Coming in the backdrop of #MeToo and #TimesUp, this year's International Women's Day would be marked as one of the most powerful ones to date. The annual observance will celebrate women's achievement worldwide this time.
Since 1909, the day is celebrated to highlight women empowerment, equal rights, and gender equality. International Women's Day also recognizes the social, economic, cultural and political achievements of women.
Here's all you need to know about International Women's Day 2018.
When is it?
Every year, International Women's Day is celebrated on March 8 and this year, it falls on Thursday.
What is the theme for International Women's Day 2018?
The theme for this year's International Women's Day is #PressforProgress as the website noted, "We can't be complacent. Now, more than ever, there's a strong call-to-action to press forward and progress gender parity. A strong call to #PressforProgress. A strong call to motivate and unite friends, colleagues and whole communities to think, act and be gender inclusive."
How was it started?
The first ever National Women's Day was celebrated on February 28, 1909, which was organized by the Socialist Party of America.
A year later, the second International Conference of Working Women was held in Copenhagen. That's when the leader of the 'women's office' for the Social Democratic Party, Clara Zetkin proposed the idea of celebrating the International Women's Day and the 100 delegates from 17 countries agreed to it. Thus, it was celebrated for the first time on March 19, 1911, in Austria, Denmark, Germany, and Switzerland.
Two years later, the celebration was held on March 8 and ever since it has been celebrated on that day. The United Nations celebrated IWD for the first time in 1975. And, in 1996, the UN came up with an annual theme for the day. The theme in 1996 was "Celebrating the past, Planning for the Future".
Why do we celebrate International Women's Day?
International Women's Day is celebrated throughout the world on March 8 in honor of women and the achievements of women throughout the history.
When it first started in 1909, women raised the issue of equal rights to vote. Ushering in a new era in the history of democracy, the United Kingdom granted women the voting rights in 1918. And nearly a century later, Saudi Arabia approved the women's right to vote in 2017.
Many democracies have women leaders heading the states and women are resolutely claiming their space in all walks of social life. The International Women's Day have come a long way and this year's theme ''PressforProgress" rightly encapsulates the whole idea and spirit of the celebrations.
