International Women’s Day and National Women’s Month
There are several countries that adopt International Women’s Day as an Official Holiday like Afghanistan, Cuba, Vietnam, Uganda, Mongolia, Georgia, Laos, Cambodia, Armenia, Belarus, Montenegro, Russia and Ukraine.
Other countries celebrate it as a combined-with-Mother’s Dayholiday, and these include places like Macedonia, U zbekistan, Serbia and Albania.
Like regular Mother’s Day celebrations, children in the countries honor their mothers and grandmothers every March 8 with gifts and tokens of love and appreciation.
As an annually observed holiday, International Women’s Day brings attention to issues and concerns pertaining to gender inequality, reproductive rights, and violence and abuse against women – apart from celebrating the accomplishments of women from different walks of life.
Observed every March 8, it originated from labor and social movements in the early 20th century in North America and Europe. In the mid1970s, it was adopted by the United Nations as a globally-celebrated day.
Since then, it has played an important role in pushing for a gender-equal world that’s free of bias, stereotypes and discrimination – a world where differences are valued and celebrated in the drive for gender parity.
Here in the Philippines, an “expanded version” of the day’s holding is observed in March’s designation as National Women’s Month.
In line with this year’s observance of the events, here are informative bits of trivia and information about International Women’s Day and National Women’s Month.
Observed for More than 100 Years
Though International Women’s Day was formalized as a global event by the United Nations in 1975, there have been a number of women’s day observances prior to its formalization.
In 1909, a National Woman’s Day was organized by the nowdissolved Socialist Party of America on February 28. In 1910 in Germany, the idea of an international celebration of the day was proposed by Clara Zetkin, the leader of Germany’s Women’s Office for the Social Democratic Party, and in 1911, an international women’s day was held with more than 1 million participants in Denmark, Austria, Switzerland and Germany.
In 1917, a groundbreaking protest led by women happened in Russia – one which is attributed to have led to giving women in Russia the right to vote. The protest – dubbed the “Strike for Bread and Peace” – was done as a protest against World War I and to push for gender parity. The ruler at the time, Czar Nicholas II, issued an order to shoot any woman who took part in it, but they couldn’t be intimidated to do so.
As the protests continued, the Czar eventually abdicated, and the provisional government at the time granted women in Russia the right to vote.
Historians, however, cite that the earliest women’s day observance happened in 1908 when around 15,000 women participated in a march through the streets of New York to demand better wages, shorter working hours and the right to vote.
Official Colors and Logo
Pink may widely be associated with femininity, but it is NOT the official color of International Women’s Day. Purple, green and white have been adopted as the day’s colors, and they are used to symbolize justice, dignity, hope and purity.
The day also has an official purple-and-white logo that features the symbol of Venus, which also the symbol that’s used to represent the female sex.
National Women’s Month in the Philippines
National Women’s Month in the Philippines has its roots in the recognition of International Women’s Day.
Just as International Women’s Day gained official recognition by the United Nations as a day to celebrate the contributions of women to societies globally, the Philippines’ National Women’s Month has become a platform to draw the spotlight women’s accomplishments and address ongoing and emerging issues related to women’s empowerment and gender equality.
The month-long event’s activities are aligned with national and international agreements, including the Convention on the Elimination of All Forms of Discrimination Against Women, the Philippine Plan for Gender-Responsive Development (1995-2025), the Framework Plan for Women and Sustainable Development Goals.