The International Women's Day - 8 March - has come, an opportunity to recognize women's achievements in terms of rights, economy and politics and to reflect about discrimination and violence which still affect women today. But why on this date and what is the story that led to the establishment of a day dedicated to women?
Several theories that overlapped over time. The first historical event to which it is connected, occurred on 25 March, 1911, when a group of women who worked for an industry in New York, striking for days due to the terrible working conditions, were locked inside the factory by the owners, prevent them coming out. Unfortunately a fire raged out of control, and more than 120 working women were killed, mostly young immigrants of Italian and Jewish origin.
The second historical fact is connected to the Russian Revolution, when many Russian women, on 23 February 1917, organized a strike to obtain "bread and peace" against the Tsarist government. Shortly after the tsar abdicated and this date remained etched in history books as the beginning of the February Revolution.
A more truthful event for the birth of this day, dates back to 1909 in the United States, when the American Socialist Party took the initiative of a day dedicated to the importance of women in the society. This proposal landed the following year in Copenhagen during the International Conference of Socialist Women and was resumed by the activist Clara Zetkin.
In fact until 1921 individual countries chose different days for the celebration. Finally on the occasion of the Second Conference of Communist Women (Moscow, 1921), a single date for the celebration of the International Working Class Woman was held and approved on March 8.
In Italy the first International Women's Day was celebrated on March 12 , 1922, but we must wait for 1946 for the appearance of its symbol: the mimosa. Then in 1977, the United Nations General Assembly officially established that the day dedicated to women's rights was established on March 8 in the world.
... And why Mimosa flowers?
The idea to have the mimosa as the flower of the Women's Day is all Italian: the initiative started from the UDI (Union of Women in Italy). In fact this plant blooms in March and is cheap, therefore accessible to all social classes.
(Data sources: Wikipedia, Focus, Alfemminile. Photo: Leticia Delboy on Unsplash).