Despite having become a global day in favor of equality, many people still wonder about its origin and what led to March 8th gaining this international recognition. We share with you some of the key dates.
1848 - The movement begins. At the Seneca Falls Convention in New York, in support of women’s rights, Elizabeth Cady Stanton and Lucretia Mott demanded civil, social, and political rights for women. The moment they declared “we hold these truths to be self-evident: that all men and women are created equal” marked a milestone for gender equality.
1883 - Women in New Zealand make a global call to vote. New Zealand becomes the first country to grant women the right to vote, triggering a global suffrage movement and laying the foundation for the construction of fairer and more democratic societies.
1908 - Women March in the U.S. The direct precursor to International Women’s Day is the women’s march that took place in New York in 1908, when around 15,000 women protested to demand shorter working hours, better wages, and the right to vote.
1911 - First International Women’s Day. On March 8th, more than a million people marched in different cities in Europe on the first International Women’s Day to demand their right to vote and their labor rights.
1945 - The UN is born with a demand for equality. During the founding of the United Nations after World War II, women delegates urge to enshrine gender equality in the United Nations Charter.
1946 - First international organization. The Commission on the Status of Women becomes the first global intergovernmental body focused on gender equality.
1948 - The Universal Declaration of Human Rights. One of the famous phrases of this declaration emphasizes that fundamental rights apply to all individuals, including women. This marks the beginning of an activism that urges entities to uphold the agreed upon human rights standards and put an end to all forms of discrimination.
1970 - First World Conference on Women. The event, held in Mexico City, represents a significant moment for the consolidation of the link between women’s movements worldwide and generates momentum for the global discourse on women’s rights.
1972 - Unpaid work becomes political. Feminists launch an international campaign to demand a salary in exchange for domestic and care work.
1975 - In Iceland, women take a day off. When 90 percent of women refused to work, cook, or take care of children for a day, the country came to a standstill. This is how important reforms were achieved.
1975 - The UN celebrated International Women’s Day for the first time on March 8, 1975.
1979 - The Women’s Rights Charter. The UN General Assembly establishes the Convention on the Elimination of All Forms of Discrimination against Women. Countries that have ratified it - totaling more than 185 in 2025 - are obligated to end discrimination against women in both public and private spheres.
1991 - The 16 Days of Activism Against Gender-Based Violence. Launched by the Center for Women’s Global Leadership, the 16 Days campaign takes place every year around the world, from November 25th to December 10th.
1994 - Our body, our decision... At the International Conference on Population and Development, feminist activists pressured governments to commit to ending coercive population control methods, such as sterilizations and birth quotas.
1995 - The Beijing Platform for Action. At the Fourth World Conference on Women, the most ambitious plan in history is created to achieve equality of rights for all women.
1999 - Another victory... In 1999, the UN designated November 25th as the International Day for the Elimination of Violence against Women.
2010 - UN Women - The merger of four United Nations agencies to create UN Women results in a single strong and unified voice for all women and girls within the organization.
2015 - Gender equality and the SDGs. World leaders commit to implementing a plan for global progress by 2030: the 17 Sustainable Development Goals. The fifth Sustainable Development Goal is to achieve gender equality.
2017 - The #MeToo movement breaks the silence on violence. Women around the world take to social media and the courts to reveal patterns of abuse in different industries and sectors and demand accountability.
THE KEYS
• The United Nations first celebrated International Women’s Day on March 8, 1975.
• This year (2025) marks the 30th anniversary of the Beijing Declaration and Platform for Action, which took place in 1995, a key document in advancing gender equality that has achieved a lot since its adoption in areas such as legal protection, access to services, and women’s participation in all areas of society.
• International Women’s Day 2025 is commemorated under the slogan: For ALL women and girls: Rights. Equality. Empowerment.