Women take selfie photos while they participate in the flash mob "Beautiful secular outing" by wearing hats to a performance at the St. Petersburg State Academic Capella celebrating upcoming International Women's Day, in St. Petersburg, Russia, Thursday, March 6, 2025. (AP Photo/Dmitri Lovetsky)2025-03-07T17:07:10Z MEXICO CITY (AP) Women across the world will call for equal pay, reproductive rights, education, justice and decision-making jobs during demonstrations marking International Womens Day on Saturday.Officially recognized by the United Nations in 1977, International Womens Day is commemorated in different ways and to varying degrees in places around the world. Protests are often political and at times violent rooted in womens efforts to improve their rights as workers. Women sing and march during the International Womens Day celebration at the Mobolaji Johnson Stadium in Lagos, Nigeria, Friday, March 7, 2025. (AP Photo/Sunday Alamba) Women sing and march during the International Womens Day celebration at the Mobolaji Johnson Stadium in Lagos, Nigeria, Friday, March 7, 2025. (AP Photo/Sunday Alamba) Share Share Copy Link copied Email Facebook X Reddit LinkedIn Pinterest Flipboard Print Read More Demonstrations are planned from Tokyo to Mexico City, and this years global theme is Accelerate Action, coming at a moment where many activists worry that the current political environment may result in a backsliding on many of the rights theyve long fought for. One in four countries reported a backlash against womens rights last year, according to U.N. data.Here is what to know about the March 8 global event: What is International Womens Day?International Womens Day is a global celebration and a call to action marked by demonstrations, mostly of women, around the world, ranging from combative protests to charity runs. Some celebrate the economic, social and political achievements of women, while others urge governments to guarantee equal pay, access to health care, justice for victims of gender-based violence and education for girls.It is an official holiday in more than 20 countries, including Afghanistan, Burkina Faso, Ukraine, Russia and Cuba, the only one in the Americas. As in other aspects of life, social media plays an important role during International Womens Day, particularly by amplifying attention to demonstrations held in countries with repressive governments toward women and dissent in general. Women sing and march during the International Womens Day celebration at the Mobolaji Johnson Stadium in Lagos, Nigeria, Friday, March 7, 2025. (AP Photo/Sunday Alamba) Women sing and march during the International Womens Day celebration at the Mobolaji Johnson Stadium in Lagos, Nigeria, Friday, March 7, 2025. (AP Photo/Sunday Alamba) Share Share Copy Link copied Email Facebook X Reddit LinkedIn Pinterest Flipboard Print Read More When did it start and why does it fall on March 8?While the idea behind a womens day originated in the U.S. with the American Socialist Party in 1909, it was a German feminist who pushed for a global commemoration during an international conference of socialist women held in 1910 in Copenhagen. The following year, events across Europe marked the day, and during World War I, women used it to protest the armed conflict, which lasted from 1914 to 1918.International Womens Day is observed on March 8 after a massive protest in Russia on Feb. 23, 1917, that led to the countrys eventual withdrawal from the war. At the time, Russia had not adopted the Gregorian calendar and still used the Julian calendar.On Feb. 23 in Russia, which was March 8 in Western Europe, women went out on the streets and protested for bread and peace, said Kristen Ghodsee, professor and chair of Russian and East European studies at the University of Pennsylvania. The authorities werent able to stop them, and then, once the men saw that the women were out on the streets, all of the workers started coming and joining the women.The U.N. began commemorating the holiday in 1975, which was International Womens Year, and its General Assembly officially recognized the day two years later.How is it celebrated across the world? People go down the escalator in the subway with bunches of flowers purchased from the flower market on the eve of an International Womens Day, in Moscow, Russia, on Friday, March 7, 2025. (AP Photo/Alexander Zemlianichenko) People go down the escalator in the subway with bunches of flowers purchased from the flower market on the eve of an International Womens Day, in Moscow, Russia, on Friday, March 7, 2025. (AP Photo/Alexander Zemlianichenko) Share Share Copy Link copied Email Facebook X Reddit LinkedIn Pinterest Flipboard Print Read More Women in Eastern Europe have long received flowers on March 8 and sometimes even gotten the day off from work. But chocolates and candy can come across as a belittling gestures, showing a lack of understanding of the struggles driving women to protest, particularly in regions where protests have been combative. In Turkey, women in 2023 braved an official ban on an International Womens Day march in Istanbul, and protested for about two hours before police used tear gas to disperse the crowd and detain dozens of people. In Mexico, which hosts one of the regions biggest marches, celebrations this year are marked by sharp contrasts. While the country celebrates its first female president, many also mourn victims of stark violence against women including femicide. In Mexico and Latin America, soaring rates of violence against women and persistent machismo often leave tension simmering on March 8 as protesters demand justice.Globally, a woman or girl is killed every 10 minutes by a family member or partner, according to U.N. figures, and women being exposed to conflict has significantly jumped over the past decade. What does the future hold for March 8? Contestants take part in traditional-suit round during Miss Yangon competition to mark International Women Day at Myanmar Convention Center (MCC) in Yangon, Myanmar, Friday, March 7, 2025. (AP Photo/Thein Zaw) Contestants take part in traditional-suit round during Miss Yangon competition to mark International Women Day at Myanmar Convention Center (MCC) in Yangon, Myanmar, Friday, March 7, 2025. (AP Photo/Thein Zaw) Share Share Copy Link copied Email Facebook X Reddit LinkedIn Pinterest Flipboard Print Read More Ghodsee said commemorating International Womens Day is now more important than ever, as women have lost gains made in the last century, chief among them the 2022 decision by the U.S. Supreme Court to overturn a nationwide right to abortion, which ended constitutional protections that had been in place nearly 50 years.The U.S. decision on abortion has reverberated across Europes political landscape, forcing the issue back into public debate in some countries at a time when far-right nationalist parties are gaining influence. RSShttps://feedx.net https://feedx.site