March: Women's History Month

If you ever needed a reason to celebrate women’s achievements (you don’t, but anyway), Women’s History Month is the perfect excuse to do so.
Women’s History Month stems from the better known March 8th, better known as International Women’s Day.
The story of this day goes all the way back to 1908, when all the labour movements were gaining traction: 15,000 women marched through New York City protesting for shorter working hours, better pay and the right to vote.
The Socialist Party of America was the first to declare the first National Women’s Day a year later.
Another year was needed for the idea to make the day international, and Clara Zetkin is credited with that, suggesting it in 1910 at an International Conference of Working Women in Copenhagen. Her suggestion was unanimously agreed upon by the 100 women from 17 different countries who were there.
It was first celebrated in 2011 in Austria, Denmark, Germany and Switzerland. This year we are celebrating the 107th edition of the day. This year is extra special for Britain, however, as we are celebrating the centenary of the Representation of the People Act, which allowed women to vote for the first time.
The day was officially recognised by the United Nations (UN) in 1975. Since then, a different theme has been selected, with the first one (in 1996) being “Celebrating the past, planning for the future”.
This year, we are calling for #PressforProgress, which is aimed at motivating and uniting friends, colleagues and whole communities to think, act and be gender inclusive.
It’s also a good opportunity to raise awareness of social issues. After the election of Donald Trump as US president, millions of protesters took to the streets in the US and around the world, in favour of women’s rights. This year, many of the protesters came out again to demonstrate against him, as well as encourage more women to sign up and vote.
International Woman’s Day is celebrated in many ways all over the globe and there are a lot of events to get involved with in Britain.
BBC 100 Women, for example, showcases 100 inspirational and influential women every March 8th, running documentaries, features and interviews that bring women’s stories to the front. To get involved, visit their Facebook page here.
Sheffield is important for British women’s history for the country’s first suffrage organisation, the Sheffield Female Political Association, established in 1851. To celebrate that, the university is putting together a host of events all of which can be found here.
A diverse programme of events will also be organised in East London, with events in galleries, venues, libraries and institutions, promising that even the pickiest person will be able to choose. See the calendar here.
About Tomorrow: A Festival for Women will bring to the spotlight female-led businesses, looking to support the next generation of entrepreneurs. For a list of talks, visit here.
Southbank centre will be holding its own festival celebrating women and girls, and bringing to light the obstacles that might come into our path to success.
It will take place between 7 – 11 March. Book tickets now.
> Borislava Todorova