Woman’s Day

You might say this column would never have been possible, if it weren't for those brave ladies of the International Women's Conference of Copenhagen, who, in 1910 endorsed a proposal by feminist Clara Zetkin who established the first international woman's day, now celebrated March 8.

The purpose of that proposal was to draw attention to the first demonstration by American women, which had been done 53 years earlier, in 1857, when women working in New York dressed in white and went on strike demanding equal wages with the men. The demonstration was drowned in blood, but the road for equality of the two sexes was opened, at least in the western world.

Since then, that day has come to symbolize women’s fight for their rights, and their international solidarity in that cause…for women to present their claims and forge bonds of friendship in the fight for a happier and more equal future.

It's not a day for empty celebrations, but a day for action and presenting the demands of women. In November 1945, the World Federation of Democratic Women is founded, which will unite about 80 million women, becoming their most important representative in expressing their desires for equality of the two sexes and for World Peace.

In Greece, the women's movement acquired its own voice in 1887, when the Newspaper for Ladies was founded by Kalliroi Parren, who, together with a team of editors and writers, tried to express and promote women's issues of the times with articles and other literary works. The founding of the Federation for Women's Rights, in 1920, marks the beginning of grouping together the Greek feminist movement.

Through the actions of the Federation and the writings of the paper it published, the Struggle of the Woman (1923-36), a complete and comprehensive program is composed concerning the exodus of women into all aspects of public life. All arguments supporting this exodus and freedom, however, drew mainly from sources of tradition, philanthropy and nationalism.

The Greek feminist of that time was a highly educated woman urbane or middle class, liberal, with socialist influences and, very probably, friendly disposed towards the precocious, left wing, social democrats of the venitzelian politics. In the work field, Greek feminists drew from European socialism, showing the building of institutions of social welfare in place of traditional philanthropy and solidarity. The introduction of radical feminism in Greece took place at the end of the 70s from small autonomous groups of young middleclass women, educated and leaning to the left, politically. 

Regarding this important celebration, lets keep in mind all those women that made us proud, like Mother Teresa, known for her charitable work and receiver of the Nobel Prize for Peace; Marie Curie, known for her work in science and getting the Nobel Prize for Physics; Indira Gandhi,  the first and until now the only woman Prime Minister of India; Eleni Glykatzi-Ahrweiler, first woman President of the Department of History at Sorbonne University and Chancellor of Universities in Paris; Maria Callas, the absolute diva of opera; But most of all, so many other women who live the anonymity of daily routine, but shine however through the multifaceted role of mother, wife, worker, and fighter.