Artigenda
International Women’s Day
When: Annually, March 8.
International Women’s Day takes place annually on 8 March. The day is there to draw attention to the position of girls and women worldwide.
No extra Mother's Day
March 8 is International Women’s Day. So, contrary to what some men think, this is no extra Mother’s Day. It is no extra birthday. It is a day dedicated to equal rights for girls and women worldwide, improving rights and upholding the rights of girls and women worldwide.
Origin
Its genesis is in doubt. When was the day created? Was it an American idea or a Russian one? Or perhaps we should thank German socialist Clara Zetkin for the day?
Perhaps the doubt arose because of the organisation of the day. At a certain time, wasn’t it just a bit difficult that a day had been created by a certain political movement? It could be, of course, we do not know for sure.
Origin in the United States
The origins of the day can be traced back to the United States. That would make the day an American idea. If so, the day could be traced back to 28 February 1909. In New York, the day was organised by the Socialist Party of America. The party was founded on July 29, 1909 in the same city and existed until December 31, 1972. After that, the party changed its name and henceforth became the Social Democrats USA.
Socialist element
Attempts have been made in the past to remove precisely that socialist element from history. For example, by bringing up another event as the starting point. For instance, not 28 February 1909 would have been the start of International Women’s Day. This would be a different date: March 8, 1857. That is when a protest would have taken place by women garment workers in New York. Several researchers later proved this to be incorrect. The motive was mainly to separate the socialist element from International Women’s Day.
So what about the possible other scenarios? If you don’t want to assume an American genesis, there is still a relationship with socialism. Take the International Socialist Women’s Conference of August 1910. This conference took place in Copenhagen and people discussed the possibilities of a special day focused on women’s rights.
International Labour Organization
The United Nations only assumes a different scenario. The trigger according to the International Labour Organisation (ILO, in English International Labour Organisation (ILO)) assumes an entirely different event that eventually led to the day. These were the events that took place in New York on March 25, 1911.
Triangle Shirtwaist Factory
On March 25, 1911, a fire broke out at the Triangle Shirtwaist Factory in New York. The factory was located in Greenwich Village, Manhattan, and 146 workers died in this fire. The vast majority of the victims were girls and women (123). The victims died from the fire itself, from inhaling smoke or from choosing to jump out of the building’s windows. The ages of the victims ranged between 14 and 43 when it came to female victims. There could have been fewer victims had it not been for the fact that doors to the stairwells and exits were locked. At the time, this was a common method to ensure no one took unauthorised breaks or theft.
The fire caused the International Ladies’ Garment Workers’ Union (ILGWU) to gain a significant number of more members, allowing it to fight even harder to improve working conditions at other similar factories. The company’s directors, Max Blanck and Isaac Harris were charged with attempted first- and second-degree manslaughter. Through all kinds of underhanded methods, even pressuring one of the witnesses to amend her statement, the lawyer for the two directors, succeeded in acquitting his clients of attempted first- and second-degree manslaughter. However, the two did have to pay $75 compensation per deceased victim after a civil suit. In the end, an amount of about $60,000 was paid out by the insurance company.
1911
As well-intentioned as the UN’s idea is, that only leaves us with other events. For example, a commemoration that took place in 1911 was quite similar to a gathering as we know it on International Women’s Day. On March 19 that year, millions of women gathered in countries like Denmark, Germany, Austria-Hungary and Switzerland. People had demands that day: equal and full rights. Think of an end to discrimination and voting rights. They also wanted the right to hold public office. Of course, this was very similar to the feminist movements that eventually led to the introduction of voting rights for women in many countries. It is just that it is also very similar to International Women’s Day.
February Revolution
What is also very similar are events like those that took place in St Petersburg on March 8, 1917. There, it was women who had only one demand: bread and peace. People wanted an end to Russian participation in World War I. When you consider that 8 March was based on the Gregorian calendar and that according to the Julian calendar, it was therefore February 23, 1917, it is fair to say that this was part of the February Revolution. In that light, doesn’t it make sense that some people would rather not have that mentioned in the history of International Women’s Day? Especially not at a time of tension between East and West? Let that have been the case for a long time in the development or acceptance of this day.
“Women’s International Day of Struggle”
The day was only really accepted internationally by the UN from 1967 onwards. The day was rediscovered thanks to the Second Feminist Wave, you may say. After all, wasn’t this an excellent time to come together? Only the day was given a different name than we know it today. It became the “Women’s International Day of Struggle.” At the time, it was mainly the left-wing organisations and workers’ organisations that embraced the day. At least, the female part of it then.
The UN decided to accept the day as International Women’s Day in 1975. It did so in the International Women’s Year. Only they did so with a two-year delay. Whereas there are often several months between a decision to establish a commemorative or special day, it was decided to allow two years. Hence, the first International Women’s Day took place in 1977.
Major drawback
Today, there is a major drawback. That is its acceptance by commercial organisations. These have made the day into something it is not. Hence the introduction with a warning of sorts. The day is indeed not an extra Mother’s Day or birthday.
Yet it is too easy to blame only the commercial organisations. Men also have their share of this. They see the day as something that is not needed for anything in some cases. Why all this attention? Is it really necessary? Everything is going well like this, isn’t it?
Girls and women are often faced with the problem that they aren’t offered the same chances or opportunities as boys or men. This isn’t limited to geographical location, age or even race. These restrictions are caused by gender. Not only that, but she runs the risk of being antagonised, harassed or worse. Rape, violence… The list is so long. Way too long. Forced marriages. Girls who can’t go to school. Genital mutilations.
For every woman
We could go on like this for a very long time. For all these reasons and many more, there is International Women’s Day. Every year, on 8 March. For every woman: cis woman, trans woman. Let that be clear. No matter what so-called “gender critical people” claim.
