Wonder Women

Question: At the turn of the 20th century, International Women’s Day protests were credited with providing the spark to what revolution?

Answer: The Russian Revolution

Responding to the deaths of more than two million Russian soldiers in World War I, Russian women began a strike for “Bread and Peace” in 1917—and it was their actions that proved to be the critical link in a chain of events that led to the abdication of Czar Nicholas II and the entire Russian Revolution. The provisional government that was formed shortly after the Czar’s abdication became the first government of a major power to grant women the right to vote.

Then, recognizing the importance of Russian women in this earth-shaking event, Lenin, the founder of Russia’s Communist Party, declared “Woman’s Day” an official Soviet holiday (several decades later, “Woman’s Day” would become “Women’s Day”).

But what exactly is International Women’s Day all about?

If you ever find yourself in one of the former Soviet republics on March 8—especially the nations across the Balkans—you might be surprised at how serious the locals are about International Women’s Day. It’s rather a big deal.

It’s not just how women make a point of looking their best for the day. Or that men have already spent several days purchasing gifts and buying flowers not just for their wives or girlfriends, but for every woman in their life. Or even that children give their mothers hand-drawn hearts and flowers to their teachers.

That’s nice and all, but these countries continue to carry on the founding principles of International Women’s Day from its inception more than a century ago—to bring attention to women’s rights. It’s also a day to advocate for reproductive rights and equal pay, or against domestic abuse, violence, and misogyny. That’s why you’ll usually see annual night marches in places like Zagreb, Croatia, or anti-fascist marches in Montenegro, or demonstrations to bring awareness to women’s issues in Belgrade, Serbia. The spirit of International Women’s Day has always been for women to raise their voices and fight for justice.

To be sure, feminist demonstrations sometimes take place in Western Europe and activists are still known to take to the streets in developing countries to voice their calls for gender equality. But many protests for women’s rights on March 8—especially in places like the United States—are rather muted if they occur at all. And the reason for this is the origins of International Women’s Day itself.

The tangled roots of International Women’s Day

That controversy clouds the origins of International Women’s Day shouldn’t come as a surprise—it almost always happens when politics gets involved. What isn’t controversial is that by the turn of the 20th century, women around the world were becoming more vocal about issues relating to women's oppression and inequality. Then in 1908, some 15,000 women marched through New York City demanding shorter work hours, better pay, and voting rights. The following year, the Socialist Party of America organized the first National Women’s Day, which was celebrated throughout the United States from 1909 until 1913.

Meanwhile over in Europe, an International Conference of Working Women—which included more than 100 women from 17 countries—took place in 1910. That conference came up with the idea of an International Women’s Day, which began the following year on March 19, with more than a million people attending rallies in several Western European countries to support women’s rights. Focus quickly shifted back to the United States, however, just a week later when the tragic “Triangle Fire” occurred in New York City on March 25, taking the lives of 140 working women (mostly Italian and Jewish immigrants). The next several International Women’s Day events drew attention to working conditions and labor legislation in the United States instead of Europe.

The next big shift took place in 1913, with the onset of World War I. With March 8 now established as the global date for International Women’s Day, women across Europe began holding rallies to campaign against the war and to express women's solidarity—but nothing compared to the events that unfolded through the efforts of Russian women.

The Cold War gives International Women’s Day the cold shoulder

While the roots of International Women’s Day are firmly planted in American soil, by the middle of the 20th century the struggle for women’s rights was losing momentum in the United States—yet steadily increasing in other countries. It wouldn’t be until 1975, when the United Nations General Assembly designated March 8 as International Women’s Day, that it would be celebrated again in the U.S. (and a less politicized version of it). Why do you think it took so long to resurface in the United States?

Call it collateral damage, but with the Cold War ramping up immediately following World War II, the United States was not going to be associated with anything that touched on socialism and communism. Fortunately, in recent years many countries including the U.S. are beginning to come around and recognize the need for International Women’s Day to return to its roots and fulfill its original purpose. That’s why it remains such a strong presence in former Soviet countries like the Balkans, where it has always been celebrated and continues to serve as a platform to demand recognition for women and their rights. But there are a few notable exceptions ...

Following the 1991 breakup of the Soviet Union, most former Soviet countries carried on the tradition of celebrating International Women’s Day with its links to their communist past. But not all of them took the high road—in fact, quite the opposite for some. Former President of Kazakhstan Nursultan Nazarbayev was known to use the occasion as a platform to tell his misogynistic jokes. Russian President Vladimir Putin is another one. Known for his questionable sense of humor on other occasions as well, on International Women’s Day he is on record as “joking” that since he is not a woman, he doesn’t have bad days.

In some countries, however, celebrations of International Women’s Day have strayed from the holiday’s political roots. It’s become a bit commercialized, and giving flowers is making it look more like another Mother’s Day. Perhaps we should encourage all of them to begin seeking to reclaim International Women’s Day and return it to its activist past—before it’s too late.

A few fascinating facts about women’s rights—and some notable women

• Hey, how about the men?—In the “an oppressed gender long overdue for official recognition” department, International Men’s Day is celebrated on November 19 in more than 80 countries around the world, including the U.K. It focuses on “the positive value men bring to the world, their families, and communities.” Like they need it ...
• Revisionist history—If you think rewriting history is a product of the modern era, consider Queen Hatshepsut. One of the most powerful women in Ancient Egypt, she reigned for more than twenty years and was the first and only female pharaoh in recorded history. By all accounts, her reign was favorable, but all her images were defaced on temples and inscriptions in what appears to be an attempt to wipe her existence from history.
• No mansplaining necessary—For centuries it was claimed that women were inferior to men in intelligence. That went out the window in the 1950s, when the two highest IQs ever recorded belonged to two women—Marilyn vos Savant (228) and Edith Stern (200+), who read the entire Encyclopedia before she turned five. Marie Curie was no slouch either. With an IQ hovering around 200, she wasn’t just the first woman to win the Nobel Prize, she was the first person to win it twice, in two different categories.
• Steeee-rike three!—The first woman in professional baseball was the 18-year-old pitcher Jackie Mitchell. During an exhibition game on April 2, 1931, Jackie managed to strike out both Babe Ruth and Lou Gherig, which is said to have influenced baseball commissioner Kenesaw Mountain Landis’s decision to ban women from the sport later that year.
• Baby, she was born to run—In 1966, Roberta Gibb became the first woman to run and finish the Boston Marathon. Although she never received official credit (women were not allowed to enter the race until 1972), her wins in 1966, 1967, and 1968 challenged long-held beliefs about women’s athletic prowess.
• I still have to return mine to the library—Published in Japan around 1,000 AD, the world’s first novel, The Tale of Genji, was written by female author Murasaki Shikibu. It continues to be widely celebrated for its psychological depth and elegant prose.
• Flower power—In many countries, it is customary to give women flowers on International Women's Day’s. The most popular floral choice is the yellow mimosa, a tradition that began in the early 20th century when Italian feminists chose it as a symbol of the women’s rights movement. Supposedly the flower was chosen because mimosa’s bright yellow color represents qualities like vitality and resilience associated with women—but the real reason is they bloom in early March, just in time for International Women’s Day.
• The reign in Spain—The largest and most significant International Women’s Day commemorations have been in Spain. In 2018, an estimated 5 million people took part in a 24-hour feminist strike and marches to protest gender inequality, wage gaps, and domestic violence, and advocating for women’s rights.
• To boldly go where no woman has gone before—On March 8, 1983, Sally Ride became the first American woman to journey into space, an achievement that gained additional significance by coinciding with International Women’s Day. Her journey aboard the Space Shuttle Challenger shattered gender barriers in the male-dominated field of space exploration and has inspired generations of young girls to reach for the stars.

See how women’s roles are evolving in former Soviet nations during Crossroads of the Adriatic: Croatia, Montenegro, Bosnia & Herzegovina, and Slovenia.