When is International Women’s Day celebrated? Every March 8, millions of women gather and march around the world for their fundamental rights, so get your colors ready. But do you know the brief origins and the whole meaning of this important day? Here, you will find many interesting facts and information, plus some original graphic resources tha...
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Woman
Strong and confident, these women photos are ready to empower your creative projects this Women’s Day. These hand-picked, high-quality images will bring value to your impactful designs, helping drive awareness and supporting your important message.
Feminism
Bring about a strong sense of pride using these visually impactful feminism images that are ready to use as a feature for a website, social media post or perhaps even an awareness campaign to drive traffic and gain support this Women’s Day.
Business woman
Business women are the very best representations of Women’s Day and feminism. These images of female professionals describe the importance of equality, feminine power, and the efforts to create a fair society. They are perfect for any type of project.
Women empowerment
You’re going to love these Women’s Empowerment photos. Use them to inspire your social media followers, enhance your website’s visual appeal, and make a powerful statement at your events. Let these photos be the visual representation of strength and resilience.
International Women’s Day posters
Spread the word with this selection of International Women’s Day posters from Freepik, that can be shared everywhere. You’ll find strong and powerful pictures and quotes on them, that will for sure make an impact. Discover them now within a few clicks!
International Women's Day logo
Advocate for gender equality with these impactful International Women's Day logos. They are perfect for use on social media, websites, emails, and promotional materials. Let your voice be heard and join the movement!
Women’s Day cards
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International Women's Day post
This incredible collection of International Women's Day posts celebrate the achievements of women and empower others. Post them on social media and use them to update your website. These images will help you spread positivity and inspire change.
Symbols
Female symbol
Mimosa flower
Fist
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This powerful and significant symbol has a lot of history behind it! It’s formed by two simple geometric forms: a circle and an inverted cross as the base. Traveling back to ancient times, it represented the goddess Aphrodite or Venus – the goddesses of beauty, love, and femininity. It is commonly known as the symbol of Venus as well! It also represents cooperation in alchemy and the planet Venus – of course – in astronomy. Not only that, but it symbolizes every woman, fertility, and femininity, and it’s a representation of fighting. This element represents the gender discrimination that is still suffered nowadays.
Giving flowers is one of the most common gestures in many countries on Women’s Day, as it’s a beautiful way to honor each and every woman in our lives. Mimosas, daisies, and tulips are common choices. Flowers hide lots of meanings and have a language of their own. Naturally, they have been associated with elegance, beauty, or femininity, with roses being the first to come to our minds. But on March 8, flowers such as orchids, daisies, or lavenders are some of the most popular for their purple tones, one of the most representative colors of the feminist movement. Mimosas, for their huge significance, also tend to be the favorite ones to give, especially in Italy, Albania, or Russia.
The raised fist has always been a powerful symbol of support and solidarity, as it’s used to express strength and unity. In ancient Assyria, this was employed as a salute and a symbol of resistance. We can find an early example of the use of this symbol in 1848, during the French Revolution. In the twentieth century, it gained so much popularity that it was employed in the Spanish Civil War (1936-1939) as a powerful anti-fascism symbol. It can also be found in propaganda posters during the protests of May 1968 in France. Today, it is a truly well-known feminist symbol. It first appeared as such on the cover of two books written by Robin Morgan, Sisterhood is Powerful (1970) and Sisterhood is Forever (2003). Lots of flags and posters are filled with this significant symbol at each feminist march around the world today!
Femicides, or inequalities in wages or access to work, along with other difficulties, continue to be a cause of the marches every March 8 for millions of women around the world. We’ve discovered the enormous significance of March 8: it’s the day when every nation reached an agreement to honor the historical struggle of women for their equal rights and recognize their valuable role in society. As such, this important day is present in tons of different designs, from posters or cards to banners. It’s a way to raise their voices and vindicate, even more, this day, whose main objective is to achieve gender equality.
There are several colors we use for our designs during Women’s Day, and one of them is Cosmic Cobalt, or #332C82, whatever you prefer to call it. Cosmic Cobalt has a blue base and has certain reminiscences of violet tones, so it may remind us of the colors that are always used in the media campaigns of this day. It is a color with a lot of strength and presence, so we must use it wisely and with caution, paying close attention to accompanying colors so as not to saturate a design. With Cosmic Cobalt, you will have to use other contrasting colors, such as carnation pink. Although they are not complementary colors, they work well together and are perfect for this special day.
Why is International Women’s Day celebrated on March 8? The need to commemorate it arose in the nineteenth century, after the Industrial Revolution when the mode of production at work and the economy changed radically. These new times brought new ideas, and women began demanding their rights, such as the right to vote. First, marches and strikes took place, and many women began to unite in unions for their labor rights. A flame was lit and is more alive than ever. If you want to look deeper into this important day and discover some relevant historical facts, just keep reading and help spread the word.
A starting point – up to 15,000 women marched through the streets to claim equal work rights
The women’s revolution began in the second half of the nineteenth century. On March 8, 1857, many women working in the textile industry – commonly known as garment workers – organized the first strike, asking for humane work conditions, as they usually worked up to twelve hours a day. Two years after this fact, in 1859, the protesters formed their first union, and the fight became unstoppable. More than fifty years later, 15,000 women reunited and marched again in the fight for fairer salaries, the end of child labor, and the right to vote. They went under the “Bread and Roses” claim, which symbolized an improved quality of life in every aspect.
The struggle consolidates and has an official day
On May 3, 1908, an event known as Women’s Day was organized at the Garrick Theater in Chicago. It was presided over by socialist women dedicated to condemning the oppression of women and the fight for their rights. Here comes into play the initiative of the Committee of the Socialist Party of America: they suggested holding events in support of women’s rights on the last Sunday of every March. Today, we know this celebration as International Women’s Day, but it was first called National Women's Day. The first commemoration finally took place on February 18, 1909. Later that year, in November, a new strike organized by the New York shirtmakers occurred, and it was known as the Uprising of the 20,000.
Many European countries and the United States commemorate Women's Day for the first time ever
1911 was such an important year for women’s rights, but a year prior, in 1910, Denmark set a precedent. This European country proposed, for the first time, International Women’s Day. A conference was held between diverse nations – more specifically, more than 17 countries attended! March 19, 1911, will be forever remembered as the first International Women’s Day. But also during this year, a terrible tragedy happened: up to 100 female workers of the textile industry, most of them immigrants, lost their lives in a fire in the Triangle Shirtwaist factory, as they were locked inside without any chances to escape. This tragic fact was a before and after in the fight and led to enormous consequences in the labor legislation in the United States.
After many crucial milestones, this important day began to be recognized around the world
Let’s travel back to 1917, specifically to the Russian Revolution. They achieved an important landmark: the right to vote for every woman and legalized divorce. March 8 was now recognized as Women’s Day in the Soviet Union, and many other countries followed its path. In China, for example, it was first celebrated in 1922, and in Spain, a few years later, in 1936, we can highlight the figure of Dolores Ibárruri. In 1975, the United Nations entered the game and celebrated the International Women’s Day. Two years later, during a General Assembly, diverse states agreed to set an official day to commemorate this fight. That’s how March 8 was established as the United Nations Day for Women’s Rights and International Peace.
As the Women’s Day celebration consolidated, more and more places have joined it. This day is still relevant, as there are many rights still to be conquered. There are many particularities and traditions, so if you want to find out how Women’s Day is held, just check out this section and share the knowledge with everyone!
It’s been such a hard fight for women’s rights in this Asian country. Before discovering how they commemorate this day in China, let’s have a look back at the role of women throughout its history. In ancient China, women had a lower social status. Female infanticide, concubinage, and forced marriage were common practices. They barely had any say or rights and were usually sold and mistreated. During the 1950s, significant advances in women’s rights were accomplished thanks to the New Marriage Law, which banned many of these practices. However, with the establishment of the Democratic Republic of China, the one-child policy was introduced, generating sexist attitudes and huge gender imbalances. Even so, girls born under this policy had access to better education since more economic resources could be destined for them. These days, both men and women have the same rights. On Women’s Day it’s usual to show gratitude to female workers by giving them half the day off or just giving small gifts.
Let’s see the traditions of Festa della Donna! March 8 is celebrated in this beautiful Mediterranean country with a curious particularity: to give every working woman a bouquet of mimosas. But where does this tradition come from? Let’s travel back in time to the mid-twentieth century, specifically to 1946. The tragic and cruel Second World War had recently finished, and that’s when three Italian women – Rita Montagnana, Teresa Mattei, and Teresa Noce - decided to, in some way, personalize International Women’s Day. On March 8, they marched through the streets, giving a bouquet of mimosas to every working woman. There’s no specific reason to choose this flower as a symbol: it’s just because it’s the most common during that time of the year! Today, besides this tradition, women usually go out for dinner with their friends.
Women’s History Month is here to stay. In this country, there has been such a huge effort to recognize the role and evolution of women’s struggles, and that’s why they celebrate Women’s History Month each March. But how did this emerge? Its history is recent – we have to travel back to the Second World War when female workers in factories inspired one of the best well-known symbols of their empowerment: the iconic poster of Rosie the Riveter, created by J. Howard Miller. A few years later, in 1978, in the State of California, the local activities and initiatives made during Women’s History Week had a huge impact on the population. In 1980, this celebration gained more support, and the National Women’s History Week became official. A few years later, 14 states had already declared March as Women’s History Month, and in 1987, Congress declared it as such permanently.
The marches fill the main streets during this day. The fight for Spanish women’s rights reached a high point during the 1930s. In these years, the Spanish Courts approved the national Constitution of 1931, which resulted in significant achievements, such as granting the right to vote to all women. This was possible thanks to Deputy Clara Campoamor, a politician and lawyer who fought really hard for women’s rights. But it wasn’t until 1978 that the first march arrived in Madrid, organized by different feminist platforms. This was a new era for the country, with the end of the dictatorship and the entry of democracy. Today, these marches, along with conferences and events, are still very present every year, with the aim of raising awareness and continuing the fight that still lies ahead around the world.
An arduous fight for women's rights. The pioneers in the struggle for women’s rights in the United Kingdom were Mary Smith, who asked for the right to vote in 1832, and John Stuart Mill in 1868, who advocated for these rights in Parliament but failed to achieve success. In the twentieth century, Emmeline Pankhurst founded the Women’s Social and Police Party in 1903. They were called suffragettes, and they used brutal tactics to achieve their goals. At the same time, we can find suffragists like Millicent Fawcett, who advocated peacefully. A great victory came in 1928 when the Parliament gave women equal rights and the right to vote. But the struggle continues today: the wage gap and other inequalities remain, which is why marches are still a regular event each year.
Green handkerchiefs are a symbol of revolution. March 8 is the date when we honor every woman and remember all the historical triumphs and their painful losses. In Chile and throughout Latin America, that revolutionary spirit is more alive than ever. On this day, there’s no room for flowers or gifts: it’s the time when women take the streets to protest and denounce the injustice, misogyny, and gender inequality that still remains in society today. On this day, the marches happen throughout the whole country, especially in the capital, Santiago de Chile. They wear a true symbol of their fight, green handkerchiefs, in support of their sexual and reproductive health rights. The battle for abortion rights has been the center of lots of marches in the last few years, under the name of Marea Verde, turning into one of the most organized and loudest movements. It gained momentum when Argentina legalized abortion in January 2021.
A review of the history of this celebration. In 1965, Women’s Day was established as a non-working day in what was then the Union of Socialist Republics (USSR). In its early beginnings, this festivity had a strong feminist component, intending to achieve equal rights for both genders. The USSR was, indeed, a true pioneer in this fight. While there was still strict control over society, especially on women, in 1963, Valentina Tereshkova became the first woman to ever travel to space. Nowadays, the reality is different. Women’s Day in Russia has become a familiar festivity, unlike in other regions, which we will see later. Now, it’s usual to give gifts to women, especially flowers, practically eliminating the vindictive character with which this day was born in the country.
