International Women’s Day – Philippines

            The International Women's Day, or International Woman's Day, is on 8 March every year. It is a major day of global celebration for the economic, political and social achievements of women. Amongst other relevant historic events, it commemorates the Triangle Factory Fire (New York, 1911), where over 140 women lost their lives.

The idea of having an international women's day was first put forward at the turn of the 20th century amid rapid world industrialization and economic expansion that led to protests over working conditions. Women from clothing and textile factories staged one such protest on March 8th, 1857 in New York City. The garment workers were protesting what they saw as very poor working conditions and low wages. The protesters were attacked and dispersed by police. These women established their first labour union in the same month two years later.

More protests followed on March 8th in subsequent years, most commonly in 1908 when 15,000 women marched through New York City demanding shorter hours, better pay and voting rights. Even so, the first IWD was observed on 28 February 1909 in the United States following a declaration by the Socialist Party of America. In 1910 the first international women's conference was held in Copenhagen by the Socialist International and an 'International Women's Day' was established. The following year, IWD was marked by over a million people in Austria, Denmark, Germany and Switzerland. However, just six days later, the Triangle Factory Fire in New York City killed over 140 garment workers. A lack of safety measures was blamed for the high death toll. Furthermore, on the eve of World War I, women across Europe held peace rallies on March 8, 1913.

            Then to this day, International Women’s day would be on March 8. I think that this day is to recognize the hard work women have done in the history and the hard work that they still do now. Women over the world are just treated as housewives all over the world. Like men, they are not allowed to choose their carers and do what they desire.  People do not know though, that women have the hardest jobs which is to take care of the household. This is a very hard job because they have to clean,cook,fix things,take care of the kids, etc. When women are just house wifes working at home they aren’t considered to have jobs just because they work at home. and I think this is wrong because working at home is a job too, and a very difficult one. It is a good think that on March 8, 1913 women did get some freedom like the write to vote, get paid more and work to do what they desire instead of just working at home.

                                                                                                                  By: Bina Ali                      

                                                                                                  Vancouver-canada