The next day March 8 International Women’s Day or International Women’s Day is commemorated. On March 8, women from nearly every country in the world come together regardless of our race, culture, religion, ethnicity, or language. Why is International Women’s Day celebrated?what is commemorated on this day, we will answer this and other questions below.
Why is International Women’s Day 2020 celebrated?
March 25, 1911in New York a tragedy took place in the Triangle Shirtwaist shirt factory. The factory was located in a 10-storey building and in the early hours of 1911, a fire devastated the building. At that time about 500 people were working inside.
The factory occupied the eighth, ninth and tenth floors, the tragedy was caused by a cigarette butt that unfortunately fell into a bucket with textile remains. When the workers tried to leave, but the stairwell doors were closed by order of the owners due to the fear of multiple robberies that occurred in the area.
This turned the factory into a mousetrap, with no way out. in despair, many workers jumped out of the windowwhile others tried to grab onto the cables that were on the façade, detaching them and falling into the void as well.
The result of this tragedy was 146 deceased, 129 women and 17 men. Most of the deceased died victims of burns or suffocation, while 53 of them were due to impact with the ground while trying to escape through the windows.
Most of the victims were young immigrant women. Coming from Italy from Eastern Europe, the oldest victim was a 48-year-old woman, while the youngest victim was a 14-year-old girl, also a factory worker.
The working conditions of the workers in this factory were 10 hours per day of work plus 7 hours on Saturdayswhile his salary ranged between 7 and 12 dollars for 52 hours of weekly work.
After this terrible event, the laws regarding improvements in job security that governed the industrial sector, began to change in the United States.
There is no doubt that this fire was a turning point for the claims of working women and for workers’ internationalism throughout the world.
In the year 1977, the UN declared on March 8 As the International Day for Women’s Rights and International Peace.
Origin of International Women’s Day 2020
- In Stuttgart in 1907, the First International Conference of Socialist Women was created.. Rising as the leader Socialist Clara Zetkinby proposing a resolution by which all socialist parties are urged to carry out a campaign in favor of women’s right to vote.
- In 1908, A demonstration was held in New York, with the slogan “Bread and Roses”, where 15,000 women demonstrated in the streets demanding a series of improvements, among which the following stand out:
- Salary improvements
- The reduction of working hours
- The right to vote
- The prohibition of child labor.
- February 28, 1909was held for the first time National Women’s Dayin New York, this act was organized by the socialist women after the declaration of recognition of the Socialist Party of the United States to the workers of the textile sector.
These had been the protagonists when declaring the strike and demonstrations, demanding labor improvements in 1908, as we have just seen.
This same year, in November 1909, A strike begins in the shirt sector, led by Clara Lemlich, who was supported by the National League of Women’s Unions of the United States. The strike led to the participation of 20,000 workers in the sector.
- in 1910the Socialist International meets in Copenhagen where an international declaration is made in favor of women’s rights and as pressure to achieve the right to vote for women.
It is proclaimed the International Women’s Daywithout agreeing on a specific date, unanimously by the 100 women present at the vote and from 17 countries.
- in 1911is celebrated for the first time on March 19, the international women’s day in Germany, Austria, Switzerland and Denmark.
The rallies that were held were attended by more than a million people who supported and demanded the need for women’s right to vote and the right to hold public office, the right to work, the right to professional training and labor equality.
- March 25, 1911the sad event of the fire at the Triangle Shirtwaist shirt factory takes place.
- in 1913Russian women celebrated the first International Women’s Daythe chosen date was the last Sunday of February.
- in 1914in Sweden, Russia and Germany, is commemorated for the first time officiallyInternational Women’s Day, this time the chosen date was March 8.
In the rest of Europe, the rallies held revolved around this date, rallies that were used to protest the Great War or World War I.
- In 1917, in the middle of the war and after the loss of two million Russian soldiers, the first stage of the Russian Revolution took place. In mid-February 1917, the famine that struck Russia caused riots in Saint Petersburg.
The March 3rd That same year, the largest factory in St. Petersburg closed, leaving 30,000 workers unemployed.
The March 8the rallies for the celebration of the International Women’s Dayturned into meetings of an economic and political nature.
The incidents that occurred in the long queues to acquire bread gave rise to spontaneous demonstrations against the Russian monarchy, advocating the end of the war.
It starts like this the october revolutionwhich would end the imperial family and give way to the Russian Revolution.
After the October 1917 revolution, Alexandra Kollontai, appointed People’s Commissar, gets the female vote, also legalizing abortion and divorce.
The March 8, 1918 International Women’s Day is established as an official working holiday.
- From 1922 to 1975International Women’s Day, gradually became institutionalized.
- In China it is celebrated since 1922.
- In Spain it was celebrated for the first time in 1936just before the military coup d’état, led by Dolores Ibarruri, La Pasionaria.
- in 1975the UN celebrated the International Women’s Year.
- in 1977 dictates a resolution in which all countries are invited to proclaim one day a year as the “United Nations Day for Women’s Rights and International Peace”.