Ipas > International Women’s Day celebrates equality, empowerment and progress

International Women’s Day celebrates equality, empowerment and progress

March 8, 2004

International Women's Day (IWD) is an opportunity to celebrate women's individual and collective achievements, to reflect on women's history, and to empower women to overcome the challenges to their rights now and in the future.

Although the roots of the celebration lie in the centuries-old struggle for gender equality, IWD grew out of the socialist labor movement of the early 1900s. In the early years, IWD demonstrations focused on universal suffrage, women's right to hold public office, and the end of discrimination in the workplace. Officially recognized by the United Nations in 1977, IWD is now a national holiday in many countries and has come to represent equality, peace, justice, progress and empowerment.

While there is much to celebrate, IWD is also an important day for women to assess their current status and gather their resources for the significant challenges that still lie ahead. Women around the world continue to suffer from pervasive discrimination and inequality. They continue to be victims of poverty and violence. And they continue to struggle for their fundamental rights to life and health, including access to safe reproductive-health care.

Ordinary women can affect extraordinary change. But the struggle to achieve substantive change cannot be limited to just one day of the year - it continues every day.

You can help by:

Participating in the March for Women's Lives on April 25th in Washington, DC, to demonstrate support for women's right to choose safe, legal, accessible and affordable abortion services.
Taking the opportunity to learn more about how you can become involved in the global movement to improve women's lives.

For more information, contact:
Kirsten Sherk
Senior Associate, Media Relations
e-mail: sherkk@ipas.org
phone: 919.960.5612
fax: 919.929.0258