HISTORY OF INTERNATIONAL WOMEN'S DAY
The history of International Women's Day is a history of taking action. The event originated in 1908 when women garment makers in New York demonstrated to demand better working conditions. They worked in appalling conditions, earned half of men's wages, died prematurely from poor health and didn't have the right to vote.
In 1910 an international conference of women resolved that each year a day should be set aside to press for women's demands. Since then International Women's Day (IWD) has been celebrated around the world each year on March 8. From its inception International Women's Day has stood for equality between women and men.
At the same time in England, women were meeting and marching to demand the right to vote. The Suffragettes adopted the colours of Green, White and Violet to stand for their slogan "Give Women the Vote". Since then these colours have been used to symbolise the struggle for women to obtain equal rights.
In Sydney, IWD was first celebrated in 1928 at a rally that called for equal pay for equal work, an eight hour day for shop workers, no piece-work, a base wage for the unemployed and paid annual holidays. Rallies and marches have been held throughout Australia every year since.
Of course, much has improved since then, but we still have some way to go to achieve equal opportunity for women, not only in Australia but throughout the world.
So IWD is about remembering the battles long fought to build a society that is just and fair to all its members a society in which diversity, tolerance, safety, social justice and equality between women and men is a given. And its about celebrating what women have done, are doing and can do.Read more
This year's theme for the UN-sponsored day is 'Equal rights,