By Shivani Parthipun, Year 10 Journalist Leader

With International Women’s Day fast approaching, people are beginning to plan how they are going to celebrate this year. In this article, I will explain the history behind International Women’s Day, how some different countries celebrate it and some people who my friends and I find inspiring.

International Women’s Day started in 1908, when 15,000 women marched through New York City protesting for the right to vote, better pay and shorter working hours. A year later, the Socialist Party of America declared the first National Women’s Day. Then, in 1910, a woman named Clara Zetkin suggested at the International Conference of Working Women in Copenhagen the idea to make the day international. They agreed unanimously and in 1911, the first International Women’s Day was celebrated. At the beginning, Clara Zetkin’s idea had no fixed date. However, in 1917, Russian women started a strike demanding “bread and peace”. Four days later, the emperor was forced to abdicate and the government gave women the right to vote. The date was the 23rd of February according to the Julian calendar, which was the calendar used then in Russia. However, it was the 8th of March in the Gregorian calendar and it was decided that International Women’s Day should be celebrated on then.

Many countries celebrate International Women’s Day differently. For example, in Italy, women are often given gifts such as sweets and flowers. Mimosa blossoms are yellow flowers that grow in groups and they bloom in early March. Every year near International Women’s Day, the flowers are sold in many shops all across the country along with various other International Women’s Day gifts. Mimosa blossoms have been the symbol of International Women’s Day in the country since 1946 and it is currently the most popular Women’s Day flower there. This is why many people buy them as gifts for the women in their life. Another popular gift is the mimosa cake, or torta mimosa, which is a yellow cake covered with mimosa flowers and is a popular dessert in Italy around this time. In China, International Women’s Day is an occasion where men could express their love for the women in their life, similar to Valentine’s Day and Mother’s Day. On this day Chinese men usually buy gifts for their mothers, wives and daughters. In addition, female employees get half a day off, in which many women like to spend their time at the spa, at dinner parties, or enjoying other festivities. 

One person who inspired my friends and me was Jameela Jamil. She is an actress, writer, radio presenter, model and activist and uses her platform to empower people and spread equality. She began her career in 2009 on Channel 4, where she hosted a radio show and then became a radio host for BBC Radio 1 in 2012. She then moved to the USA and began filming for the television show “The Good Place.” One of Jameela Jamil’s greatest accomplishments was creating the “I Weigh” movement – to “try to create a safe and radically inclusive space on social media. A lot of us want to help others and change the world for the better, but don’t know where to start.” She describes it as “a movement… for us to feel valuable and see how amazing we are, and look past the flesh on our bones.” People use the hashtag #iweigh and write all the things they are grateful for. She used her platform and fame to empower others and spread good messages to the world. 

Another woman who inspired my friends and me was Amanda Gorman. She is a poet and an activist and her work focuses on issues of oppression, feminism, race and marginalization. She was the first National Youth Poet Laureate in the US and she published the poetry book “The One for Whom Food Is Not Enough.” Also, at the inauguration of President Joe Biden, she delivered her poem “The Hill We Climb”. Her poem was very inspiring and she created awareness of a fresh start.

This year for International Women’s Day, the theme is #ChooseToChallenge. We are all responsible for our own thoughts and actions every day. We can choose to challenge and call out inequality and gender bias. The idea is to choose to challenge gender bias actions and inequality that people face. This will help to create a world with more equality in it.