The Origins: A Day Born from Protest
March 8 wasn’t picked at random. It wasn’t a marketing gimmick or a government-mandated celebration. It was a battle cry—one that echoed from factory floors and bread lines to global platforms. When the United Nations officially recognized International Women’s Day (IWD) in 1977, they were merely catching up with history. The movement had already been in motion for decades, driven by women who weren’t waiting for permission.
The roots of IWD can be traced back to February 28, 1909, when the Socialist Party of America declared National Women’s Day in honor of the 1908 garment workers’ strike in New York. Over 15,000 women took to the streets, demanding better wages, shorter working hours, and—brace yourself—voting rights. (Yes, once upon a time, women had to fight just to have a say in their own governance.)
But let’s be clear: the fight for women’s rights didn’t start in America, and it certainly didn’t end there. This was a global battle. Feminists in Europe, particularly socialists, saw the momentum and ran with it. By 1910, the International Socialist Women’s Congress in Copenhagen—led by German activist Clara Zetkin—declared that women needed a day of their own to demand equality. They didn’t pick a date just yet, but the idea was out in the world.
Russia’s Role: The Power of “Disobedient Women”
Fast forward to 1913. In the thick of World War I, Russian women organized protests against the war on February 23 under the Julian calendar (March 8 in the Gregorian calendar). The protest swelled, and by 1917, women in Petrograd had had enough. They took to the streets again on February 23, demanding bread and peace. Male revolutionaries—including Leon Trotsky—weren’t thrilled. The revolution wasn’t scheduled yet. But history doesn’t wait for permission. The women’s protests snowballed, and within days, Czar Nicholas II was overthrown. The Russian Revolution had begun, and women had forced their way into history.
By the end of 1917, Russian women had secured the right to vote—three years before American women (and nearly 50 years before Black women in the U.S. fully secured voting rights). This was a turning point. The date, March 8, became synonymous with women’s resistance and power.
The U.S. and the West: A Delayed Awakening
While European and Russian women were mobilizing, women in the U.S. were still navigating the First Wave of Feminism, which spanned from the mid-19th century to the 1920s. The push for voting rights took center stage, but the movement often excluded working-class women and women of color. Elizabeth Cady Stanton and Lucretia Mott had launched the first women’s rights convention in 1848, but real change was slow.
Even after women won the right to vote in 1920, equality remained elusive. The fight for fair wages, workplace protections, and reproductive rights carried on through the 20th century. And let’s not sugarcoat it—many of these battles still rage today.
Women’s Day Goes Global
By the mid-20th century, International Women’s Day had evolved beyond socialist circles. The United Nations, realizing they were behind the times, officially recognized the day in 1977. By then, it had already become a global phenomenon, celebrated in communist and non-communist countries alike.
In 2011, the Obama administration declared March as Women’s History Month, marking 100 years of IWD. Obama himself put it bluntly:
“International Women’s Day is a chance to pay tribute to ordinary women throughout the world and is rooted in women’s centuries-old struggle to participate in society on an equal footing with men. While enormous progress has been made, there is still work to be done before women achieve true parity.”
The Unfinished Fight
Today, International Women’s Day is both a celebration and a reminder. It’s a day for recognizing achievements, but also for calling out ongoing injustices. Wage gaps persist. Workplace discrimination is alive and well. In many parts of the world, girls are still denied basic education. And let’s not forget that women—especially women of color, LGBTQ+ women, and women from marginalized communities—are often at the highest risk of violence and systemic oppression.
Women’s rights movements have come a long way, but the finish line keeps moving. The fight isn’t over. It never was.
So, the next time someone calls International Women’s Day a “Hallmark holiday,” remind them: This day wasn’t handed to women. It was fought for, bled for, and earned. And the fight isn’t just history—it’s happening now.
