International Women’s Day is celebrated every March 8 to honor women and bring attention to their ongoing fight for freedom and equality.
It has its origins in the women’s demonstrations at the beginning of the twentieth century in Europe and the United States demanding better working conditions for women, along with the right to vote.
This day of action was adopted in 1910 at the proposal of the German journalist Clara Zetkin. The aim was to annually support the struggle for women’s right to vote.
The idea was celebrated by the million women who demonstrated in Europe in 1911, but it was not until 1977 that the UN made the day official.
But why is it March 8 that marks the celebration?
This date harks back to Soviet history and the Russian Revolution of February 1917. It was the women workers who, on February 23, set the world on fire by demonstrating to demand bread and the return of the men who had gone to the front.
As for why March 8, February 23 in the Julian calendar that Russia used at the time corresponds to March 8 in our Gregorian calendar. Socialist countries had been celebrating women on this day for several decades before the UN made it official.
Towards an inclusive digital world
This year’s theme for International Women’s Day was “Towards an Inclusive Digital World: Innovation and Technology for Gender Equality.”
The United Nations recognizes and celebrates the women and girls who advance transformative technologies and digital education, so in 2023 they proposed exploring the effect of the gender digital divide in amplifying economic and social inequalities.
The importance of protecting the rights of women and girls in digital spaces and addressing gender-based violence online was also raised.
The World Health Organization’s Global Digital Health Strategy, adopted in 2020 by the World Health Assembly, further presented a roadmap for linking the latest developments in innovation and digital health and applying these tools to improve health outcomes.
The five most-recognized women in the world
Michelle Obama
The former First Lady of the United States is certainly one of the most-admired women in the world. She is a role model because of the values she promotes, because of her career—the subject of her book Becoming—and because of the challenges she has overcome.
Oprah Winfrey
Oprah Winfrey has been hosting one of the world’s most popular programs, The Oprah Winfrey Show, for more than twenty-four seasons, during which countless women’s lives have been transformed by Oprah’s impact.
Coming from a difficult family background, Oprah is living proof that ambition and hard work make dreams possible.
Malala Yousafzai
Recognized for her activism in favor of girls’ schooling, Malala Yousafzai, a 23-year-old Pakistani girl, has received several national and international awards.
Her determination is even more impressive given the great achievements she has made at such a young age, including securing the right to education for Pakistani girls, her resistance to the Taliban—which could have cost her her life—and her degree in economic and political philosophy from Oxford University.
Peng Liyuan
The First Lady of China owes her fame to her past as a popular local singing star.
Today, however, she is a source of inspiration for many women who wish to achieve their own success. She also embodies the kind of first lady who listens to the people.
Taylor Swift
Taylor Swift has had an unstoppable rise. Having started her career at the age of 17, she is now a major figure in pop culture and country music.
In 2019, was first in the Forbes magazine ranking of the 100 richest celebrities in the world.
