The history of the day of March 8, the International Women’s Day, dates back more than a century and is deeply rooted in the struggle for women’s rights, especially in terms of work, vote and social equality. This year marks 50 years since the United Nations has decided that the woman, wherever they are, be celebrated on March 8th.
Women began to win their right to vote only in the 20th century. Photo: Shutterstock
1908 – the march of working women in New York
On March 8, 1908, about 15,000 women who worked in the New York clothing industry organized a shorter work schedule, better salaries and the right to vote. This event is often mentioned as one of the key moments that inspired the International Women’s Day.
“I worked too much, too much for too little. The fingers bleed us from needles, our backs break under the weight of cars, but our salaries are barely enough to feed our families. We do not march for pleasure and free time, but for survival, “declared a woman for a publication of time.
1909 – the first national day of the US woman
The Socialist Party of America declared February 28, 1909 as the first national day of the woman. It was celebrated in the US as part of the wider socialist and workers who pleaded for women’s rights.
1910 – International Conference of Socialist Women from Copenhagen
At a socialist conference in Copenhagen, Denmark, German activist Clara Zetkin proposed the idea of an international woman’s day. The purpose was to unify the struggles of women from all countries and to promote equality in rights. The idea was approved by over 100 women in 17 countries.
Woman’s survival struggle. Photo: Getty Images
“Working women, as well as their brothers, have to take part in the fight for social justice. A special day of the woman should be organized annually, a day when the fight for our rights is in the center of attention. This day must belong to us, working women, our cause, “said Clara Zetkin.
1911 – The first official International Day of Women
The first International Women’s Day was officially celebrated on March 19, 1911, in Austria, Denmark, Germany and Switzerland. Over one million people participated in meetings, demanding equal rights in the workplace, the right to vote and protection against discrimination.
1917 – Down the Tsar! Up the woman!
In Russia, on March 8, 1917, thousands of women protested in Petrograd (today St. Petersburg) demanding “bread and peace”, because the First World War caused weights. This protest contributed to the Bolshevik revolution, leading to the abdication of Tsar Nicolae II and to win the right to vote in women. Subsequently, the Soviet Union made the day of March 8.
Women, on the streets of Petrograd. Photo: Getty Images
“We left our cars and went out. The bakeries were empty, the cold factories. Bread! Peace! Arrive of war!, I cried at first, the men hesitated. “The police will beat you,” they warned. But I had no choice. Hunger was our prison and we were free, “said one of the workers who had come out on the streets of Petrograd.
1975 – the official recognition of the United Nations
The United Nations officially recognized March 8th as International Women’s Day in 1975, which was also declared the International Year of Women. Since then, the UN has chosen annual themes to address problems such as gender equality, violence against women and women’s economic ability.
“Today, the United Nations declares March 8 as International Women’s Day. But let’s not be satisfied. Equality is not a gift, it is a right. We need to work together – women and men – to dismantle the structures that keep us back. (…) International Women’s Day must serve both as a moment of reflection and action. Even if progress has been made, we must continue to promote legal, economic and social equality worldwide. No nation has yet reached real gender equality, ”said officials in the 1975 conference report.
Romania, the interwar period
At the beginning of the 20th century, the feminist movement was in vogue, and the Romanians were fighting for access to education, voting rights and fair working conditions. More than 100 years have passed since then, even though they seem to have been remedied on paper, they are almost at the same stage.
“We do not ask for an apple, we ask for justice. A nation cannot be free if half of its citizens run out of voice. The day will come when women will occupy their proper place in the destiny of Romania, ”wrote in 1912 Elena Meissner, a Romanian suffrage. “The Romanian woman has long wore the weight of the sacrifice – mother, hardworking and patriotic. But it’s time to wear the weight of the decision. The right to vote is not a gift; It is a recognition of our equal place in this nation, ”he wrote in 1919.
“The Romanian is expected to be the family pillar, but the right to learn, to vote, to participate in the life of the nation is forbidden. How can we expect to raise the future of Romania if we are kept in ignorance? ”, The note in 1912 Maria Baiulescu, the president of the National Council of Romanian Women.
“We work from dawn to twilight, with the fingers from cars, with the salary barely enough to feed our children. And yet, today we raise the voice, because no woman should choose between hunger and dignity, ”wrote a worker from a textile factory in 1918.
