Every year, 8th March comes around and the world celebrates International Women’s Day. Luckily, in Spain, there have been enormous amounts of improvements in the last decades but we still very much celebrate. Let’s remind ourselves of the importance of this day.
International Women’s Day is celebrated on 8th March and is a symbolic day where the world celebrates the improvements there have been in the last decades, highlight what still has to change to reach equality as well as pay tribute to those women in the past who begun the movement and fought for women’s rights during a time when it was criticised.
In different parts of the world, this day is celebrated in different ways. In some countries it is typical for men to give flowers or presents to the women they love while in others, like Spain, it is a massive day for feminist manifestations and activism. In Spain, whether you are in a big city or a smaller town there are likely to be manifestations in the street. Many women take the day off from work or school to strike and fight for the changes which are still lacking even in our modern day world, like the gender pay-gap, domestic and sexual violence and more equality in the workplace.
In Spain it is also known as the ‘Día Internacional de la Mujer Trabajadora’, International Women Worker’s Day, highlighting and celebrating the women who made a place for us in the workplace. This day dates back to the 1900s during the first movements fighting for women’s labour and voting rights. In 1975 the United Nations officially recognized the day and began being celebrated globally. The colour purple is used to represent justice and dignity.
Happy International Women’s Day to all the women of the world- to those who had to fight in the past for us and to the women of today who have the privilege to have a place in society and continue to fight for equality. A special mention to all the women who live in countries where they don’t have a voice or rights, we stand with you and will fight for your freedom.
Watch our latest episode of Good Morning Spain where we chat about this topic.
