International Women's Day – Saturday 8 March 2025
By Paul Whitelock
[International Women's Day]
International Women's Day is celebrated annually on 8 March as a focal point in the women’s rights movement. IWD gives focus to issues such as gender equality, reproductive rights, and violence and abuse against women.
This important day will be celebrated throughout the world, on Saturday 8 March.
Origins
Spurred on by the universal female suffrage movement, IWD originated from labour movements in North America and Europe during the early 20th century. The earliest version reported was a "Women’s Day" organised by the Socialist Party of America in New York City on 28 February , 1909.
This inspired German delegates at the 1910 International Socialist Women’s Conference to propose "a special Women's Day" be organised annually. The following year, 1911, saw the first demonstrations and commemorations of International Women's Day across Europe.
Development
After the Russian Revolution in 1917, IWD was made a national holiday on March 8; it was subsequently celebrated on that date by the socialist movement and communist countries.
To start with the holiday was associated with far-left movements and governments until its adoption by the global feminist movement in the late 1960s.
IWD became a mainstream global holiday following its promotion by the United Nations in 1977.
International Women's Day is a public holiday in several countries.
The UN observes the holiday in connection with a particular issue, campaign, or theme in women's rights.
Whilst IWD is not an official holiday in most countries of Europe, it is celebrated nonetheless.
IWD demonstration in Madrid 2024 [Photo: FILIA]
Several countries, including Uruguay, Spain, Italy, France and Algeria, have squares or other public spaces named after 8 March in reference to International Women's Day.
International Women’s Day 2025
2025 poster [courtesy of Freepik]
The theme for 2025 is: “Her Rights, Our Future, Right Now” and the campaign theme is; “Accelerate Action”.
In the British House of Commons last Thursday MP Jess Phillips, Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State for Safeguarding and Violence Against Women and Girls in the “newish” Labour government, read out the names of the British women who had been murdered by men in 2024.
Jess Phillips, MP and government minister [Photo: BBC]
There were 95 names – a shocking figure.
Watch her speech here:
Jess Phillips MP – lists the 95 women killed by men, or where the suspect is a man – March 2025
Note:
This is the 10th year in succession that Jess Phillips has read out the names of those killed in the preceding year. However, this was the first time that she was able to do so from the despatch box, as a minister of the government and not from the back benches as a member of the opposition.
[Photo courtesy of Threads]
Epilogue
Whilst IWD is about the positive side of women’s place in society, it is important to be reminded that there is still a lot of work to be done.
Interesting links:
International Women's Day - 8 March 2024 - Help me, Ronda
International Women's Day - 8 March - Secret Serrania de Ronda
© Paul Whitelock
With thanks to:
Wikipedia for information and most photos
Youtube for the video
Other photos courtesy of BBC, Facebook, FILIA, Freepik, hiclipart.com, IWD, Threads
Tags:
8 March, abuse against women, BBC, communist, Facebook, female suffrage, feminist, FILIA, Freepik, gender equality, hiclipart.com, International Socialist Women’s Conference, IWD, International Women's Day, Invest in Women, Paul Whitelock, reproductive rights, Russian Revolution, socialist, Socialist Party of America, Threads, United Nations, violence, Wikipedia, "Women’s Day", women's rights, Youtube
