March 8th is the holiday known as International Women's Day. International Women's Day was created way back in the early 20th century (1908 is one of the earliest dates of celebration) to advocate for women's rights around the world. Many women were denied the right to vote at the time, so women's suffrage was one of the causes at the forefront at the time. Women held rallies and demonstrations to protest restrictions and advocate for the right to vote and to hold public office. Happily, women have made great strides in this area, and currently there are only a handful of countries in which women are not allowed to vote.
Another concern of women organizing at the time was for rights in the workplace to fair treatment, fair wages and humane working conditions. Unfortunately, this concern is still ongoing and has not met with the same amount of success as has suffrage. International Women's Day is still relevant to raise awareness of the women who are not yet receiving fair or equal treatment in the workplace, as compared to their male peers, and girls who are still being denied the right to an education, in some parts of the world.
International Women's Day can also be seen as a celebration, however; it's a good time to become aware not only of the challenges and suffering faced by women, but also of the wonderful contributions that women have made to society, culture, and history. There are many intelligent, talented women who have made great contributions to the fields of art and literature, math and science, and government and politics, and many young women continue to thrive and grow with new educational opportunities that will benefit society as a whole.
Image from Pixabay https://pixabay.com/photos/girl-hijab-smile-women-islam-247302/
