International Women’s Day (IWD) is celebrated on March 8 every year. In different regions the focus of the celebrations ranges from general celebration of respect, appreciation, and love towards women for women’s economic, political, and social achievements.
Today, women all over the world are holding hands to articulate the issues that affect them most.
Here are 3 things you didn’t know about international women’s day
1. It has radical origins. The Socialist Party of America organized the first National Women’s Day in New York in 1909 to commemorate the 1908 strike of the International Ladies’ Garment Workers’ Union.
2. International Women’s Day became a more popularized holiday after 1977, when the United Nations invited member states to celebrate it on March 8.
3. Since 2001 the holiday has had a sponsored website and an annual theme. This year’s theme, #PledgeForParity, encourages individuals and organizations to sign a “parity pledge” to commit to promoting gender equality in daily life and in the workplace.
4. In Italy, to celebrate the day, men give yellow mimosas to women.
5. In countries like Portugal and Italy groups of women usually celebrate on the night of March 8 in “women-only” dinners and parties