International Women’s Day: What is the annual event and when did it start?
The IndependentSign up for the Independent Women email for the latest news, opinion and features Get the Independent Women email for free Get the Independent Women email for free SIGN UP I would like to be emailed about offers, events and updates from The Independent. Read our privacy policy International Women’s Day is a global celebration of the social, economic and political achievements of women that serves to champion women’s rights, female empowerment and gender equality.Add article Thanks to cultural and societal shifts as prompted by the#MeToo movement, the day has become increasingly prominent and is now recognised by millions of people around the world. National Woman’s Day became recognised as an international celebration in 1910 after German women’s rights activist Clara Zetkin made the suggestion at an International Conference of Working Women in Copenhagen, Denmark. According to the Gregorian calendar – the most widely used calendar in the world today – that date is 8 March, which is when International Women’s Day is now celebrated each year. In 1996, the UN began adopting an annual theme for International Women’s Day, the first of which was “Celebrating the past, Planning for the Future”.