Every year on March 8th, the world celebrates International Women’s Day, honoring the women who fought for the rights we enjoy today, the right to vote, to learn, to lead and to dream without limits. This day is a recognition of the achievements and resilience of women everywhere.

International Women’s Day grew out of early 20th-century workers’ strikes in North America and Europe, especially garment workers demanding better pay and conditions, and continued to evolve with time through four waves. Let’s discover together the history of this day which takes on a different theme every year, and some remarkable moments in its development. In 2026, it carries the theme of “Give to Gain”.

How did it start?

It all began in the early 1900s; the idea emerged from labor movements in North America and Europe, when the first National Woman’s Day was organized in the U.S. in 1909.

In 1910, German activist Clara Zetkin proposed the idea of an international day dedicated to women’s rights at the International Socialist Women’s Conference.

The idea gained momentum, and the date became fixed on March 8th, 1917 (February 23 in the Russian calendar), when women in Russia protested for “bread and peace,” helping spark the Russian Revolution. March 8th eventually became the globally recognized date to honor women who continue to break barriers in many fields: science, politics, business and arts.

In 1975, the United Nations officially began celebrating International Women’s Day, giving it worldwide recognition.

Four waves

The first wave extended between late 19th - early 20th century focusing on legal rights, especially women’s right, to vote specifically in the US (1920) and the UK (1918/1928) elections.

Thereafter, in the 1960’s and 1980’s, the second wave targeted equality in the workplace, reproductive rights, sexuality, and legal discrimination. It addressed issues like pay inequality, marital rights and access to contraception.

The third wave (1990s – early 2000s) was all about individualism and diversity, challenging narrow definitions of womanhood as well as emphasizing on race inclusion, class, sexuality, and gender identity in feminist discussions.

From 2010’s till our present time, the fourth wave addresses digital activism, sexual harassment, LGBTQ+ inclusion as well as online misogyny and systematic abuse. It is strongly linked to social media movements like #MeToo.

*An elegant symbolic illustration of an early women’s rights conference in Europe, strong central female figure speaking*

The purple color

Purple is widely associated with Women’s Day because it is traced back to the UK’s suffragette movement in the early 1900s, the militant campaign of women advocating the right to vote which inspired many similar actions worldwide.

This color embodies royalty and dignity and was chosen by the Suffragettes to reclaim respect in a society that marginalized women. Thus, the traditional colors of women’s day became purple representing justice and dignity, green signaling hope and white symbolizing purity.

Those colors are used on most occasions celebrating International Women’s Day globally. But this day is not only about celebration but also reflection. It is a reminder that empowerment is an ongoing commitment. A commitment to fairness, respect, and a world where every girl knows she can reach her full potential.

While many feminist activists led the way for women’s emancipation, two figures served the empowerment cause, each in her own way!

Chanel and Barbie!

The historic legacy of Chanel and the cinematic narrative of the movie Barbie (2023) highlight that empowerment is not about conforming to an imposed ideal but about the courage to question inherited standards, the freedom to reinvent oneself, and the confidence to exist authentically in spaces that once demanded limitation.

The life of Coco Chanel, born Gabrielle Bonheur Chanel (1883), sets a historic journey of innovation that revolutionized women’s fashion making the French designer an enduring icon known for her timeless designs that challenged social norms and a symbol of modern female independence.

At the start of the 1900s, women’s fashion was dominated by corsets and heavy fabrics that physically constrained movement. Chanel rejected this aesthetic; she introduced softer lines and practical designs that allowed women to move freely.

This shift was not just stylistic: comfort became revolutionary. Chanel’s designs symbolize independence and modernity, aligning style with strength rather than submission.

In the movie Barbie, stereotypes about women were broken. The cultural impact of Barbie extended far beyond box office success, and it redefined the Barbie symbol, long criticized for unrealistic beauty standards, into a platform for discussing identity, agency, and womanhood.

Barbie’s journey from a perfectly curated, plastic ideal to a self-aware woman confronting the complexities of the real world becomes a metaphor for dismantling unrealistic expectations placed on women.

The highlight of the movie was the moment when Gloria (performed by the actress America Ferrara) delivered an emotional monologue that became the heartbeat of the film:

“You have to never get old, never be rude, never show off, never be selfish, never fall down, never fail, never show fear, never get out of line. It’s too hard! It’s too contradictory and nobody gives you a medal or says thank you! And it turns out in fact that not only are you doing everything wrong, but also everything is your fault”

This speech brought feminist conversations into pop culture at a massive scale by validating a shared experience of women.

Looking to the future

International Women’s Day is not only about honoring the past; it is about shaping the future. It challenges individuals, organizations, and governments to move from symbolic gestures to meaningful change. And its campaign this year, “Give to Gain”, encourages this mindset.

Despite significant progress, gender inequality persists in many forms like unequal pay and underrepresentation in leadership to barriers in healthcare and education.

This day reminds us that equality requires effort and action, because International Women’s Day is not just one day. It is a movement.

Et voilà! Happy Women’s Day ladies all around the world!

Five Facts about International Women’s Day:

International Women’s Day is officially recognized as a public holiday in many countries like Russia, some ex-Soviet Republics and Angola while in China women are given half a day off.
In Italy, it’s traditional to give yellow mimosa flowers to women on March 8th, a custom that began after World War II because mimosa was affordable and blooming at that time of year.
The Russian Valentina Tereshkova, the first woman in space (1963), became a global symbol of women’s achievement and her accomplishment is often highlighted around March 8th in Eastern Europe.
While some countries granted women voting rights in the early 1900s, women in Switzerland gained federal voting rights only in 1971 making the country one of the last Western nations to extend suffrage to women.
According to the Organization for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD), women working full-time earn on average about 11–12% less than men across OECD countries.

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