International Women's Day is a global day celebrating the achievements of women. 

Often abbreviated to IWD, the day marks and celebrates women and girls around the world. It has grown since its inception and now sees significant activity worldwide, sparking debates, rallies, campaigns, celebrations and more. The day is also an important reminder of the work that is still yet to be done in pursuit of achieving gender equality.

International Women’s Day is on Friday March 8, 2024.

Officially adopted by the United Nations in 1975, the story of International Women’s Day goes back further in history. In fact, Women’s Day has been observed since the early 1900s – a time when women were starting to campaign for equal rights.

Right now, the world is benefitting from the women in history who championed gender equality and freedom. But the need to celebrate and inspire women around the world is still important, particularly because many young girls are missing out on education and experiencing gender-based violence.

Did you know?

There are 129 million girls out of school because of challenges like poverty, child marriage and violence.

The theme for International Women’s Day 2024 is “Invest in women: Accelerate progress”

This theme is a call to action for global communities to invest more in gender equality measures, looking to accelerate progress. The United Nations highlights five key areas where action is needed:

1. A lack of investment in gender equality measures. 
2. An increase in people living in poverty globally. 
3. A rise in the cost of living causing a cut in public spending. 
4. An economic system that disproportionately affects women. 
5. A lack of support for feminist organisations and change-makers.

What is World Vision Ireland doing on International Women’s Day?

To mark IWD, we encourage people to host a simple coffee morning to raise funds and celebrate women. Whether you host a cake sale at work, decide to invite a few friends over for a brew or look to organise a larger community event, this can be a wonderful and fulfilling way to mark the day.