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What is International Women's Day/Week?Every year on March 8, millions of women and men around the world celebrate International Women's Day. This day is an ideal opportunity to reflect on the progress made to advance women's equality, to assess the challenges facing women in contemporary society and to consider future steps to enhance women's quality of life and, of course, to celebrate the gains made. Women on all continents often divided by ethnic, linguistic, cultural, economic and political differences come together to celebrate International Women's Day. It is a celebration of ordinary women as makers of history. Rallies, marches, fairs, receptions, shows, films and debates are held around the world to celebrate the achievements for women's equality. When did it start?Toward the end of the 19th Century and the beginning of the 20th Century, a movement of women struggling for better working conditions and recognition of their fundamental rights, including the right to vote, emerged in North America and Europe. A number of people believe that International Women's Day emanates from labour strikes of female textile workers on March 8, in both 1857 and 1908, to protest against poor working conditions in New York City. Others say the first official reference to International Women's Day can be traced to a demonstration for women's suffrage organized by the National Association of Socialist Women. Referred to as "Women's Day", the demonstration took place on February 28, 1909 and had been celebrated annually in the United States on the last Sunday in February until 1913. The first International Women's Day was celebrated on March 19, 1911. Inspired by the American Women's Day, at the Second International Conference of Socialist Women held in Copenhagen, Denmark in 1910, the German socialist leader, Clara Zetkin, presented a resolution calling for the designation of an International Women's Day to recognize women's struggles around the world, including the fight for universal suffrage. The resolution was passed unanimously by more than 100 delegates representing 17 countries. The first International Women's Day was celebrated the next year on March 19 in Austria, Denmark, Germany and Switzerland. Following that, it was celebrated in other parts of the world in February or March and sporadically in North America until the end of the 1960s. In 1977, two years after International Women's Year, the United Nations adopted a resolution inviting countries to dedicate one day to celebrate the rights of women and international peace. March 8 became the date of recognition in many countries. Over the course of the years, International Women's Day evolved into an occasion to highlight the progress made, to celebrate the gains in the fight for women's rights and to consider future steps to improve women's equality. The celebrations also grew and often stretched over a week, with March 8 being the highlight. This year in Canada, International Women's Week will be celebrated from Sunday, March 4 to Saturday, March 10, 2001.
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