International Women's Day: History and current situation

The idea of ​​an international women's day originally came from the German socialist and women's rights activist, Clara Zetkin. At that time she wanted to fight for the right to vote for women and have this recognized on a certain day.

The first International Women's Day was celebrated on March 19, 1911. The goal of Clara and numerous other women's rights activists was achieved in 1919, when women in Germany were allowed to vote and be elected for the first time.

During the Third Reich, International Women's Day was banned in Germany and was therefore forgotten until it was reintroduced in the 1960s. Since then, it has become a recognized day worldwide.

In this country, March 8th has been a public holiday in Berlin since 2019 - this year Mecklenburg-Western Pomerania will join in for the first time. According to the state's Prime Minister Manuela Schwesig, this is intended to "set an example for gender equality."

Historically, the focus of March 8th has been primarily on cisgender women.
Recently, however, the feminist movement has evolved to better accommodate the diversity of gender identities and ensure that everyone, regardless of gender identity, is included in the fight for equality. For this reason, the term FLINTA* (Women, Lesbians, Intersex, Non-Binary People, Transgender and All Who Do Not Identify as Men) Fight Day has been developed as an inclusive term for International Women's Day.

The use of the term FLINTA* emphasizes the need to recognize the diversity of gender identities and ensure that all persons affected by gender discrimination are heard. Renaming International Women's Day to "FLINTA* Fight Day" strengthens the message of solidarity and cohesion in the feminist movement and makes it clear that the fight for equality and social justice includes all genders.

Intersectionality is an important term that recognizes the diversity of experiences and identities of women and all FLINTA* people. It's about understanding that this group of people are treated differently not only because of their gender, but also because of other factors such as origin, ethnicity, sexual orientation or socioeconomic status. For example, a black woman may have a different experience than a white woman because she also faces racism. Intersectionality calls on us to recognize these different experiences and take them into account in our efforts for equality and social justice.

Why is intersectional feminism particularly important on Feminist Day of Fight?
On this day, we celebrate the achievements of all FLINTA* people while highlighting the challenges and injustices that this group of people face worldwide. By focusing on intersectional feminism, we recognize that feminism is not just about gender, but also about many other factors.

Intersectional feminism reminds us that equality cannot be achieved as long as certain groups of people continue to be disadvantaged. By understanding and combating the various dimensions of oppression, we can create a more inclusive and just society for all.
This means that the fight against all forms of discrimination must be thought of together.

In Germany we are slowly making progress when it comes to equal rights for women in the world of work: according to a report, almost 1/5 of medium-sized companies in this country have a woman on the board. This number is 3.7 percentage points higher than 2021 – a small step in the right direction.

Nevertheless, the 'gender pay gap', ie the gap between the average wages of a woman and a man with comparable qualifications and activities, continues to be a problem. According to a report by the Federal Statistical Office, women generally earn 18% less per hour than men: for women and men with comparable professions and qualifications, this discrepancy is still 7%.

Although the situation for women in Germany has improved over the last century, this does not apply to all countries in the world.

International Women's Day has been a day recognized and institutionalized by the United Nations since 1975. However, women have e.g. For example, there is still no legal protection against domestic violence in 49 Member States.

That's why it's particularly important that we look at International Women's Day with the whole world in mind. There are always regressions, such as: B. the repeal of Roe v. Wade Law in the USA. In it, the judges stated that it is the fundamental and constitutional right of women to decide for themselves whether to terminate a pregnancy.

The fight is far from over.

Did you know that climate change and the situation of women worldwide are also inextricably linked? Researchers are increasingly pointing out that women are more exposed to the effects of climate change.

This is because more women suffer from poverty and are more dependent on resources threatened by climate change.

Furthermore, the effects of the changing climate are only increasing the existing gender gap. That's why our continued engagement with our environment is important not only for people in general, but also especially for women.