International Women’s Day is a celebration of women’s achievements throughout history. It’s also about fighting for gender equality and raising awareness about discrimination. Learn more about International Women’s Day here.
What Is International Women’s Day?
International Women’s Day is celebrated annually on 8th March. The day celebrates the achievements of women throughout history, as well as fighting for gender equality and raising awareness about discrimination. It is a focal point for the women’s rights movement and is at the forefront of bringing attention to current issues that affect women and girls, for example the gender pay gap, reproductive rights and violence against women and girls.
International Women’s Day is not just for women, it is about levelling the playing field to better the rights of individuals, groups and society as a whole. While a lot has been achieved in the area of women’s rights, particularly in the 20th and 21st centuries, there is still a long way to go to achieve full equality.
International Women’s Day has been designated as an official United Nations observance since 1975, which was named ‘International Women’s Year’. Since then, it has become an observance in many parts of the world.
Every year, a new theme is introduced. You can learn about the International Women’s Day 2024 theme with this blog.
Why is International Women’s Day Important?
The event is important because it draws attention to ongoing issues that affect women and girls, while simultaneously celebrating the milestones achieved by the women’s rights movement and by women and girls across the world.
When we talk about discrimination and fighting for the rights of marginalised groups, it is important to be mindful of intersectionality. Intersectionality is the acknowledgement that a person who belongs to more than one marginalised group is likely to experience different levels of discrimination as a result of this. For example, a gay, Black woman may experience sexism, but may also face discrimination based on her ethnicity (racism) and/or sexual orientation (homophobia/lesbophobia). When considering the role of the women’s rights movement, it is important to recognise that different people experience discrimination to varying degrees, and that other types of discrimination may also play a part in the oppression that people from marginalised communities face.
Celebrate International Women’s Day 2024
The International Women’s Day 2024 theme is #InspireInclusion. This slogan calls for the inclusion of women and girls, calling out the discrimination of women and taking action to ensure that the treatment of women is equitable in all areas.
There are a number of different ‘missions’ associated with International Women’s Day, which aim to raise greater awareness about issues affecting women’s equality, call out inequality while forging positive action and highlight the progress being made and celebrate the achievements of women and girls.
Resources
Why not use Beyond’s International Women’s Day Resources to introduce the topic of International Women’s Day across the curriculum and generate discussion amongst your students? You can find examples of our resources below.
- Votes for Women Differentiated Reading Comprehension
- International Women’s Day Poster Pack
- Rapid Reads Extraordinary Women Resource Pack
You can carry on with learning about important events and find essential revision support with more of our blogs here! You can also subscribe to Beyond for access to thousands of secondary teaching resources. You can sign up for a free account here and take a look around at our free resources before you subscribe too.