Women's Day

I first heard about International Women's Day in a Social Studies Class in Elementary School.

Here is some History of International Women’s Day:

(Key To Map:

Red = Countries where International Women’s Day is an Official Non-Working Holiday for both Men and Women.

Brown = Countries where International Women’s Day is an Official Non-Working Holiday for Women only.

Yellow = Countries where International Women’s Day is an Official Working Holiday.)

The first Women's Day started on February 28, 1909 by the Socialist Party of America in New York City at the request of Russian-Born Jewish Socialist, Theresa Malkiel.

In 1910 Clara Zetkin, a German Communist proposed Women’s Day become International Women’s Day at the International Socialist Women’s Conference in Copenhagen, Denmark.

March 8th was chosen for International Women’s Day because an Urban Legend where supposedly, on March 8, 1857 in New York City, American Textile Workers demanded equal pay, improved working conditions and a 10 hour working day.

The March 8, 1857 never happened as it was a Sunday and was seen as the “Lord’s Day.”

The following year, in 1911, the first International Women's Day was marked by over a Million People in Austria-Hungary, Denmark, Germany, and Switzerland.

 In Austria-Hungary alone, there were 300 Demonstrations where Women demanded the right to Vote and to hold Public Office and protested against Employment Sex Discrimination.

International Women’s Day was first Unofficially Celebrated in Czarist Russia in 1913 and was a Working Day.

In 1922, Soviet Leader Vladimir Lenin made March 8^th International Women's Day (Russian: Международный женский день) in the Soviet Union.

It was still a Working Holiday in the USSR (from 1922-1965.)

Despite the Soviet Union claiming to be an Equal Society with no Classes Soviet Women continued to work long, hard hours at their Regular Jobs on top of spending long hours standing in line for Food and other Goods while also taking care of their Children and Elderly Parents while Soviet Men worked at their Regular Jobs and then relaxed.

In Soviet Times and in Modern-Day Russia Men give Women in their life (their Mothers, their Wives, their Daughters, their Teachers and Female Co-Workers) gifts especially flowers.

Communist China started celebrating International Women’s Day (first as a Half Non-Working Day for Women only and then a Full Non-Working Day for Women only) in 1948.

It is still celebrated in the Communist Countries of: China, North Korea, Cuba, Laos and Vietnam.

It was also celebrated in the now Former Communist Countries: Poland, Bulgaria, East Germany, Czechoslovakia, Albania, Yugoslavia, Hungary and Mongolia.

Women’s Day and International Women’s Day was not celebrated in the United States from 1917 (when the Russian Communist Revolution happened) until 1992 (a few months after the Soviet Union collapsed) because it was seen as having become a Communist Holiday.

The United Nations began celebrating International Women's Day in 1975, which had been proclaimed the International Women's Year.

Since 1992, International Women’s Day has shifted from being a Socialist or Communist Holiday to a Day to remember Women’s Hard work and Achievement around the World.

The Official United Nations’ Theme for the 2026 International Women’s Day is: Rights. Justice. Action