Dia Internacional da Mulher
Autor: Liege Frainer Barbosa | Publicado: 2012-03-08T02:00:00-03:00

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History of International Women's Day


Introduction
International Women's Day is celebrated in many countries
 around the world. It is a day when women are recognized for their 
achievements without regard to divisions, whether national, ethnic, 
linguistic, cultural, economic or political. It is an occasion for 
looking back on past struggles and accomplishments, and more 
importantly, for looking ahead to the untapped potential and 
opportunities that await future generations of women.

In 1975, during International Women's Year, the United 
Nations began celebrating International Women's Day on 8 March. Two 
years later, in December 1977, the General Assembly adopted a resolution
 proclaiming a United Nations Day for Women's Rights and International 
Peace to be observed on any day of the year by Member States, in 
accordance with their historical and national traditions. In adopting 
its resolution, the General Assembly recognized the role of women in 
peace efforts and development and urged an end to discrimination and an 
increase of support for women's full and equal participation.
              
            


History
International Women's Day first emerged from the 
activities of labour movements at the turn of the twentieth century in 
North America and across Europe.

1909: The first National Woman's Day 
was observed in the United States on 28 February. The Socialist Party of
 America designated this day in honour of the 1908 garment workers' 
strike in New York, where women protested against working conditions.

1910: The Socialist International, 
meeting in Copenhagen, established a Women's Day, international in 
character, to honour the movement for women's rights and to build 
support for achieving universal suffrage for women. The proposal was 
greeted with unanimous approval by the conference of over 100 women from
 17 countries, which included the first three women elected to the 
Finnish Parliament. No fixed date was selected for the observance.

1911: As a result of the Copenhagen 
initiative, International Women's Day was marked for the first time (19 
March) in Austria, Denmark, Germany and Switzerland, where more than one
 million women and men attended rallies. In addition to the right to 
vote and to hold public office, they demanded women's rights to work, to
 vocational training and to an end to discrimination on the job.
1913-1914: International Women's Day 
also became a mechanism for protesting World War I. As part of the peace
 movement, Russian women observed their first International Women's Day 
on the last Sunday in February. Elsewhere in Europe, on or around 8 
March of the following year, women held rallies either to protest the 
war or to express solidarity with other activists.

1917: Against the backdrop of the war,
 women in Russia again chose to protest and strike for 'Bread and Peace'
 on the last Sunday in February (which fell on 8 March on the Gregorian 
calendar). Four days later, the Czar abdicated and the provisional 
Government granted women the right to vote.
Since those early years, International Women's Day has 
assumed a new global dimension for women in developed and developing 
countries alike. The growing international women's movement, which has 
been strengthened by four global United Nations women's conferences, has
 helped make the commemoration a rallying point to build support for 
women's rights and participation in the political and economic arenas. 
Increasingly, International Women's Day is a time to reflect on progress
 made, to call for change and to celebrate acts of courage and 
determination by ordinary women who have played an extraordinary role in
 the history of their countries and communities.


Source:&nbsp; http://www.un.org/womenwatch/feature/iwd/history.html