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ALL YOUR WOMANS IN YOUR LIFE
Observed each year on March 8, International Women's Day stands as a reminder of the long journey towards women's rights and equality. From labour movements and suffrage campaigns to global rights conventions, women's collective action has reshaped institutions and advanced social progress.
International Women's Day is celebrated on 8 March, commemorating women's fight for equality and liberation along with the women's rights movement. International Women's Day gives focus to issues such as gender equality, reproductive rights, and violence and abuse against women
We celebrate International Women's Day on March 8 because it commemorates the pivotal 1917 strike by Russian women textile workers demanding "Bread and Peace," which helped spark the Russian Revolution and led to women's right to vote, solidifying the date (originally February 23rd in the Julian calendar) as a global day for women's rights and achievements, officially recognized by the United Nations in 1975.
Purple is recognized internationally as the color of women and gender equality,” York says, adding that it stands for justice and dignity and signifies visionary thinking.
Women's History Month Colors: The History and Meaning Behind Purple, Green and White
March is Women's History Month; a 31-day commemoration in which we honor the role women have played in society and their countless accomplishments.
“Feminists in the 1970s critiqued the exclusion and lack of recognition of women’s contributions to our society and campaigned for the inclusion of women in our history school curriculum, as well as in other places, like representations of our national history, statuary, public documents (stamps and currency), and portraiture,” Sharon Barnes, Ph.D., associate professor and chair of the Department of Women’s and Gender Studies at The University of Toledo,
As a result, a group of women in Santa Rosa, California, took matters into their own hands and celebrated their efforts with a Women’s History Week celebration in 1978. The movement quickly gained traction and soon commemorations were happening across the country.
In 1980, President Jimmy Carter issued the first Presidential Proclamation, declaring the Week of March 8th as National Women’s History Week. The weekly observance continued until President Ronald Reagan took the recognition one step further and designated March as Women’s History Month in 1987.
For nearly 40 years, the month of March has gone purple, green and white in honor of the empowering women who’ve helped pave the way for future generations.
“The use of the colors purple, green, and white to represent women’s history seem have their roots in the suffrage movement in England. They were the colors of the Women’s Suffrage and Political Union (WSPU) from the early 1900s and were brought to the U.S. by American suffragists who worked with them,” according to Barnes.
As for purple, Barnes points to a blog post by Stephanie Hall in the Library of Congress about symbolism in the Women’s Suffrage Movement.
“In England purple symbolized royalty, loyalty to the cause, and women’s quest for freedom,” Hall writes. In the U.S., however, purple lacks the royal nod.
“Purple is recognized internationally as the color of women and gender equality,” York says, adding that it stands for justice and dignity and signifies visionary thinking.
Something else to note: York point out that purple is a beautiful mixture of red and blue, which physiologically may have a calming and inspiring effect on body and mind.
White
Historically, white was included as part of Women’s History Month’s palette because it represents purity and equality. The concept of purity was “especially important to contradict the smear tactics of the anti-suffragists, who portrayed suffragists as loose or immoral women,” according to Barnes.
However, the symbolic meaning of purity has lost its original value because of its current controversial associations with current depictions of white marking equality, truth and freedom.
“Since the movement’s origins, the color white has been used in association with equality and was used by women’s rights activists,” says York.
“As an example, in 1978 to support the Equal Rights amendment, 200,000 women dressed in white marched on Washington D.C. wearing white with sashes in purple and green.”
White is said to calm and comfort us, as well as have an uplifting effect, shares York. “Throughout history, including the women’s movement, white has been worn during important rituals. This color leaves our minds open to possibility and serves to uplift our thoughts and mood.”
What About Gold?
This metallic hue also deserves a mention. “Gold was also a popular color for American suffragists. It emerged from their losing battle for suffrage in the state of Kansas in 1867, when they adopted the sunflower, Kansas’ state flower, as their symbol,
“The gold of the sunflower was seen as ‘a beacon of hope’ and was adopted by American suffragists along with the purple and white from the UK movement.”
The Psychology of Color
According to York, colors can influence human behavior and feelings. “Colors come to have symbolic and cultural meanings over time,” she says, elaborating that their meanings can be very individual, culturally determined or have universal application. “They affect us both consciously and unconsciously.”
In the case of Women’s History Month, “this combination of the uplifting mood of white, calming and inspiring effects of purple, and the feelings of harmony and rebirth elicited by the color green create a dynamic and balanced representation.”
We celebrate International Women's Day on March 8 because it commemorates the pivotal 1917 strike by Russian women textile workers demanding "Bread and Peace," which helped spark the Russian Revolution and led to women's right to vote, solidifying the date (originally February 23rd in the Julian calendar) as a global day for women's rights and achievements, officially recognized by the United Nations in 1975.
Key Historical Roots
Early Socialist Movements (Early 1900s): The idea for an International Women's Day began with socialist movements in the early 20th century, advocating for suffrage and better working conditions.
First Celebrations (1911): The first International Women's Day was celebrated in Germany, Austria, Denmark, and Switzerland, with over a million people demanding voting rights and better pay.
The Russian Revolution (1917): On February 23rd (March 8th on the Gregorian calendar), women in Petrograd (now St. Petersburg) began mass strikes and demonstrations, a key event that ignited the Russian Revolution and led to women gaining voting rights, making the date symbolic.
Global Recognition
Formal Adoption: Bolsheviks celebrated it in Russia, and later the United Nations officially adopted March 8th in 1975, promoting it as a day for women's rights and international peace.
Significance Today
March 8th serves as a global moment to celebrate women's social, economic, cultural, and political achievements while also highlighting ongoing struggles for gender equality, fair pay, education, and safety
