The United Nations officially recognised International Women’s Day in 1975, and the day is a national holiday in many parts of the world.
The origins of this day actually trace back to New York City in February 1908, when thousands of women who were garment workers went on strike and marched through the city to protest against their working conditions. The idea to turn the date into an international movement advocating universal suffrage was established in 1910 throughout much of Europe, and it took on a truly revolutionary form in Russia in 1917. It was against the backdrop of a country exhausted by war, widespread food shortages and escalating popular protest that the nation’s 1917 International Women’s Day demonstration was held on February 23 of that year — the equivalent of March 8 in the Russian calendar, indicating the significance of the date of the commemorations held today. Of course, this is especially poignant in 2022, with the backdrop of a new Russian war with Ukraine.
Selfies of people crossing their arms to strike an “x” pose show solidarity with the theme of International Women’s Day 2022 #BreaktheBias, which spotlights the individual and collective biases against women that fuel gender inequality.
