Women's History Month: How It Started, Why We Celebrate in March and More Questions Answered

Mar. 15, 2025

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HappyWomen’s History Month! During this time, wecelebrate the contributions of history-making womento our society. From how it began to important dates in March you should know, read on to learn more about the momentous month spent commemorating women.

When is Women’s History Month?

Women’s History Month is a month-long celebration observed in March of women’s accomplishments, the significant personal and societal roles they have always played andhow they inspire otherstoday and throughout history.

Why is Women’s History Month in March and how did it begin?

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Women’s History Monthwas initially just International Women’s Day, a day that commemorated the Feb. 28 meeting of socialists and suffragists in Manhattan in 1909.

One year later, on March 8, 1910,according to the BBC, a German activist named Clara Zetkin suggested they recognizeInternational Women’s Dayat an International Conference of Working Women in Copenhagen. With 17 countries in attendance at the conference, they all agreed.

On March 8, 1911, the first International Women’s Day was celebrated in Austria, Switzerland, Germany and Denmark, though the holiday wasn’t widely celebrated in the United States until theUnited Nations began sponsoring it in 1975.

In 1977, in order to persuade school principals to comply with the recently passed Title IX, a task force in Californiacreated Women’s History Week.

In March 1980, after celebrations had spread across the country, President Jimmy Carter declared that March 8 was officially the start of National Women’s History Week. That same year, Utah Senator Orrin Hatch and Maryland Representative Barbara Mikulski co-sponsored the first Joint Congressional Resolution declaring the week of March 8, 1981, National Women’s History Week.

By 1987, Congress declared the entire month of March Women’s History Month. Since then, every president has proclaimed the month of March Women’s History Month.

Why do we celebrate Women’s History Month?

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We celebrate Women’s History Month to remind everyone of the achievements of women throughout the years in our culture and society, and why it’s important to study them and their important moments in history.From scienceto politicsto entertainment, it is a chance to reflect on thetrailblazing womenwho lead the way for change.

What are some key dates during Women’s History Month?

What is this year’s Women’s History Month theme?

According to the National Women’s History Alliance, 2024 is about “Women Who Advocate for Equity, Diversity and Inclusion.”

“The theme recognizes women throughout the country who understand that, for a positive future, we need to eliminate bias and discrimination entirely from our lives and institutions,” reads the National Women’s History Alliance site.

source: people.com