What is International Women’s Day?

March 8th is International Women’s Day, a day that promotes equality for women around the world. But beyond that basic premise, what exactly does International Women’s Day mean? Here’s everything you need to know about the day’s history, significance, theme, and calls to action.

History

International Women’s Day first started in 1909, when the Socialist Party of America declared February 28 to be National Women’s Day across the United States. The declaration came out of the American women’s rights movement, which gained momentum in 1908 when 15,000 women marched for better working conditions and voting rights.

In 1911, after two years of discussions, National Women’s Day turned into International Women’s Day, which was held on March 19 in several countries in Europe. From there, the day steadily gained steam throughout Europe, until it was recognized by the United Nations in 1975. In 1996, the UN started announcing annual themes, with the first theme being “Celebrating the Past, Planning for the Future.”

International Women’s Day Today

Now, the International Women’s Day website describes the day as “a global day celebrating the social, economic, cultural and political achievements of women. The day also marks a call to action for accelerating gender parity. Significant activity is witnessed worldwide as groups come together to celebrate women’s achievements or rally for women’s equality.” The website specifies that the day “is not country, group, nor organization specific. No one government, NGO, charity, corporation, academic institution, women’s network, or media hub is solely responsible for International Women’s Day. The day belongs to all groups collectively everywhere.”

2022 Theme

According to the International Women’s Day website, the theme for 2022 is #BreaktheBias, which hopes to help end discrimination and prejudice, and usher in a world of diversity and inclusivity. The website encourages women to post pictures of themselves making the “break the bias” pose, with their arms crossed in front of their chests.

The UN’s 2022 theme for International Women’s Day is a bit different, with that organization’s website proclaiming “Gender equality today for a more sustainable tomorrow.” From the UN website:

Women are increasingly being recognized as more vulnerable to climate change impacts than men, as they constitute the majority of the world’s poor and are more dependent on the natural resources which climate change threatens the most.

At the same time, women and girls are effective and powerful leaders and change-makers for climate adaptation and mitigation. They are involved in sustainability initiatives around the world, and their participation and leadership results in more effective climate action.

Besides Posing on Twitter, What Should I Do Today?

The International Women’s Day website lists a few ways to get involved. There’s an event database, where you can search for speakers, gatherings, conferences, and other events in your area. There are also links to various charities to which you can donate.

Criticisms of International Women’s Day

Like Pride, International Women’s Day has recently been accused of drifting from its radical roots to a more corporate, mainstream event that doesn’t make as much of an impact as it could. In 2020, Vivienne Hayes, chief executive of the UK’s Women’s Resource Centre, told The Guardian that International Women’s Day was growing closer to “Mother’s Day or Valentine’s Day instead of giving visibility to the work that women are doing around the world.” Her comment came shortly after McDonald’s turned its M upside down to form a W in order to commemorate the day, despite not making any meaningful changes for its women employees, and various companies began selling International Women’s Day merchandise.

J. K. Rowling Causes More Trouble

International Women’s Day 2022 has an added element of controversy, with author J. K. Rowling choosing today to spout more transphobia. In early March 2022, Scotland announced new amendments to the Gender Recognition Reform Bill that will make it easier for trans people to change their gender on legal documents. In response to the bill, Rowling tweeted that “Apparently, under a Labour government, today will become We Who Must Not Be Named Day.” Significantly, the bill doesn’t contain any provisions that would forbid cis women from calling themselves women, nor would it affect cis women in any way, shape, or form.

So, Wait, Do I Count as a Woman on International Women’s Day?

Yes. ALL women, cis and trans, count as women on International Women’s Day and every other day of the year.