100th International Women's Day - March 8th 2011

The year, 2011, marks the 100th anniversary of International Women's Day. The day was first commemorated on 19 March 1911 in Austria, Denmark, Germany and Switzerland, following its establishment during the Socialist International meeting the prior year. More than one million women and men attended rallies on that first commemoration. To read more about the history, click here>>

International Women's Day is an occasion marked by women and women's groups around the world to celebrate the achievements we have made in addition to addressing the struggles we continue to face and what needs to be done to move forward.

WILPF's statement reaffirmed: that “the core message of our work at WILPF is that we are driven by the attainment of peace and human dignity and we believe that women are central to that process. Furthermore, we underline that this aim and this belief in women directs us to challenge existing paradigms of thought and structures of power. Now, at the centennial of International Women's Day, is the time for solidarity and action to challenge the status quo, which is embedded in patriarchy and systems of dominance.”

Please see full WILPF statement and the special ecard that was distributed to WILPF members.

The Special WILPF International Women's Day Card

The Journey of Women's Rights: 1911-2011 (Video)

Or Click here for Video