March 8 –  A Reminder That All Women Are Special

“The thing women have yet to learn is nobody gives you power. You just take it. ” ― Roseanne Barr

And so did women in the 1900s, a period of great expansion and radical ideologies.

The first International Woman’s Day dates back on February 28, 1908, in the United States. After decade of oppression and inequality, women finally decided to become more vocal and started campaigns for change. In 1908, no less than 15,000 women marched on the New York streets, demanding voting rights, better pay and shorter working hours.

Over the years, women were brought great social, political and economical changes, and although, many of them remained anonymous, the world acknowledges Queen Victoria, Virginia Woolf, Elizabeth Cady Stanton, Florence Nightingale, Susan B. Anthony, Marie Curie, Coco Chanel, Eleanor Roosevelt, Katherine Hepburn, Queen Elizabeth II, Margaret Thatcher and the list could go on. All these women brought attitudinal shift and a significant change in how women were and are perceived, in women’s equality and emancipation.

From 1913 the International Women’s Day is celebrated on March 8 and it is an international holiday in many countries around the world. Although, at the beginning, it was a celebration for women’s political, economic, and social achievements, it has now become a celebration for the appreciation, love and respect towards women.

In most regions, on March 8, men offer women in their lives small gifts, chocolate and flowers. This beautiful holiday is usually celebrated with a nice festive meal in the family circle or at a restaurant, or visiting friends. Some men would choose to undertake all household duties, from cleaning, cooking and washing the dishes, to taking care of the children so that women could enjoy their holiday.

The International Women’s Day is a reminder of the struggle and pain that women had to deal with in the past and their fight for recognition, equality and peace. The fact that today there are women astronauts, prime ministers, doctors, scientists and many more in what were considered male-dominated jobs, is the solid proof that the gender gap has been significantly narrowed.

Therefore March 8  is a reminder of all great things women have achieved and will achieve, as history is written right now.

Happy Women’s Day!

Ana Savin