International Women's Day
Article published on 08-03-2020
The UN celebrated its first official International Women's Day on 8 March during International Women’s Year in 1975. International Women’s Day first emerged from the activities of labor movements at the turn of the twentieth century across North America and Europe. The first National Woman's Day was observed in the United States on February 28 1909, which the Socialist Party of America dedicated in honor of the 1908 garment workers' strike in New York where women protested against harsh working conditions. In 1917, women in Russia chose to protest and strike under the slogan "Bread and Peace" on the last Sunday in February (which fell on 8 March on the Gregorian calendar). Their movement ultimately led to the enactment of women’s suffrage in Russia.
To celebrate the 2020 edition of International Women’s Day, UNESCO would like to focus in particular on inequalities in science and technology. UNESCO statistics have shown that women are currently four times less likely than men to master digital skills, even though these skills will be at the centre of future societies.