Fun facts for International Women’s Day. One, I’m an international speaker and coach. This would have been so much more challenging without the digital marketing we have these days. My mind is still blown that I get to speak to women across the world and coach them weekly.
I get to witness this day after day. I’m grateful for the work I do and love.
Each year, March 8 is observed as International Women’s Day. This day is to celebrate the social, economic, cultural, and political achievements of women from all around the world. The goal is to also focus on a call to action for accelerating gender parity and setting agendas and goals in achieving these targets.
Thank you, Friend,—for impacting my life and success on so many levels and in so many different ways. I appreciate you, your friendship, your support, your wisdom, insight, and collaboration, and am rooting for your continued personal and professional growth and success.
Here are some fun facts about International Women’s Day
- International Women’s Day was first celebrated on February 28, 1909, in the United States. This day was originally called National Woman’s Day and was organized by the Socialist Party of America.
- The official colors of International Women’s Day are purple, green, and white. Purple symbolizes justice and dignity, green symbolizes hope, and white symbolizes purity.
- The theme for International Women’s Day 2021 was “Choose to Challenge,” which encourages individuals to challenge gender bias and inequality and to celebrate women’s achievements.
- In some countries, International Women’s Day is an official holiday. For example, it’s a national holiday in Afghanistan, Armenia, Azerbaijan, Belarus, Burkina Faso, Cambodia, Georgia, Guinea-Bissau, Eritrea, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Laos, Moldova, Mongolia, Montenegro, Nepal, Russia, Tajikistan, Turkmenistan, Uganda, Ukraine, Uzbekistan, Vietnam, and Zambia.
- Every year, the United Nations chooses a theme for International Women’s Day. Some of the recent themes include “Women in the Changing World of Work: Planet 50-50 by 2030,” “Empower Women, End Hunger and Poverty,” and “Time is Now: Rural and Urban Activists Transforming Women’s Lives.”
March 8th became International Women’s Day after a series of events that began in the early 20th century.
As mentioned above, the first Women’s Day observance was held on February 28, 1909, in New York City, organized by the Socialist Party of America. The event was held to honor the 1908 garment workers’ strike in New York. This strike was where women protested against poor working conditions and low wages.
The Inspiration
Inspired by the success of this event, the International Socialist Women’s Conference suggested an International Women’s Day. With it to be held annually to promote women’s rights and equality. The first International Women’s Day was observed on March 19, 1911, in Austria, Denmark, Germany, and Switzerland.
In 1913, Russian women observed their first International Women’s Day on the last Sunday in February, and in 1917. Then, they chose March 8th to mark the day when women workers in St. Petersburg went on strike to protest food shortages and the war effort.
After the Russian Revolution
International Women’s Day became a national holiday in the Soviet Union, and it continued to be celebrated there and in other socialist countries. In 1975, the United Nations officially recognized March 8th as International Women’s Day, and it has been celebrated globally ever since.
Let’s wrap up with 5 more fun facts, did you know any of these?
- The hashtag #EachforEqual was used to promote International Women’s Day in 2020. The campaign aimed to raise awareness about gender inequality and promote the idea that everyone can help create a more gender-equal world.
- The first woman to win a Nobel Prize was Marie Curie, who won the prize in physics in 1903 and in chemistry in 1911. She was also the first person to win two Nobel Prizes.
- In many countries, flowers, especially mimosa flowers, are given as gifts on International Women’s Day. Mimosa flowers are a symbol of respect and admiration for women.
- The first female head of state was Sirimavo Bandaranaike, who became the prime minister of Sri Lanka in 1960.
- Women’s suffrage, the right to vote, was granted in New Zealand in 1893, making it the first country in the world to grant women the right to vote in national elections.
