International Women's Day is celebrated annually on March 8th to honor the achievements of women around the world and is a national holiday in many countries.
The day has its roots in the labor movement of the early 1900s when women began organising to fight for improved working conditions and the right to vote. The first official International Women's Day celebration was held on February 28, 1909 in New York City. The Socialist Party of America declared it a national event and more than 15,000 women attended rallies in the city.
In 1910, a second International Women's Day was held in Copenhagen and was attended by women from 17 countries. At the conference, they created the International Woman Suffrage Alliance, which fought for the right of women to vote. Since then, International Women's Day has grown to become a global event, with millions of people around the world taking part.
So hats off to all of us women out there in celebration of our strength and independence to fight for our rights and visibility in society.
I have photographed hundreds of women and girls over the years, too many to add to this post. But I’d like to add just one – it’s of my daughter and her baby daughter – symbolising the unique and hardest job in the world, a Mother, certainly something to applaud today on International Women’s Day.
Thanks
Stella
