The 100th International Women’s Day (IWD) is celebrated today. The first official celebration of Women’s Day happened on March 19 in 1911 in Austria, Denmark, Germany and Switzerland. The decision to observe an International Women’s Day was made in 1910 at the second international conference of working women held in Copenhagen.
At the meeting, Clara Zetkin, leader of the Women’s Office for the Social Democratic Party in Germany, proposed that every year in every country there be a celebration on the same day of Women’s Day to protect women’s rights. Zetkins suggestion was unanimously ratified and the first International Women’s Day was celebrated the following year, in 1911.
Theme for IWD 2011 is “Equal access to education, training and science and technology: Pathway to decent work for women”