What is International Women’s Day 2022?
Taking place on Tuesday the 8th of March 2022, International Women’s Day is a celebration of the achievements made by women over the course of history. Today, IWD appreciates the work that past heroines have completed across social, economic, cultural and political sectors. The day also represents the continued fight for equality, to eliminate discrimination and bias between genders.
For International Women's Day 2022, the theme is #BreakTheBias, a global call to arms to tackle discrimination, celebrate our differences and forge an equal future.
When was it first celebrated?
The battle for gender equality was raging in the early 1900s with women campaigning for the right to better pay, shorter working hours and suffrage. The earliest form of International Women’s Day was celebrated in 1909, linked with the Socialist Party of America and called National Women’s Day.
Observed across the United States, the day was then celebrated by places such as Austria, Denmark, Switzerland and Germany in 1911 before being celebrated by the United Nations in 1975. The day was also formerly celebrated on the last Sunday of February, before it was moved to its permanent date of March 8th.
Why is IWD important, and why should we celebrate it?
Throughout history, there have been many women who have considerably impacted the world as we know it today. From individuals such as the Suffragettes claiming the vote for women to Marie Curie founding the science of radioactivity and Rosalind Franklin discovering the structure of DNA, women have continually impacted social, cultural, economic and political developments over the course of history. In a world that is still unfortunately plagued by gender bias and discrimination, it is more important than ever to appreciate such achievements.
Today, men hold 62% of management positions and there is still a gender pay gap of 8.9%, meaning it is highly important that we continue on this mission to lobby definitive action against those who are guilty of fuelling a sexist society. IWD aims to combat issues such as gender bias and discrimination but has more recently become a celebration of all - women of all races, sexuality and identification. In the spirit of making the world a more diverse and inclusive place, IWD embraces all to make the world more welcoming.