For those of us in the developed world, some say the 21st century belongs to women. Unfortunately, this was not always the case. International Women’s Day sprang out of the European socialist movement in the early 20th century. In 1910, a German political activist named Clara Zetkin proposed a women’s day to be celebrated every year on the same day in every country to press for women’s rights. The first one was held on March 19, 1911 in four European countries. The following year, the date changed to March 8 (100-years ago to the day), where it has remained. 

For more information on International Women’s Day, please view columnist Margaret Wente in the Globe and Mail [1].