International Women's Day: origin and gift ideas
March 8th is just around the corner, and we're celebrating International Women's Day as we do every year.
While this struggle continues every day with small steps, March 8th is a big event on our calendars. It promotes gender equality and empowering women.
Today, we'll tell you a little more about this special day, including its origin and a few ideas for the most important woman in your life.
The origin of International Women's Day
To learn about the origin of this commemorative day, we have to look back to 1908 in New York.
In 1908, there was a fire that changed the course of the trade union fight forever. Women at a factory went on strike at work to get a reduction in hours, equal pay policies, and improvements in working conditions.
The owner locked up the factory so that the women would leave the strike, but a tragic fire started that killed 129 women.
A year later, in 1910, an International Conference of Socialist Women took place in Copenhagen, and there this day was officially declared the International Working Women's Day in honor of all those women who started this fight in the 1908 strike.
It was in 1977 when the United Nations Assembly officially declared March 8th International Women's Day.
The struggle for women's suffrage
The struggle for equality has been linked to the struggle for women's right to vote.
The first country to allow women to vote was New Zealand in 1893 when it was decided that women over the age of 21 could exercise their right to vote.
But the role of the British suffragettes was an important one in this fight. They had to clear a long, hard road with many obstacles.
In the words of Emmeline Pankhurst, "We women suffragists have a great mission – the greatest mission the world has ever known. It is to free half the human race, and through that freedom to save the rest..."
It was not until 1918 that the British Parliament passed the law on the right to suffrage for all women over 30.
What about in Spain?
If we look at Spain, this fight took a little longer to bear fruit.
On October 1, 1931, the right to vote was approved for women over the age of 23 in Spain with 161 votes in favor.
Two years later, on November 19, 1933, more than 6 million Spanish women were able to exercise their right to vote for the first time.
A special something for a wonderful woman
At Ale-Hop, we want to celebrate this special day with them. That's why we want to help you pick out the best gift for your sister, mother, daughter, partner, or friend.
On this day, everyone takes to the streets to commemorate the women's struggle together. The streets turn purple with a sea of banners, T-shirts, bows, handkerchiefs…
But did you know why purple represents the feminist struggle?
While there are several explanations, one of the most widespread beliefs is related to the fire of 1908. It is said that the smoke from the factory was purple because that was the color of the shirts worn by workers.
That's why one of the best gift ideas is something purple. It could be a fashion accessory like a cap or a bucket hat to attend the demonstrations. These will be super practical! And it's not just for the 8th; it can round out all her looks any day of the year.
Now that you know a little more about this day, get that special gift for your favorite woman.
