International Women’s Day: A Day To Celebrate
- Mar 8
- 2 min read
1908 set the tone for the next century and more, when 15,000 women marched the streets of New York for shorter working hours, better pay and the right to vote.
1911 saw the First National Women’s Day. It was the communist activist and advocate for women’s rights, Clara Zetkin, who presented this idea and meant women finally had a day to celebrate the challenges we face daily.
Around and on the 8th March, you see protests, marches, talks, concerts, exhibitions and debates to celebrate the social, economic, cultural and political achievements women have achieved. This day celebrates not only this thought, but also the ongoing challenges women are still trying to change for future generations.
There have been many achievements made by women historically. Susan B. Anthony, who led the suffragettes’ movement, played a crucial role in the fight for women’s right to vote. Rosa Parks, who refused to give up her seat to a white man on a bus that was segregated, which was a pivotal moment in the civil rights movement. Or Marie Curie, who won two Nobel Prizes for her work on radioactivity, which led to advancements in cancer treatments. All these paramount achievements were all conducted by WOMEN!!!
I asked some of the women in my life what they felt their biggest achievements were as women. They each answered, with my nana being proud of having a ‘SUPER’ family, my mum being proud of raising her children as a single mum and my step-mum (bonus mum) being proud of being the first female firefighter at three different fire stations, one of only 5% in the local authority fire service and one of only 3% in the Ministry of Defence fire service.
If you were to ask me what I was proud of achieving as a woman, it wouldn’t be anything as powerful as the answers of the closest women in my life. Despite that, I’m extremely proud of what small-scale achievements I have made, and even more so, I’m proud to be a woman, and as all of us women know, that’s an achievement on its own.
Written by, Alexis South
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