International Women’s Day (IWD) is celebrated each year on the 8th of March for the social, cultural, economic and political achievements of women. The first International Women’s Day gathering was seen in the year 1911.

This day is not a country, institution, group or corporation specific but belongs to all groups. Many organizations declare International Women’s Day theme each year that supports their specific agenda and it is adopted widely.

Colors that signify International Women’s Day

Internationally, purple is the color that is recognized to symbolize women. Purple signifies justice and dignity. Green is also used which symbolizes hope. White was earlier used which represents purity. But it is no longer used due to purity becomes a controversial concept.

Why is International Women’s Day celebrated on the 8th of March?

The first glimpse of International Women’s Day was seen in the year 1909. It was because 15,000 women protested against long working hours, low pay scale, and the lack of voting rights in New York. The day was celebrated by the Socialist Party of America.

Earlier, it was called National Woman’s Day. It was Russia who unknowingly set the day of celebrating International Women’s Day on the 8th of March. Although International Women’s Day became an official holiday in Russia in the year 1913, women still experienced a lot of difficulties caused by the World War. When men were off at war, women had to face difficulties such as food shortages and a government didn’t listen to them.

On March 8, 1917 thousands of Russian women protested demanding change which helped them to get their voting rights.

Theme for International Women’s Day 2020

In 1975, the United Nations officially declared International Women’s Day. In the year 1996, it began to adopt an annual theme each year. The first theme of International Women’s Day was "Celebrating the Past, Planning for the Future. The theme for this year is #EachforEqual.

How is International Women's Day celebrated across the globe?

International Women’s Day is declared as an official holiday in almost 20 countries. In many countries, men honor their mothers, wives, and colleagues with flowers and small gifts. In some countries, the day is same as the holiday on Mother’s Day, in which children give special gifts to their mothers and grandmothers. This International Women’s Day do what you can to make a positive difference for every woman across the world.