This year, the United Nations (UN) presented the theme for the day as: Rights. Justice. Action. For ALL women and girls.

It also issued a call to action against the barriers to equality and justice, with an emphasis on discriminatory laws, weak legal protections, and harmful social practices and norms that erode the rights of women of all ages.

During the Second International Conference of Socialist Women held in Copenhagen in 1910, the proposal to institutionalize a day dedicated to women arose.

German leader Clara Zetkin spearheaded the initiative without specifying a particular date, aiming to create a space for global activism in support of women’s suffrage and improved working conditions, according to historical records.

In 1922, Soviet leader Vladimir Lenin declared March 8th International Working Women’s Day, honoring the role of women in the 1917 Russian Revolution.

That year, Russian women took to the streets to demand bread and an end to World War I (1914-1918), a mobilization that accelerated the fall of the Tsarist regime and led, weeks later, to women being granted the right to vote in Russia.

In 1975, the UN officially recognized the celebration, extending the commemoration globally and allowing it to merge with local traditions.

Since then, the date has taken on particular nuances in each region: in Italy, the giving of mimosa bouquets became popular, while in Armenia, the commemoration lasts for an entire month.

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