March 8 marked the global, annual celebration of International Women’s Day.
The day celebrates the social, economic, cultural and political achievements of women everywhere and inspires further action toward eradicating gender inequalities. The first observance of the holiday was on February 28, 1909 when the Socialist Party of America commemorated the day as a way to raise public awareness of the unfair treatment of women in the workplace and lack of political rights and representation. In the midst of various labor movements happening in the United States and Europe in the 1900s, the exploitation and oppression of women in the workplace sparked critical debate and political action. In 1909, 15,000 migrant women garment workers marched through NYC in protest of abysmal working conditions and in demand of fairer hours and equal pay. Though the protest resulted in a successful renegotiation of worker contracts, The Triangle Shirtwaist factory fire that occurred just two years afterward and claimed the lives of 123 women aged 14 to 23 served as a visceral reminder of the basic rights and protections that women sought in the workplace.
Since its first observance, the holiday has evolved to meet the needs and increase the visibility of the most pertinent issues of different women at different points in history. Today there are thousands of organizations that observe International Women’s Day in over 100 countries and it's recognized as a public holiday in 25.
The United Nations theme for this year’s International Women’s Day is Think Equal, build smart innovate for change and its focus is on innovative ways we can advance gender equality and the empowerment of women. In Australia, International Women’s Day extends through the month of March in what is recognized as Women’s History Month. Throughout this month, different venues in Byron Bay have hosted Women’s empowerment series: conversations about gender identity and belonging. Two of the biggest events on International Women’s Day were Women of Rock which featured a women-only line up of musical artists and International Women’s Day Surf a project of Surf Getaways to inspire and empower women through surfing.
International Women’s Day reminds us to reflect on the importance of women everywhere and hopefully inspires us to join or continue on in fighting for a gender-balanced world every day of the year.
