INTERNATIONAL WOMEN'S DAY
International Women's Day (IWD) is a global holiday celebrated annually on March 8 as a focal point in the women's rights movement. IWD gives focus to issues such as gender equality, reproductive rights, and violence and abuse against women.Spurred on by the universal female suffrage movement, IWD originated from labor movements in North America and Europe during the early 20th century.The earliest version reported was a "Women's Day" organized by the Socialist Party of America in New York City on February 28, 1909. This inspired German delegates at the 1910 International Socialist Women's Conference to propose "a special Women's Day" be organized annually, albeit with no set date;[8] the following year saw the first demonstrations and commemorations of International Women's Day across Europe.
The earliest reported Women's Day event, called "National Woman's Day", was held on February 28, 1909, in New York City. It was organized by the Socialist Party of America[14] at the suggestion of activist Theresa Malkiel.There have been claims that the day was commemorating a protest by women garment workers in New York on March 8, 1857, but researchers have alleged this to be a myth intended to detach International Women's Day from its socialist origin.In August 1910, an International Socialist Women's Conference was organized ahead of the general meeting of the Socialist Second International in Copenhagen, Denmark
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