Krishna Jha

In 1910, the Second International Conference of Working Women was held in Copenhagen. German socialist Clara Zetkin, leader of the Women’s Office in the Social Democratic Party, proposed an International Women’s Day- a global celebration dedicated to women’s demands for equal rights. Zetkin, known for her revolutionary activism, believed workers’ movements were key to securing women’s rights. The Manchester Guardian later described her as the “grandmother of communism”.

The idea was accepted with over 100 women from 17 countries attending the conference. In 1911, over one million people attended IWD rallies across Europe, demanding rights to work, vote, be trained, hold public office, and end discrimination.

Women had started opening the windows wide and that included the world itself. The struggle continuedwithout let up as the demands of women were still unmet. From all quarters, women joined the protest for gender equality, empowerment, and social justice worldwide. These demands are even today the theme of International Women’s Day, 2026. They have given a call for all women and girls to fight for their Rights and Justice. The slogan marks a moment that unites the struggling masses in a collective determination. No matter how deeply rooted the aberration is that places men and women unequal to each other, and to what extent the politics itself is getting increasingly discouraging, despite the fact that there is no return from the promise. All over the world, a strong and loud refusal emerges, keeping strong the mandate to rally demanding equal rights and empowerment for all women and girls.

The situation keeps getting unnerving. Despite the fact that we are now living in post modern era, and have entered the second quarter of the 21st century, legal gaps among men and women remain unchanged. Even after covering more than a century, no nation has taken any initiative to get rid of this scorching wound that leaves no opening for women to get respite. Of the legal rights men have been attributed, only 64 percent have been accorded to women. Basically, there is discrimination in matters related to fundamentals of life, especially in areas like work, money, safety, family, property, mobility, business, and retirement. There is systematically created disadvantages for women.

From harmful social norms to discriminatory laws, women and girls continue to face entrenched obstacles. If progress continues at its current pace, it will take 286 years to close gaps in legal protection, which amounts to surrender. If women are denied justice, rights have no meaning; it becomes an empty promise betraying its cruel reality of falsehood.

This year, International Women’s Day called for steps to remove the structural barriers and bring forth equality in justice. Such steps could be great help to get rid of discriminatory laws, weak legal protections, and harmful practices. There are also social norms that have a major role in eroding the rights of women and girls.

Even if there is protection and also defence for rights, laws are not to be confined to the books alone; they are to be enforced for people to make them feel the real face of equal rights. They must get the experience of equal rights and justice. It also means legally protected access to education for girls and an end to child marriage. As human beings, women deserve freedom to have a choice to work, share and opt for whatever way they decide, and even have a leadership role, including in political and justice systems. There has to be protection and prevention to end gender-based violence in all its forms. There must be laws, particularly in the context of family, labour, and healthcare that do not discriminate against women. There have to be justice systems that are free of bias, centred on survivors, and backed by zero tolerance for abuse and impunity. Legal aid that is affordable and accessible,but again not enough.

United Nations observance of International Women’s Day is to take up equal justice, purposefully aligning with the 70th session of the Commission on the Status of Women (CSW70) from 9 to 19 March. At CSW70, an intergovernmental forum, representatives of Member States, United Nations entities, and civil society will gather to negotiate conclusions on the theme, “Ensuring and strengthening access to justice for all women and girls, including by promoting inclusive and equitable legal systems, eliminating discriminatory laws, policies, and practices, and addressing structural barriers.”

So far as the date is concerned, UN had officially designated March 8 as International Women’s Day in 1977, following their initial observance in 1975, even though the day’s origins predate these dates.

The date of March 8 has its roots in Russian history. On February 23, 1913, Russian women protested against World War I under the Julian calendar (which corresponded to March 8 in the Gregorian calendar used elsewhere). This became a global benchmark for Women’s Day rallies.

Another protest occurred on February 23, 1917, when Russian women demanded an end to war, food shortages, and the rule of Czar Nicholas II. Historian Rochelle Ruthchild explained that male revolutionaries like Leon Trotsky were initially frustrated by these “disobedient women” for organising protests before the planned May Day (Workers’ Day) demonstrations.

However, these protests helped spark the Russian Revolution. Within days, the Czar was overthrown, a communist state was formed, and women won the right to vote in Russia. White women in the United States gained suffrage in 1920, while women of color only secured voting rights after the 1965 Voting Rights Act.

From its roots in labour protests to becoming a global celebration of women’s achievements, International Women’s Day continues to highlight the ongoing fight for gender equality, empowerment, and social justice worldwide.