Women’s History Month is an annual observance of women’s achievements and contributions to society. It is celebrated in March in the United States , the United Kingdom , and Australia , where it coincides with International Women’s Day (IWD, March 8). Women’s History Month is celebrated in October in Canada , where it coincides with Persons Day (October 18).
The first IWD was held on March 19, 1911. It was observed by over one million people in Austria , Denmark , Germany , and Switzerland . Women participated in hundreds of demonstrations and demanded the right to vote and to hold public office. They also protested against sex discrimination in employment. IWD was held on March 8 for the first time in Germany in 1914. The day was intended to promote suffrage (the right to vote) for German women. After that, many countries began observing IWD on March 8. In 1975, as part of International Women’s Year, the United Nations (UN) began officially recognizing and sponsoring IWD on March 8, and it became a national holiday in even more nations. Today IWD is celebrated in more than 100 countries.
Women’s History Month has its roots in the second wave of the women’s movement that emerged in the United States beginning in the 1960’s. During this period, women sought greater equality in the family, in the workplace, and in political life. In the 1970’s, women historians in the United States increased their focus on the contributions of women throughout history. In 1978, a school district in Sonoma County, California , organized a Women’s History Week to promote the teaching of women’s history. School officials chose the week of March 8 to include IWD. Women’s History Week was so popular that in 1981, the U.S. Congress passed a joint resolution requesting the president to make the week a country-wide celebration beginning in 1982.
Over the next five years, Congress continued to pass joint resolutions designating a week in March as Women’s History Week. In 1987, after receiving a petition from the National Women’s History Project, Congress passed a public law that designated the month of March 1987 as Women’s History Month. From 1988 to 1994, Congress passed additional resolutions authorizing the president to proclaim March of each year Women’s History Month. Since 1995, each U.S. president has issued annual proclamations to that effect.
Women’s History Month has been celebrated in March in Australia since 2000, and in the United Kingdom, since 2011. In Canada, Women’s History Month has been celebrated in October since 1992. It coincides with a commemoration of the Persons Case. The case involved a legal decision on Oct. 18, 1929, that changed the political status of Canadian women (see Famous Five ).
Some other countries celebrate a similar month dedicated to women’s achievements. For example, the Philippines celebrates a Women’s Month in March. South Africa commemorates a women’s protest march that took place in August 1956 with Women’s Day on August 9 and Women’s Month in August each year.
See also Women’s movement (A new wave of women’s movements) .
