What is International Women's Day?

International Women’s Day (IWD) is a global holiday that takes place during Women’s History Month.

According to the BBC, the first IWD was observed in 1911, after having been proposed and unanimously backed at an International Conference of Working Women in Copenhagen the previous year. Now, the day is recognized across the globe annually on March 8.

"Significant activity is witnessed worldwide on March 8 as groups come together to celebrate women's achievements or rally for women's equality," said Beth Anderson, associate director of the Deborah L. Coffin Women’s Center at Southern New Hampshire University (SNHU). In addition to her role at SNHU, Anderson has a decade of experience working in community development.

She said IWD honors the social, economic, cultural and political accomplishments of women around the world.

So, What is International Women's Day All About?

IWD emerged from the labor movements of the early 20th century in Europe and North America, the United Nations (U.N.) reported. 

In 1908, a group of 15,000 women marched through New York City to demand shorter workdays, higher wages and the right to vote, according to the BBC. This protest was the spark that would eventually lead to the advent of IWD.

Now, every year, IWD focuses on a particular theme. The International Women’s Day website noted that 2025's theme is Accelerate Action, galvanizing those who celebrate to speed up progress toward achieving equal rights.

The website also said that the observance of IWD serves several purposes, including:

• Celebrating women’s achievements
• Raising awareness about gender-based discrimination
• Taking action in support of gender equality

The 19th Amendment to the U.S. Constitution was ratified in 1920, the U.S. National Archives said, meaning women in the U.S. have had the right to vote for a little over 100 years. In some other countries, women acquired the right to vote more recently. For instance, it wasn't until 2015 that women were first able to vote and run for office in Saudi Arabia, according to PBS.

IWD encourages you to reflect on women's history and triumphs as well as the present and future state of gender across the globe.

Learn about social change.

Why is International Women's Day Important?

Anderson said that both IWD and Women's History Month give you a chance to celebrate, reflect and commit to action related to gender equality. "Without them, it’s easy to feel like progress isn’t being made," she said.

Recognizing women’s accomplishments can be especially important because women’s contributions to society have historically been devalued. According to JSTOR, the Matilda Effect describes a phenomenon wherein women’s successes are erased and attributed to men. The concept is named after Matilda Joslyn Gage, who described the effect in an 1883 essay discussing women as inventors.

She said women have created or helped to create many significant inventions without credit, noting that a woman of her era might not even pursue patents for her inventions because she didn’t have the same rights afforded to men. “Her husband could take out the patent in his own name, sell her invention for his own sole benefit, give it away if he so chose or refrain from using it, and for all this she would have no remedy,” Gage wrote.

Although women's rights have since improved, the impact of this history can still be felt.

You may have heard the phrase “representation matters.” When girls grow up without exposure to diverse role models — like women in STEM, for instance — they may not consider traditionally male-dominated fields as options. IWD offers an opportunity to acknowledge women’s contributions to the world and inspire more women to leave their mark.

"Elevating this work through a global movement allows us to come together across experience, difference and borders," Anderson said. "The day also marks a call to action for accelerating gender parity."

Learn about why history is important.

How Can You Honor International Women's Day?

Evelyn Berezin invented the computerized typewriter, the National Inventors Hall of Fame reported. Ida B. Wells was an investigative journalist and early civil rights leader who co-founded the NAACP, said the National Women’s History Museum. To commemorate IWD, you can take time to learn more about women's achievements like these, both throughout history and in the present.

According to Scientific American, The Lost Women of Science Initiative aims to encourage girls to pursue careers in STEM by highlighting the stories of women who have made lasting impacts in their fields. If you’d like to learn about more influential women, this could be a good place to start.

You can also look for events to attend. For example, SNHU hosts a range of IWD events both virtually and in person. "Every year, the Deborah L. Coffin Women’s Center hosts a breakfast the week of International Women’s Day," Anderson said.

She noted that the event is focused on an annual theme or topic. "This year, the focus is on gender-based violence in conflict," she said. "We will be bringing in two speakers to share their experience and knowledge. The event will culminate in a Q&A."

The breakfast is co-hosted by the Global Citizen Circle and SNHU, specifically, the Deborah L. Coffin Women's Center, the School of Arts & Sciences, the Global Campus Department of Social Sciences and International Student Services. Speakers include Theresa de Langis, an educator, writer and researcher who has practiced within the U.S. government and U.N., as well as Rashida Mohamed, a domestic and sexual violence victim advocate whose work helps to support refugee and immigrant families.

If you can't be there in person, you can watch the livestream on YouTube at 9 a.m. EST on March 11, 2025.

SNHU also holds an annual essay writing contest for IWD, publishing the winners in The Penmen Review, the university's online journal for creative writers.

Dr. Laman Tasch, an associate dean of social sciences at SNHU with a PhD in Political Science, runs the contest. "Every year, students from all programs are invited to share their reflections on the theme determined annually by the International Women's Day organization," Tasch said.

For 2025, students focused on what it means to "Accelerate Action." "We received 88 submissions from social sciences, liberal arts, business, STEM, general education and health professional verticals," she said. "Winners should be determined and announced this month."

The celebration doesn't have to end after March 8, either. "March, in general, is Women’s History Month, and the Women’s Center at SNHU puts on a variety of events," Anderson said.

To learn more, you can follow the Debra L. Coffin Women's Center on Instagram.

Mars Girolimon '21 '23G is a staff writer at Southern New Hampshire University where they earned their bachelor's and master's, both in English and creative writing. In addition to their work in higher education, Girolimon's short fiction is published in the North American Review, So It Goes by The Kurt Vonnegut Museum & Library, X-R-A-Y and more. Connect with them on LinkedIn.