international women's day

Women in power make decisions differently – Melinda Gates

By Anne-Marie Bissada
Posted on Friday, 12 March 2021 10:39

melinda gates
Melinda Gates poses for a photo on 1 February 2018 (AP Photo/Ted S. Warren, File)

Every year, the world marks International Women's Day. But do we still need such a day to advance women's rights? Melinda Gates talks to The Africa Report about why there's still much work ahead of us, and why we should be proud of how far women have come.

Every year, 8 March is recognised as International Women’s Day. The day was officially marked by the United Nations in 1975.

But its roots go back to the labour movement in New York City in 1908, when 15,000 marched its streets demanding the right to vote, better pay and shorter work days. The Socialist Party of America first declared the first National Women’s Day in 1909.

It turned international in 1910 when Clara Zektin, the head of the women’s office of the German Social Democratic Party, suggested it during the Conference of Working Women in Copenhagen. It was first observed by Austria, Denmark, Germany and Switzerland.

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