All you need to know about International Women’s Day

March 8 marks a very special day to us here at Interflora Australia; International Women’s Day.

We're in the business of celebrating women; wives and partners on Valentine’s Day, mums on Mother’s Day, grandmothers on Grandparents Day.

We deliver birthday wishes to amazing women, messages of congratulations to inspiring women, get well notes to strong women, and new baby excitement to astonishing women.

Here, at our HQ in Melbourne, our office is filled with hardworking women, and many of our florist members are women who are incredibly creative and talented.

Each International Women’s Day, we mark the occasion with a stunning collection of flower arrangements worthy of the women receiving them, and we celebrate the achievements of all women around the world.

What is International Women’s Day?

The global day celebrates the social, economic, cultural, and political achievements of women, and acts as a call to action for accelerating gender equality.

International Women’s Day (IWD) has been observed since the early 1900s. In 1910, at the second International Conference of Working Women in Copenhagen, it was proposed that there should be a celebration on the same day every year in every country.

International Women’s Day began to be honoured in Austria, Denmark, Germany, and Switzerland, followed by Russia, and spread throughout the world.

In 1975, IWD was celebrated for the first time by the United Nations. In 1996, the UN commenced the adoption of an annual theme that would highlight the issues women were currently facing. This tradition has continued to be upheld.

The topic of feminism took a backseat around 2000, and activity stalled. However, the launch of the IWD digital hub in 2001, and the 100 year centenary of IWD in 2011 reinvigorated the importance of IWD.

Why is International Women’s Day important?

With Hollywood’s #TimesUp movement and the social media fuelled #MeToo movement, women’s rights are at the forefront.

Women all over the world are demanding change once again, and with the World Economic Forum’s 2017 Global Gender Gap Report finding that gender equality is over 200 years away, it is important that IWD continue to be observed.

Gloria Steinem once said; “The story of women’s struggle for equality belongs to no single feminist nor to any one organisation but to the collective efforts of all who care about human rights”.

IWD is famously not run by a specific group or organisation, nor is it country specific. The important day belongs to all groups collectively everywhere, meaning it is a day to make completely yours.

The IWD website encourages all women to pledge their concentration on an area of women’s issues of their choosing, and within their sphere of influence.

What action will you take?

What is this year’s theme?

In 2018, the theme of International Women’s Day is #PressforProgress, representing the need for women and men to advocate and push for gender equality, particularly in government, media, and business.

There is strong global momentum in 2018 to press for gender parity, and we are all encouraged to #PressforProgress and bring about positive change for women.

In keeping with this global momentum, Pantone named their Colour of the Year 2018 as Ultra Violet.

Purple has long been associated with gender equality, first used by suffragettes to represent ‘the royal blood that flows in the veins of every suffragette’.