Every year, on March 8, International Women’s Day is celebrated to commemorate and honour women’s accomplishments, raise awareness of gender disparities and discrimination, and promote global support for women.
In 1910, Clara Zetkin, a women’s rights advocate and the leader of Germany’s Women’s Office for the Social Democratic Party, proposed the idea of a global International Women’s Day.
On March 19, 1911, the first International Women’s Day was held, marked by more than a million people in Austria, Denmark, Germany and Switzerland.
It took until 1975 for the United Nations to recognise and begin celebrating International Women’s Day (IWD).
Since 1996 the UN has set a theme for IWD each year. The theme for this year was Accelerate Action, with a focus on addressing economic disempowerment and urging bold moves towards gender equality and forging a more inclusive world for women.
Gore Soroptimists hosted a dinner to celebrate the day on March 11 at the Racecourse Restaurant Food Affair, with 2024 Gore Soroptimists woman of the year Carol Dawson the speaker.
There were 47 women at the dinner, along with the head girls and deputy head girls and staff members from Blue Mountain College, Maruawai College and St Peter’s College.
Soroptimist International of Gore secretary Anne Gover said for those men wondering and feeling left out there is an International Men’s Day, which is celebrated on November 19, in more than 80 countries worldwide, including the United Kingdom. It has been marked only since the 1990s and is not recognised by the UN. —APL
