International Women"s Day（国际妇女节）

InternationalWomen’sDayisanoccasionmarkedbywomen’sgroupsaroundtheworld.ThisdateisalsocommemoratedattheUnitedNationsandisdesignatedinmanycountriesasanationalholiday.Whenwomenonallcontinents,oftendividedbynationalboundariesandbyethnic,linguistic,cultural,economicandpoliticaldifferences,cometogethertocelebratetheirDay,theycanlookbacktoatraditionthatrepresentsatleastninedecadesofstruggleforequality,justice,peaceanddevelopment.
InternationalWomen’sDayisthestoryofordinarywomenasmakersofhistory;itisrootedinthecenturies-oldstruggleofwomentoparticipateinsocietyonanequalfootingwithmen.InancientGreece,Lysistratainitiatedasexualstrikeagainstmeninordertoendwar;duringtheFrenchRevolution,Parisianwomencallingfor"liberty,equality,fraternity"marchedonVersaillestodemandwomen’ssuffrage.

TheideaofanInternationalWomen’sDayfirstaroseattheturnofthecentury,whichintheindustrializedworldwasaperiodofexpansionandturbulence,boomingpopulationgrowthandradicalideologies.

Intheyearsbefore1910,fromtheturnofthe20thcentury,womeninindustriallydevelopingcountrieswereenteringpaidworkinsomenumbers.Theirjobsweresexsegregated,mainlyintextiles,manufacturinganddomesticserviceswhereconditionswerewretchedandwagesworsethandepressed.Tradeunionsweredevelopingandindustrialdisputesbrokeout,includingamongsectionsofnon-unionisedwomenworkers.InEurope,theflamesofrevolutionwerebeingkindled.

Manyofthechangestakingplaceinwomen’slivespushedagainstthepoliticalrestrictionssurroundingthem.ThroughoutEurope,Britain,Americaand,toalesserextent,Australia,womenfromallsocialstratabegantocampaignfortherighttovote.

IntheUnitedStatesin1903,womentradeunionistsandliberalprofessionalwomenwhowerealsocampaigningforwomen’svotingrightssetuptheWomen’sTradeUnionLeaguetohelporganisewomeninpaidworkaroundtheirpoliticalandeconomicwelfare.Theseweredismalandbitteryearsformanywomenwithterribleworkingconditionsandhomelivesrivenbypovertyandoftenviolence.

In1908,onthelastSundayinFebruary,socialistwomenintheUnitedStatesinitiatedthefirstWomen’sDaywhenlargedemonstrationstookplacecallingforthevoteandthepoliticalandeconomicrightsofwomen.Thefollowingyear,2,000peopleattendedaWomen’sDayrallyinManhattan.

In1910Women’sDaywastakenupbysocialistsandfeministsthroughoutthecountry.LaterthatyeardelegateswenttothesecondInternationalConferenceofSocialistWomeninCopenhagenwiththeintentionofproposingthatWomen’sDaybecomeaninternationalevent.Thenotionofinternationalsolidaritybetweentheexploitedworkersoftheworldhadlongbeenestablishedasasocialistprinciple,thoughlargelyanunrealisedone.Theideaofwomenorganisingpoliticallyaswomenwasmuchmorecontroversialwithinthesocialistmovement.Atthattime,however,theGermanSocialistPartyhadastronginfluenceontheinternationalsocialistmovementandthatpartyhadmanyadvocatesfortherightsofwomen,,includingleaderssuchasClaraZetkin.

InspiredbytheactionsofUSwomenworkersandtheirsocialistsisters,ClaraZetkin;hadalreadyframedaproposaltoputtotheconferenceofsocialistwomenthatwomenthroughouttheworldshouldfocusonaparticulardayeachyeartopressfortheirdemands.Theconferenceofover100womenfrom17countries,representingunions,socialistparties,workingwomen’sclubs,andincludingthefirstthreewomenelectedtotheFinnishparliament,greetedZetkin’ssuggestionwithunanimousapprovalandInternationalWomen’sDaywastheresult.

Thatconferencealsoreassertedtheimportanceofwomen’srighttovote,dissociateditselffromvotingsystemsbasedonpropertyrightsandcalledforuniversalsuffrage-therighttovoteforalladultwomenandmenThevoiceofdissentonthisdecisioncamefromtheEnglishgroupledbyMrs.DespardoftheWomen’sFreedomLeague,agroupactivelyengagedinthesuffragettemovement.

Conferencealsocalledformaternitybenefitswhich,despiteaninterventionbyAlexandraKollontaionbehalfofunmarriedmothers,weretobeformarriedwomenonly.Italsodecidedtoopposenightworkasbeingdetrimentaltothehealthofmostworkingwomen,thoughSwedishandDanishworkingwomenwhowerepresentassertedthatnightworkwasessentialtotheirlivelihood.