5 Ways to Celebrate International Women’s Day
A Healthier Michigan
| 4 min read
International Women's Day is recognized and celebrated across the globe, focusing women in the developed and developing world. You may be unsure what to do on this day. Learn more about what has been done in the past for International Women's Day and find a few simple suggestions for ways to celebrate International Women's Day in 2024.
Why do we celebrate International Women's Day?
International Women’s Day is set aside for us as a society to recognize and celebrate the contributions and achievements of women, including their social, political, economic, and cultural impacts. This day developed from a long tradition over the past two centuries of protests and celebrations by women laborers and women’s rights champions.
Why is International Women's Day on March 8?
March 8 has become the international recognized date due to a few important days in international women’s history being near the end of February and beginning of March, including the Russian women’s “Bread and Peace” protests for women’s rights and women’s labor on the last Sunday of February, according to the United Nations and their multimedia history of International Women’s Day. After the Russian Revolution, the modern Gregorian calendar was adopted in Russia, changing the date to March 8.
After World War II, more and more women’s celebrations were happening on March 8. In 1977 the UN established the United Nations Day for Women's Rights and International Peace. This can be held at any time according to nations’ customs, but since, most nations have worked together to recognize March 8 as International Women’s Day.
How should we celebrate International Women's Day?
A good first step to recognizing and celebrating International Women’s Day 2024 is to educate yourself on the holiday, and historic effortsby women across the globe for equality.
Tie your activities and recognition of the day by following the International Women’s Day 2024 theme: Inspiring Inclusion. Think about how you can inspire inclusion in your life.
Here are some great ways to inspire inclusion, and to celebrate International Women’s Day 2024:
1. Make sure to recognize International Women’s Day.
If available, you can schedule an event or moment in your office, school, or home. Plan ahead by preparing materials and educational resources for anyone interested. The International Women’s Day website has official IWD Event Packs to help you plan an IWD 2024 event.
2. Place posters, flyers, and educational materials in public areas.
Place these in visible places where passers-by or peers can pick up resources to read at their own pace and on their own time. IWD has plentiful posters, flyers and materials available to download.
3. Take some time to study about the history of women’s rights in your country and around the world.
The official International Women’s Day and United Nations websites have many links and downloadable educational resources, but beyond that, there are many women’s voices and stories to learn from. Seek out a documentary to watch, a book to read, or a maybe an event to attend, made by women.
4. Attend a Local International Women’s Day Event.
If you are unable to set up your own event, or even if you are and are looking for more ways to get involved, it should be easy to find an event near you or a virtual event to sign up for to attend on International Women’s Day 2024.
Here is a list of registered events on and around March 8, 2024 for International Women’s Day. You can search by date and by location, or for a virtual event. If you set up your own event, submit it to this list.
5. Follow International Women’s Day on social media.
An easy way to keep up to date with this year’s International Women’s Day as well as future years’, follow IWD on their social media pages .You can follow IWD on TikTok, Instagram, Facebook, X (formerly Twitter),and YouTube.
