THE HISTORY OF INTERNATIONAL WOMEN’S DAY

The history of international women’s day is simultaneous with the

history of socio, politico struggle for equality for rights and better living
condition of women.

Choosing of 8th March as the

international women day is
due to struggle of women
workers Cotton textile factory
in 1857 in New York
City. Hard and inhumane
working condition and low
wages of women workers who
had entered the labour market along with men late 19th and early 20th
centuries forced them to protest. On 8th March 1908 after over 50
years, the women workers of a cotton spinning factory commemorating
the memory of this day, organized a strike due to discrimination,
deprivation and heavy work pressure and low wages.
The owner of the factory and his guards imprisoned these women
workers to prevent solidarity of other workers and its spread to the
whole factory. Fire out broke in the factory and only a small number of
imprisoned women managed to escape and 129 women workers were
burnt in the fire.
On August 27, 1910 the second international socialist conference with
over one hundred participants from seventeen countries was organized
in Copenhagen, the capital of Denmark to defend the women rights
against different discrimination. The first official women day was
marked on March 1911 in Denmark, Germany, Austria, Swiss, USA
with the participation of millions women. Their main demands included
supporting laws for worker women, rights of vote and participation in
election, fighting against Imperialistic wars, equal wages with men
against equal work, eight hours work per day, support of mother and
child and fixing of minimal wage. Due to global general economic crisis
in 30s as well as the danger of Fascism, the women struggles were
marginalized.
Between the two world wars,
due to general economic crisis
that influenced whole Europe
in that time, annually about
one million women were
forced to abortion. In the wake
of these illegal abortions in
1931, only in Germany about
44000 women died.
But in 80s, the 8th of March regained its particular importance and
issues like equality of women rights in all fields of social life including
the right of abortion, removal of discrimination in family life and support
of pregnant mothers and post-delivery were focused.
In 1994 women protests reached its peak in a women strike across
Germany in which over one million women took part against
discrimination and unequal rights of women. Today this day is
celebrated in all countries of the world in commemoration of those
brave women who had initiated this day.
In the last two centuries, women achieved serious and basic victories
in recognition of their essential rights as in majority of the world
countries’, the women right of
vote and their participation in
socio, political activities was
officially recognized by ruling
governments. But still women
should go along way ahead.
Women in many cases are
facing violence in family,
society and work environment, anti-women law are ruling in many
countries. Women are paid less than man against equal work in even
developed countries and women relative income is lower than men.