International Women’s Day is a global holiday celebrated annually on March 8 as a focal point in the women’s rights movement. It gives focus to issues such as gender equality, reproductive rights, and violence and abuse against women. Spurred on by the universal female suffrage movement, Women’s Day originated from labour movements in North America and Europe during the early 20th century. However, March 8 is not the only day which is focused on women or women’s issues.
Here are some of the other such days:
International Day of the Girl Child
On December 19, 2011, the United Nations General Assembly declared October 11 as the International Day of the Girl Child, to recognise girls’ rights and the unique challenges girls face around the world. The day also focuses attention on the need to promote girls’ empowerment and the fulfilment of their human rights. It helps raise awareness not only of the issues that girls face, but also of what is likely to happen when those problems are solved. For example, educating girls helps reduce the rate of child marriage, disease and helps strengthen the economy by helping girls have access to higher paying jobs.
International Girls in ICT Day
The International Girls in ICT Day is celebrated on the fourth Thursday in April to create awareness on the need for more girls and women in the information and communications technology (ICT) sector. It was established 12 years ago by the International Telecommunication Union (ITU) and since then, it has been celebrated every year with events, training, mentoring and networking opportunities for girls and young women.
Roses Revolution Day
Roses Revolution, an international movement against obstetric violence founded in Spain in 2011, gave the day an additional designation as the Roses Revolution Day. Affected women place roses in front of hospitals and delivery rooms to protest against violence they have experienced during childbirth, including messages to physicians and midwives. Roses Revolution is supported by the German National Committee of UN Women.
International Day of Zero Tolerance for Female Genital Mutilation
The day is a United Nations-sponsored annual awareness day that takes place on February 6 as part of the UN’s efforts to eradicate female genital mutilation. It was first introduced in 2003. It provides an opportunity to forge stronger ties and take concerted action to reinforce our commitments to eliminate this harmful practice which continues to impact the lives of millions of women and girls. In 2024, nearly 4.4 million girls — or more than 12,000 each day — are at risk of genital mutilation around the world. Despite tremendous progress made over the years, female genital mutilation continues to remain a serious challenge in many countries.
International Day for the Elimination of Violence against Women
The United Nations General Assembly has designated November 25 as the International Day for the Elimination of Violence Against Women. The premise of the day is to raise awareness around the world that women are subjected to rape, domestic violence and other forms of violence; furthermore, one of the aims of the day is to highlight that the scale and true nature of the issue is often hidden. The date was selected to honour the Mirabal sisters, three political activists from the Dominican Republic who were brutally murdered in 1960 by order of the country’s ruler, Rafael Trujillo (1930-1961).
International Day of Women & Girls in Science
The International Day of Women and Girls in Science is an annual observance adopted by the United Nations General Assembly to promote the full and equal access and participation of women in Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics (STEM) fields. It is celebrated on February 11 every year. A theme is selected annually to highlight a particular focus and area of discussion around a focus point for gender equality in science. The day is implemented annually by Unesco in collaboration with UN Women. Both the organisations work with national governments, intergovernmental organisations, civil society partners, universities and corporations in order to achieve the shared goal of promoting the role of women and girls in scientific fields and celebrate those already successful in the field.
International Day of Rural Women
International Day of Rural Women is celebrated on October 15 every year. The day is dedicated to the millions of women who live in remote, rural areas. It is to celebrate and highlight their achievements and contributions towards rural development and agriculture. The day focuses on gender equality and women empowerment in rural areas. These women include mothers, daughters, and grandmothers in rural areas who contribute by producing food and building agricultural and rural development worldwide. It reminds us that the world cannot become progressive if rural society is ignored.