International Women’s Day (March 8) is a global day celebrating the social, economic, cultural, and political achievements of women. The day also marks a call to action for accelerating women’s equality.
IWD has occurred for well over a century, originating from the labor movements in Europe and North America, with the first IWD gathering in 1911 supported by over a million people.
International Women’s Day started as a women’s labor strike against sex discrimination in the workplace. It supports equal pay for equal work, the right to vote, the right to hold public office and other political issues affecting women. This day serves as a reminder of the brave women advocates who came before us and a call to action to move forward together toward a future where all people’s rights are protected and honored. It’s also a celebration of women, our contributions and an acknowledgment of what we still have to accomplish.
The theme for International Women’s Day 2025 is “Accelerate Action.” At the current rate of progress, it will take until 2158, which is roughly five generations from now, to reach full gender parity, according to data from the World Economic Forum.
The organizers of International Women’s Day 2025 tell us:
As individuals, we can all take steps in our daily lives to positively impact women’s advancement.
We can call out stereotypes, challenge discrimination, question bias, celebrate women’s success, and so much more. Additionally, sharing our knowledge and encouragement with others is key.
Impactful organizations and groups across the world deliver an array of effective strategies, resources, and activity that help #AccelerateAction in many areas including:
- forging women’s economic empowerment
- recruiting, retaining and developing diverse talent
- supporting women and girls into leadership, decision-making, business and STEM
- designing and building infrastructure meeting the needs of women and girls
- helping women and girls make informed decisions about their health
- involving women and girls in sustainable agriculture and food security
- providing women and girls with access to quality education and training
- elevating women and girl’s participation and achievement in sport
- promoting creative and artistic talent of women and girls
- addressing further areas supporting the advancement of women and girls.
Here is an article from UN Women, titled “Women’s rights in 2025: Hope, resilience, and the fight against backlash” It quotes Jaha Dukureh, survivor, activist, and UN Women Goodwill Ambassador for Africa.
“The backlash against gender equality often stems from fear—fear of losing power, privilege, and control. As more women, survivors and marginalized groups demand equality and challenge long-standing systems of oppression, those who benefit from the status quo feel threatened. Social media has amplified both progress and backlash… When systems are being challenged, they push back harder—but that means we are making an impact.”
NOW members know how true that is, and how important it is for all of us to keep challenging those systems, stay in this fight, and know that we are indeed making progress. We can’t give up! We won’t give up! This is an international struggle and we’re all in it together.