women are recognized for their achievements
without regard to divisions, whether national,
ethnic, linguistic, cultural, economic or
political. It is an occasion for looking back
on past struggles and accomplishments, and
more importantly, for looking ahead to the
untapped potential and opportunities that
await future generations of women.
In
1975, during International Women's Year, the
United Nations began celebrating International
Women's Day on 8 March. Two years later, in
December 1977, the General Assembly adopted
a resolution proclaiming a United Nations
Day for Women's Rights and International Peace
to be observed on any day of the year by Member
States, in accordance with their historical
and national traditions. In adopting its resolution,
the General Assembly recognized the role of
women in peace efforts and development and
urged an end to discrimination and an increase
of support for women's full and equal participation.
International
Women's Day first emerged from the activities
of labour movements at the turn of the twentieth
century in North America and across Europe.
Chronology
1909 The first National Woman's Day was observed
in the United States on 28 February. The Socialist
Party of America designated this day in honour
of the 1908 garment workers' strike in New
York, where women protested against working
conditions.
1910
The Socialist International, meeting in Copenhagen,
established a Women's Day, international in
character, to honour the movement for women's
rights and to build support for achieving
universal suffrage for women. The proposal
was greeted with unanimous approval by the
conference of over 100 women from 17 countries,
which included the first three women elected
to the Finnish Parliament. No fixed date was
selected for the observance.
1911
As a result of the Copenhagen initiative,
International Women's Day was marked for the
first time (19 March) in Austria, Denmark,
Germany and Switzerland, where more than one
million women and men attended rallies. In
addition to the right to vote and to hold
public office, they demanded women's rights
to work, to vocational training and to an
end to discrimination on the job.
1913-1914
International Women's Day also became a mechanism
for protesting World War I. As part of the
peace movement, Russian women observed their
first International Women's Day on the last
Sunday in February. Elsewhere in Europe, on
or around 8 March of the following year, women
held rallies either to protest the war or
to express solidarity with other activists.
1917
Against the backdrop of the war, women in
Russia again chose to protest and strike for
"Bread and Peace" on the last Sunday
in February (which fell on 8 March on the
Gregorian calendar). Four days later, the
Czar abdicated and the provisional Government
granted women the right to vote.
Since those early years, International Women's
Day has assumed a new global dimension for
women in developed and developing countries
alike. The growing international women's movement,
which has been strengthened by four global
United Nations women's conferences, has helped
make the commemoration a rallying point to
build support for women's rights and participation
in the political and economic arenas. Increasingly,
International Women's Day is a time to reflect
on progress made, to call for change and to
celebrate acts of courage and determination
by ordinary women who have played an extraordinary
role in the history of their countries and
communities.
Events
1618
– Johannes Kepler discovers the third law
of planetary motion.
1817 – The New York Stock Exchange is founded.
1910 – French aviatrix Raymonde de Laroche
becomes the first woman to receive a pilot's
license.
1911 – International Women's Day is launched
in Copenhagen, Denmark, by Clara Zetkin, leader
of the Women's Office for the Social Democratic
Party in Germany.
1920 – The Arab Kingdom of Syria, the first
modern Arab state to come into existence,
is established.
1924 – The Castle Gate mine disaster kills
172 coal miners near Castle Gate, Utah.
1957 – Ghana joins the United Nations.
1974 – Charles de Gaulle Airport opens in
Paris, France.
1979 – Philips demonstrates the Compact Disc
publicly for the first time.
2004 – A new constitution is signed by Iraq's
Governing Council.
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