Women’s History Month: The Facts You Should Know

Each March our team at The Collective Rising kicks off our Women’s History Month celebrations by recalling and sharing the important contributions women have made to humanity and society over the last century.

For more insight pertaining to how Women’s History Month came about, continue reading this article. 

When is Women’s History Month?

Women’s History Month is a month-long celebration of women’s accomplishments and contributions throughout history that takes place every March. 

Why is Women’s History Month in March and how did it begin??

Women’s History Month began with the first International Women’s Day celebration, which took place on February 28th of 1909 when a group of socialists and suffragists in Manhattan.

One year later, on March 8, 1910, a German activist named Clara Zetkin suggested they recognize International Women’s Day at an International Conference of Working Women in Copenhagen. 

On March 8, 1911, the first International Women’s Day was celebrated in Austria, Switzerland, Germany, and Denmark. International Women’s Day wasn’t widely celebrated in the United States until the United Nations began sponsoring it in 1975.

In 1977, in order to persuade school principals to comply with the recently passed Title IX, a task force in California created Women’s History Week. 

In March 1980, President Jimmy Carter declared that March 8th was officially the start of National Women’s History Week. That same year, Utah Senator Orrin Hatch and Maryland Representative Barbara Mikulski co-sponsored the first Joint Congressional Resolution and declared the week of March 8, 1981, to be National Women’s History Week. 

By 1987, Congress declared the entire month of March to be Women’s History Month. Since then, every president has declared the month of March to be Women’s History Month. 

Why do we celebrate Women’s History Month?

We celebrate Women’s History Month to remind ourselves of the accomplishments of women throughout the years to humanity and society. From science to politics, Women’s History Month gives us all the chance to reflect on the trailblazing women who paved the way.

Key Dates to Know for Women’s History Month:

• International Women’s Day is celebrated on March 8 and was established as a holiday in 1911. 
• The first major march on Washington by suffragists happened on March 3, 1913.
• The National Woman’s Party was formed in March 1917. The group was dedicated to getting women the right to vote. 
• Title IX was passed on March 1, 1972. In fact, the first-ever Women’s History Week was created in order to bolster support for Title IX, which prohibited discrimination due to sex in federally funded education programs. 
• The Equal Rights Amendment was passed in the Senate on March 22, 1972.