Each year on March 8, global communities unite to celebrate the social, economic, cultural and political achievements of women.
International Women's Day is also a call to action for gender parity, an issue that's been on the world’s radar since even before the official movement began.
The first International Women's Day gathering was in 1911, the brainchild of Clara Zetkin, leader of the Women’s Office for the Social Democratic Party in Germany, and supported by more than one million people.
The first International Women’s Day held in Australia was in 1928.
Organised by the Militant Women’s Movement in Sydney, women called for equal pay for equal work, paid leave, and an eight-hour working day for shop assistants.
The event extended to Brisbane the following year, and by 1931 annual marches were organised in Sydney and Melbourne.
Each year on March 8, global communities unite to celebrate the social, economic, cultural and political achievements of women.
Since then, International Women’s Day has grown in prominence and reach, touching people in both regional and rural communities, and throughout a growing number of countries.
Each year a campaign theme accompanies the day, and in 2019 it's #BalanceforBetter. Acknowledging widespread expectation for a gender-balanced world, International Women’s Day encourages people to play their part and also motivate others to work towards gender-balance in all aspects of life, from the boardroom and government, to media and sports coverage, employment, and wealth.
And not just on March 8, but every day of the year.
There are many ways people can be involved in running their own #BalanceforBetter campaign.
The International Women’s Day website (internationalwomensday.com) suggests identifying your goals (be it raising awareness, influencing behaviour, challenging stereotypes, launching initiatives, etc.) and your audience – for instance, is it your community, friends and family employees, local government, or another key group of people?
Then decide what you can do (organise an event for example, or run social media posts) and download the International Women’s Day selfie cards or posters to help spread the word about your support.
