International Women’s Day 2022: Date, Theme And History

International Women’s Day is celebrated on March 8 every year. The day highlights the cultural, political, and socioeconomic achievements of women. The day also marks a call to action for accelerating gender parity.
International Women’s Day 2022 date
International Women’s Day is observed on March 8 every year. This year, it will be celebrated on Tuesday.
https://twitter.com/UN_Women/status/1499022373454065672

International Women’s Day 2022 theme

The theme of International Women’s Day 2022 is “Gender Equality Today for a Sustainable Tomorrow”.

“The year 2022 is pivotal for achieving gender equality in the context of climate change, and environmental and disaster risk reduction, which are some of the greatest global challenges of the twenty-first century. Without gender equality today, a sustainable future, and an equal future, remains beyond our reach.,” UN Women’s website says.

It added, “This year’s IWD observance is in recognition and celebration of the women and girls who are leading the charge on climate change adaptation and response, and to honour their leadership and contribution towards a sustainable future.”

International Women’s Day history

International Women’s Day has been observed since the early 1900s.

In 1908, 15,000 women marched through New York City demanding shorter hours, better pay and voting rights.

The first National Woman’s Day was observed across the United States on February 28. The day was celebrated on the last Sunday of February until 1913.

In 1911, International Women’s Day was honoured for the first time in Austria, Denmark, Germany and Switzerland on March 19.

On the eve of World War I campaigning for peace, Russian women observed their first International Women’s Day on February 23, the last Sunday in February.

Soon, the International Women’s Day was agreed to be marked annually on March 8 as per the Gregorian calendar (February 23 of Julian calendar). Since then, International Women’s Day has been celebrated on March 8.

International Women’s Day was celebrated for the first time by the United Nations in 1975. The UN announced their first annual theme in 1996 as “Celebrating the past, Planning for the Future”.

What colours symbolise International Women’s Day?

Purple, green and white are the colours of International Women’s Day. While purple signifies justice and dignity, green symbolises hope. White represents purity, albeit a controversial concept.