Social History Overview
International Women’s Day (IWD) is widely celebrated globally in a plethora of different ways in order to bring light to the various hardships women face. The official website for the United Nations features a whole page dedicated to a detailed timeline of the history of IWD. The very first Women’s day was celebrated in the U.S. in 1909. The mission statement of IWD for women at work specifically is: “To champion women of all backgrounds who dare to innovate, lead, and uplift others towards a more equal and inclusive workplace” (InternationalWomensDay.com). The socialist party designated this day in honor of the 1908 garment worker’s strike in New York. In 1911, Women’s Day was celebrated internationally for the first time on March 19th; nearly 1 million men and women attended rallies. March 8th became the official day in 1975, and this was also known as “International Women’s Year” (un.org). With women’s social movements causing serious change in the 2010’s, the year 2014 showed that IWD was celebrated in over 100 countries and had become an official holiday in 25. By 2017, thanks to the wide variety of digital marketing campaigns, IWD has been brought even further into American culture. Being able to see the progression of IWD, put into perspective women are changing the game, year by year. The United Nations actively endorses International Women’s Day and has a theme each year, for example, for the year 2020, the theme is #EachforEqual #IWD2020. Having a theme each year keeps the day alive and helps people remember why it is important.
OrganizationsWomen’s Trade Union League
WTUL supported the New York shirtwaist strike of 1909. WTUL was a U.S. organization of both working class and more well-off women to support the efforts of women to organize labor unions. The mission of WTUL was encouraging women workers in all classes to work in better, fairer working conditions. It existed in order to eliminate sweatshop conditions that women workers endured at that time. The main works it involved include: supporting the massive strikes among women workers; encouraging women’s membership in the organization; working for legislative reforms (the eight-hour day, the minimum wage and protective legislation). Retrieve from https://socialwelfare.library.vcu.edu/organizations/labor/national-womens-trade-union-league/ (By Ranxin) UN Women
UN Women is a part of the United Nations that focuses on gender equality. Its mission is to support members of the United Nations and support the implementation of global standards for gender equality. This group also chooses the UN’s annual theme for International Women’s Day. The theme for 2020 is “I am Generation Equality: Realizing Women’s Rights.” The entity UN Women was established by the UN in the summer of 2010 and combined four separate parts of the UN into one group. Among other things, UN Women backs other gender equality groups in influencing the policies of countries in the United Nations and encourages young people to become advocates for gender equality. As an entity of the United Nations, UN Women typically works with governments to work towards gender equality. (By Emily) Third Wave
Third Wave is a gender justice activism group that promotes equality. Their current initiatives are Activist Grantmaking, Leadership Development, and Philanthropic Advocacy. Third Wave Fund previously sponsored a scholarship for young ladies and transgender activists in their workplace. Their mission is stated as: “…resources and supports youth-led Gender Justice activism to advance the political power, well-being, and self-determination of communities of color and low-income communities”. For the past twenty-years, “Third Wave has been a leader in gender justice, a movement to end patriarchy, transphobia, homophobia, and misogyny”, and will continue to flourish in the light of gender justice activism. (By Kamryn) Women for Women International Since 1993, Women for Women International have been taking strides to provide women in war-torn countries with life, business and vocational skills in order to rebuild their lives. They currently serve women in 8 countries, where each receives a monthly stipend along with classes to obtain knowledge on topics such as legal rights and health nutrition. The programs are a year-long and are conducted in a safe place. Women for Women also offers a men’s program in order to engage them to be allies and advocates for women’s empowerment and gender equality. Upon completion of the programs, Women to Women reported that the women’s daily earnings, practicing of family planning, and being more involved in household decision making all increased quite drastically. In 2018, for International Women’s day they were asking for support and solidarity to women survivors of war and conflict by trending the hashtag “#MessageToMySister” (9 Organizations to Support on International Women’s Day, Trombetta). (By Paige) Girls not Brides
Girls not Brides is an organization that is committed to ending childhood marriages. They strive to enable girls to fulfil their potential and live healthier and safer lives while providing a more prosperous future. Their members are based throughout Africa, Asia, the Middle East, Europe, and the Americas. Members of Girls not Brides attempt to bring childhood marriage to international attention in order to fight it. They aim to build an understanding of what it will take to end child marriage and call for the laws, policies and programs that will make a difference in the lives of millions of girls. Girls not Brides is composed of the secretariat and its members. The secretariat increases understanding and visibility of the issue, tracks and shares global and regional policy developments with members, facilitates collective action, ensures members are equipped with the necessary tools and information to strengthen their work, and creates relationships with governments and multilateral institutions. The members report to the secretariat on policy developments, interact with and learn from other members, collaborate with members on a national level to develop strategies to combat the issue, and participate in collective advocacy initiatives at the global, regional and national levels. (By Josh) |
AdvocatesRose Schneiderman
Rose Schneiderman was an advocate in the early 1900s. From 1904 to 1950 she advocated for workers and women. She fought against sexism in the workplace and defended labor laws protecting women that were at risk during World War One. She was a Polish, Jewish immigrant who moved to New York City with her family at eight years old. She witnessed the difficulty her mother had in finding good work and supporting their family after the death of Rose’s father. She was forced to drop out of school and enter the workplace at thirteen. While working in a factory, older workers introduced her to the importance of unions, socialism and feminism. These ideas are evident in her political work. She also worked to help Jews escape Europe in the years leading up to World War Two. Rose was involved in many organizations over the years. Her organizing workers helped bring about the shirtwaist makers’ strikes in 1909. However during these protests, her relationship with the New York Women’s Trade Union League, of which she was vice president, dissolved. She felt the league was anti-Semitic and went to continue advocating with other organizations. Rose believed that women deserved not just working rights so that they could survive, but things like education and networks for working women that benefited them. She believed that the working class did not need to be doomed to merely surviving. (By Emily) Gloria Steinem My selected advocate is Gloria Steinem. She is a writer, lecturer, political activist, and feminist organizer, as described on her website. She is a white women born in 1934 (currently 84 years old) in the US and was a leader in the United States feminist movement in the late 1960’s to early 1970’s. She studied government in college and became a freelance writer after she graduated. She helped create the National Women’s Political Caucus, is the author of many books such as My Life on the Road and Outrageous Acts and Everyday Rebellion, and is a co-founder of New York and Ms. magazine. She is involved with this movement because she is a well known feminist who has fought alongside many women for important issues such as in 1968, she signed a petition called “Writers and Editors War Tax Protest” and took a stance against the Vietnam war. She fought against domestic violence, women’s health care, racism, and many other important issues. She traveled the globe and wrote about her experiences. She has received dozens of awards for her work and is recognized as one of the top 25 most influential women by Biography magazine. She is crucial to the feminist movement and International Women’s Day because she is someone who people can look to for guidance and strength when fighting for equality. Her work is world renowned. (By Abby) Clara Lemich
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Thinking Anthropologically About Gender JusticeInternational Women’s Day varies in acceptance between countries: in some it is a holiday while in some others it is largely ignored. It can be a day of protest, but for most it is a day to celebrate womanhood and girlhood. This day is a positive and deserves to be celebrated. The day’s reception around the world and here in the U.S. is indicative of the progress that is still to be made towards recognizing women of all races, class, sexual orientation, and etc. As globalization increases, it is imperative that positive relationships and opportunities are formed to support women around the globe. As influences spread and borders melt into each other through growing globalization, gender is more vulnerable than ever to be shaped by global forces. International Women’s Day can be a beacon for positive change around the world. Right now, it is achieving its goals with the help of numerous organizations that protect, encourage, uplift, and support women around the world. While the day’s history may not mirror its existence today, the goal is still the same: to celebrate the social, economic, cultural, and political achievements of women, as well as being a call to action for accelerating gender parity.
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Photos used under Creative Commons from Rod Waddington, Rod Waddington, Rod Waddington