A day just for women
Our calendar acknowledges a multitude of holidays and observances. We celebrate Veterans Day, Memorial Day, St. Patrick’s Day, Martin Luther King Jr. Day, Presidents Day, and many others including Mother’s Day, which is the only holiday that celebrates mothers but not all women are. What we don’t see observed in the United States is International Women’s Day. This day is celebrated in many other countries across the globe and provides a platform for not only addressing issues pertaining to women but acknowledging their success.
International Women’s Day (IWD) is celebrated every year on March 8. It originated from early 20th century labor movements in North America and Europe, advocating for women’s rights like fair wages, shorter hours, and suffrage. IWD evolved into a global day to recognize women’s achievements. Its participants demanded gender equality and to highlight ongoing issues like violence and lack of opportunity. They drew attention through rallies, events, and campaigns for social, political, and economic change.
According to IWD’s website, 2026 IWD marks an incredible milestone: 115 years of advocacy.
“For more than a century,” they write, “IWD has helped drive transformative change. Each generation has built on the courage of those before it, pushing boundaries and redefining what is possible.”
IWD events also celebrate women’s successes, from local community leaders to global figures, according to the IWD website. Organizations host forums and social media campaigns to raise awareness about current challenges, from gender-based violence to lack of educational opportunities.
The way IWD is observed varies. In some countries, it’s a national holiday similar to Mother’s Day, while others give women flowers (like mimosas or carnations), which are a symbol of strength and resilience, as a gesture of appreciation. The colors symbolizing IWD are purple, green, and white, which represent women’s suffrage and adopted by IWD.
According to the IWD website, the use of the colors originated from Women’s Social and Political Union in the UK, founded in 1903. Purple signifies justice and dignity and being loyal to the cause; green symbolizes hope; white is a symbol of sisterhood and solidarity, respecting and representing the progress made by those who have fought for women’s suffrage.
By honoring and celebrating women leaders, activists, artists, and everyday women around us, we might speed up the progress toward equality in all areas of life.
IWD is the perfect platform to encourage girls and women across the globe to pursue opportunities, as well as recognizing that when women thrive, societies prosper. It gives women the space to share stories, connect, and advocate for issues like reproductive rights, freedom from abuse, and equal representation. According to the World Economic Forum (WEF), none of us will see gender parity in our lifetime, and neither will many of our children. WEF shows that at the current rate of progress it will still take well over a century, roughly five generations from now, to reach full gender parity.
IWD is more than just a day of our lives, it is a movement that belongs to all groups everywhere with a powerful history of collective action.
One of the IWD 2026 campaigns is Give to Gain, which encourages a mind of generosity and collaboration in all areas of life. Give to Gain emphasizes the power of reciprocity and support.
When people, organizations, and communities give generously, opportunities and support for women increase. As the IWD website says: “Giving is not a subtraction. It’s international multiplication when women thrive, we all rise.”
Whether through donations, knowledge, resources, infrastructure, visibility, advocacy, education, training, mentoring or time, contributing to women’s advancement helps create a more supportive and interconnected world.
Together, we can normalize women’s leadership and success, while staying committed to positive action.
