International Women's Day is an international day celebrated annually on March 8, as defined by the United Nations.
International Women's Day is a focal point in the women's rights movement.
This special day emerged as a result of a war fought by women to have equal rights with men in all areas of life.
On March 8, 1957, women working in the textile industry in New York for low wages and under poor conditions, despite long working hours, went on strike to protest these working conditions. During this strike, a fire broke out in the factory and 129 women, who could not escape due to the barricades set up in front of the factory, burned to death. More than 10 thousand people attended the funeral of the deceased worker women.
52 years after this painful event, in 1910, in Copenhagen, Denmark, II. Clara Zetkin presented a proposal at the Socialist International meeting. With this proposal, it was unanimously accepted that March 8 will now be commemorated as "Internationaler Frauentag" (International Women's Day) in the name of defending women's rights and unity.
After the Socialist Party of America organized a “Women's Day” in New York on February 28, 1909, the 1910 International Socialist Women's Conference proposed that a “Women's Day” be held annually. After women gained the right to vote in Soviet Russia in 1917, March 8 became a national holiday. Women's Day was celebrated predominantly by socialist movements and communist countries until it was adopted by the feminist movement in 1967.
It started to be celebrated by the United Nations in 1975.
With the decision taken by the United Nations General Assembly on 16 December 1977, member countries were invited to declare a day in line with their traditions and history as International Women's Rights and International Peace Day.
8 MARCH IN TURKEY
March 8 International Women's Day was first held in Turkey in 1921, with the initiative of two communist sisters, Rahime Selimova and Cemile Nuşirvanova.
After this date, March 8 International Women's Day celebrations were not allowed for years. In 1975, the “United Nations Decade for Women” was declared. Since Turkey was also included in this scope, the "Women's Year Congress" was held in Turkey in 1975.
The activities of the Progressive Women's Association were also influential in the beginning of the celebration of March 8, International Women's Day in 1975. Thus, March 8, International Women's Day, took to the streets and squares from closed environments. The Progressive Women's Association was a non-governmental organization that brought together the working class and women to seek their rights. Since its establishment, it has had nearly 33 thousand members through 35 branches and 15 representative offices across the country in a short time. With the publication called "Women's Voice", it could reach 35 thousand people.
After the September 12 Coup, no celebrations were allowed by the military junta administration for four years.
It has been celebrated every year by various women's organizations since 1984. The main difference of this new era is that this day, which used to be embraced only by the socialist segment, is now celebrated by almost all women's organizations as well as state officials and institutions, almost like a public holiday, and even companies have started to participate in it with their advertising and marketing activities.
On the other hand, it seems that there are those in today's Turkey who celebrate March 8 as "International Working Women's Day", as it is called a reflection of the "class against class" policies of the Comintern in the 1920s.
