Women of the world unite!
Since its beginnings, IWD has been a day of unity, solidarity and action.
- On February 28, 1907, women socialists in the United States organised huge demonstrations and meetings around the country to demand political rights for working women. They declared it the first "Women's Day".
- In 1909, as part of a growing militancy among women, 30,000 women garment workers in New York nearly shut down the industry with a 13-week strike which won them shorter working hours, better wages and conditions, and the right to unionise.
- At the 1910 International Conference of Socialist Working Women in Copenhagen, German Marxist Clara Zetkin raised the idea of organising an "International Working Women's Day" to mark the victory of the garment workers and give a focus for women around the world to organise public actions to win the vote. The conference decided that every year, in every country, they should march under the slogan: "The vote for women will unite our strength in the struggle for socialism".
- March 19 the next year was the first International Women's Day. Around 1 million women and men marched in Denmark, Austria, Germany and Switzerland. Holland and Sweden had their first marches in 1912, and Russia in 1913. In the US, by 1913, tens of thousands of women were marching in New York.
- In 1915, IWD was transferred to March 8. Russian socialist Alexandra Kollontai explained in 1920 that International Working Women's Day had turned "from a day of struggle for franchise into an international day of struggle for the full and absolute liberation of women".
- In Petrograd, on March 8, 1917, women defied the law and came boldly onto the streets demanding bread and end to the war. Their militancy sparked the February Revolution.
- In Australia, the first IWD activity took place on March 25, 1928, organised by socialists from the Militant Women's Movement. It demanded an eight-hour day, equal pay for equal work, paid annual leave and a living wage for the unemployed. IWD actions continued to play an important part in winning many of the gains for women and all working people in this country.
As women's rights once again come under attack, IWD has a history of campaigning which we should learn from, be proud of and continue.