Woman’s Day - 8th March

What is Woman’s Day?

Would you believe it started in Tsarist Russia and America at about the same time?

Apparently without any connection, until you look closer.The modern version has come a long way since the age of rapid industrialisation stimulated years of unrest among American factory workers.

On 8 March 1857 women workers from textile factories marched to protest about working conditions and wages. Their reward was to be attacked and dispersed by police.

8 March 1908 saw 15,000 women workers march through New York City but this time adding the right to vote to their usual demands of shorter working hours and more pay,

The Socialist Party of America declared an International Woman’s Day on 28 February 1909.

In Europe.
In 1910 the first International Woman’s Conference in Copenhagen was attended by over 100 women from 17 countries.
The suggestion by the prominent German socialist, Clara Zetkin, of holding a formal International Woman’s Day every year was agreed, but without deciding on a date.

1911 saw over a million women marking IWD in Europe.

The later wars and general national disintegrations diluted Western Europe’s interest in IWD. The concept went into decline until the rise of feminism in the 1960’s.

But not in Russia.
The IWD of 1917 may claim to be the spark of the Russian Revolution.
This true ‘housewife’s uprising’ changed politics. Nothing would ever be the same again.

In those days, Tsarism held Russian peasants, workers and women in a vice.
Meetings were forbidden. Open demonstrations were impossible without attracting vicious reaction from the State.
A ‘Woman Workers Day’ planned for 1914 was thwarted by police, with many sent to Siberia or other prisons. Similar events planned for 1915 and 1916 were blocked.

By 1917 hunger, unusually cold weather, and the domestic effects of the war with Germany, became too much. On the 8 March 1917 women flooded onto the streets of Petrograd, demanding ‘bread for our family’ and ‘bring back our men from the War’
Truly this was a strike for bread and peace.
The February revolution started on this day.

An explanation of dates
Russia used the Julian calendar. This is 13 days behind the Gregorian one.
March 8 in Gregorian becomes 23 February in Julian.

Hence this is the February Revolution.
Similarly the ‘October 1917’ Revolution becomes the November one.

If this was a ‘workers’ revolt why is it called Women’s Day? What was their problem?
There wasn’t just one. There were four;

Equality of pay
Conditions of work
Legal right to own property
The right to vote

Demands varied according to where you lived. Everywhere women were protesting and fighting for one or more of these items. In the early days they fought lonely battles in small uncoordinated groups. All were stimulated by similar reasons.
It can be no mystery how and why Trade Unions were emerging in America and Britain.

Originally IWD was not just for women but for all workers fighting for decent conditions.

In Russia a clear intent was the emphasis on the liberation of women from their second class citizenship.
8 March was declared to be a Day of Rebellion by women against the perpetual oppression of housework.

English women added the right to vote and own property, to their more general demands for better working conditions.
A famous leading martyr was Sylvia Pankhurst who died when she threw herself in front of the King’s horse during a race.
A significant victory was when a woman, Lady Astor, was elected to Parliament in 1919.
Although she was the first woman to serve as a Member of Parliament, she was not the first to be elected. This honour goes to an Irish member of the Sinn Fein party, Constance Markievicz, who refused to take up her seat.

American women Trade Unionists, and professional women who were also pushing for voting rights, set up Women’s Trades Union League in 1903.
The first National Woman’s Day was held on the last Sunday of February 1908.
Following a strike in 1909 by 30,000 garment workers, this League helped by supplying cash for bail, and gave other support.

It was a long road for some.
In certain American States, many working men, all immigrants and most blacks were not allowed to vote or own property until the 1960’s.

In France women did not get the right to vote until after 1945.



What is this rise of women about? Aren’t men the main breadwinners?

Have you seen the statistics?

The UN Human Development Report dated 1995 states;
Women produce over half the food grown. In Africa, 80%, in Asia 60%, in Latin America and the West generally, between 30 and 40%.
Women own 2 % of the land and receive 1% of agricultural credit.

The United Nations forced the idea of gender equality into the public arena with the clear statement;
‘Gender equality is a human right.’

The UN reinforces this with four strategies;

1. Legal action
2. Public opinion and by promoting international action toward these goals
3. Training and research, with careful analysis of published statistics
4. Help directly to identifiable sections of a society seen to be suffering

Education, economic independence and knowledge of relevant law, can build a sense of self-reliance and self-confidence in women as well as in their men.

Access to education is one of the surest paths out of poverty.
Working women know this very well and make strenuous efforts to educate their children.

Access to capital is an essential step towards the financial independence of having your own business.

One way to achieve this is by cooperating with like-minded individuals, or forming cooperating groups for purchasing or technical help.
The resulting added prestige gives those women a vital say in other local decision making and communal legal actions.

Women have always cooperated with each other.
Caring for children requires many acts of working together and mutual support.
It doesn’t have to be learnt.

In most families the woman finds, prepares and cooks the food.
But she is the last one to sit down and eat it….

In business who can deny the effectiveness of family run enterprise where the mother or grandmother is actually in charge? Hence the traditional success of Italian and Jewish business houses.

‘Blessed are the peacemakers’… Most families need one. The world certainly does.
In societies dominated by males, it seems women do not wish to change the status quo.


What is IWD now? Is it only Russians who care about IWD?

Since the UN took an active interest the ethos has moved away from socialist origins to more a celebration of women, about women and appreciation of how much they contribute towards our modern society.

IWD events planned in UK for 2009 are 240
USA 167
Australia 154
Canada 117
India 19

In Russia it has become a holiday celebration, similar to ‘Mother’s Day’ with special treats for the woman of the house such as;

Breakfast in bed
Flowers
Chocolates
Special meal out

Or however else her man thinks to show his appreciation for his woman.
Let’s hope he knows where all the dishes are……and the bread…and the butter and the jam……and the eggs……and……

DOUG R. (England)

Recent articles of Doug R.:

• ~Valentine's Day

• ~Your Free NHS

• ~Why Look East?

• ~Why we are like this?

• ~Cross Border Families

Published in Woman's Magazine Russian Woman Journal  www.russianwomanjournal.com  - 6 March 2008