International Women’s Day is a celebration, appeal to action

Mexico (AP) – Women around the world call for equality of remuneration, reproductive, education, justice and decision -making rights during demonstrations marking International Women’s Day on Saturday.

Officially recognized by the United Nations in 1977, International Women’s Day was commemorated in different ways and to various degrees in places in the world. Protests are often political – and sometimes violent – rooted in women’s efforts to improve their rights as workers.

Demonstrations are planned from Tokyo to Mexico City, and the world theme of this year is “accelerating action”, at a time when many activists fear that the current political environment could lead to a decline on many rights for which they have been fought for a long time. One in four countries declared a reaction against women’s rights last year, according to UN data.

Here’s what you need to know about the world event of March 8:

What is International Women’s Day?

International Women’s Day is a world celebration – and a call for action – marked by demonstrations, mainly women, in the world, ranging from combative demonstrations to charitable races. Some celebrate the economic, social and political achievements of women, while others urge governments to guarantee equality of remuneration, access to health care, justice for victims of violence and education based on sex for girls.

It is an official vacation in more than 20 countries, including Afghanistan, Burkina Faso, Ukraine, Russia and Cuba, the only one in the Americas.

As in other aspects of life, social media play an important role during the International Women’s Day, in particular by amplifying attention to the demonstrations organized in countries with repressive governments towards women and dissent in general.

When did he start and why does he fall on March 8?

While the idea behind a woman’s day is from the United States with the American Socialist Party in 1909, it was a German feminist who put pressure on a global commemoration at an international conference of socialist women held in 1910 in Copenhagen. The following year, events across Europe marked the day and during the First World War, women used it to protest against the armed conflict, which lasted from 1914 to 1918.

International Women’s Day was observed on March 8 after a massive demonstration in Russia on February 23, 1917, which led to the possible withdrawal from the country of war. At the time, Russia had not adopted the Gregorian calendar and still used the Julien calendar.

“On February 23 in Russia, which was on March 8 in Western Europe, women went out in the street and protested for bread and peace,” said Kristen Ghodsee, Professor and President of Russian and Eastern Europe at the University of Pennsylvania. “The authorities could not arrest them, then, once the men saw that the women were on the streets, all the workers started to come and join the women.”

The UN began to commemorate the holidays in 1975, which was the international year of women, and its general assembly officially recognized the day two years later.

How is it celebrated around the world?

Women in Eastern Europe have long received flowers on March 8 – and sometimes even succeeded on labor day. But chocolates and candies can appear as giving gestures, showing a lack of understanding of the difficulties of leading women to protest, in particular in the regions where the demonstrations have been combative.

Demonstrations are planned from Tokyo to Mexico City.

In Turkey, women in 2023 braved an official ban on an international walking of women’s day in Istanbul and protested for about two hours before the police used tear gas to disperse the crowd and have dozens of people.

In Mexico, which welcomes one of the largest steps in the region, celebrations this year are marked by strong contrasts. While the country celebrates its first wife president, many also cry the victims of striking violence against women – including female. In Mexico and Latin America, the rates of violence against women and persistent machismo often leave tensions simmered on March 8 while the demonstrators ask for justice.

Globally, a woman or a girl is killed every 10 minutes by a family member or a partner, according to UN figures, and women exposed to a conflict have jumped considerably over the past decade.

What does the future contain for March 8?

Ghodsee said that the commemoration of International Women’s Day was now more important than ever, because women lost gains made in the last century, among them the 2022 decision by the United States Supreme Court to overthrow a national right to abortion, which has ended the constitutional protections that had been in place for almost 50 years.

The American decision on abortion resolved through the political landscape of Europe, forcing the question in public debate in certain countries at a time when far -right nationalist parties gain influence.

Originally published: March 7, 2025 at 5:20 p.m. PST