Written by Christina Poulakou
March 8, as we all know, has been established as International Women’s Day and is an opportunity to remember the history of the feminist movement and to demand better living conditions for women. Most people remember the existence of this day, but without knowing its history, its deeper meaning or its significance. As a result, the day is characterised by a lack of knowledge and a lack of conscious support for women’s rights. In order to understand in depth what Women’s Day means and what it stands for, one needs to take a close look at the history of both the day itself and the women’s movement as a whole.
During the 19th century, in many countries of the world, working women protested strongly about their – reduced – rights compared to men. Working conditions for them were extremely dangerous, as there was no provision whatsoever for their safety and fatal accidents at work were a daily occurrence. Strikes began in the USA as early as 1820 and, during the first half of the 19th century, were organized in many major cities across the country, spreading to several European countries. In the USA, the authorities were horrified by the impact of the women workers’ exhortations, particularly because one in Dover in 1828 was 100% successful, while another in Massachusetts in 1836 was considered by the authorities to be the beginning of a popular revolution.
But the most important mobilisation of the 19th century took place on 8 March 1857, a landmark date for the feminist movement. In the streets of New York City, one of the most massive and militant demonstrations took place, with women textile workers leading the way. Women workers went on strike, demanding humane working conditions and racial equality in the workplace. Indeed, at that time, women were forced to work up to 16 hours a day in factories and their wages were significantly different from those of men. The American state apparatus, watching these events, feared that they would be the beginning of a generalised revolution against the inequality and violation of human rights that was taking place at the time. Predictably, it brutally repressed the demonstrations through the police and proceeded to mass dismissals of women textile workers. Thus, in 1910, the Second International Conference of Socialist Women proposed that March 8 be designated as International Women’s Day to honor this significant demonstration.
State terror, arrests and police violence did not frighten these courageous women who continued to fight for their rights, regardless of the price of this unequal battle. The intensity and massiveness of the mobilisations led the women to form trade unions to better organise their struggle. The number of women on strike increased rapidly with each mobilisation, reaching 20,000 in February 1910. This strike lasted 13 weeks and resulted in the partial retreat of the factory owners. Two years later, in 1912, 23,000 women again flooded the streets of New York City, again making the same demands they had been waiting a century to be met, under the slogan “Bread and Roses”.
In Greece, the feminist movement has a similar course, but it manifested itself a little later as its starting point is considered to be the publication of the feminist newspaper “The Journal of Ladies” on 8 March 1887. It was written by women who were educated and aware of the development of the feminist movement in other countries and was addressed to the women of their own country. This newspaper helped cultivate a more progressive outlook among Greek women, as they began to realize that women should have the freedom to shape their own lives rather than being forced into subservience to men. They believe in their own potential and recognize the oppression they face in a strictly patriarchal society. This realization is slowly beginning to mobilize women to take matters into their own hands through struggle, demanding equal living conditions, opportunities, and independence.
The first Greek strike took place on April 13, 1892, when 30% of the workers at Retsina, the largest textile industry in the Balkans, went on strike. Why did they demonstrate? Because the owners, two political figures, had recently decided to reduce the wages of the women employed in the second of their five factories by 20%. The press conspicuously ignored this initial act of resistance, as society at the time was clearly unwilling to support women rising up against patriarchy, discrimination, and economic exploitation.
In the following years, the feminist movement in Greece was closely linked to the labour movement, as women demanded equal rights to men and, consequently, equal wages. In particular, during the tobacco workers’ mobilizations in the first half of the 20th century, many women workers took the lead and, as a result, lost their lives to state violence. The struggle escalated, with both genders now united in their common demands. The state’s attempt to prevent this alliance and halt the mass mobilization of the movement was met with resistance.
To sum up, March 8th has a long history and is observed annually to commemorate the struggles and sacrifices of thousands of women who lost their lives. However, the gap these women fought to close still exists nearly two centuries later. It is, therefore, the responsibility of all people, regardless of gender, to view International Women’s Day not as just another holiday, but as a call to feminist action and a demand for equality. American textile workers and Greek women working in tobacco factories persevered in the face of violence and terror. We must draw inspiration from them and continue the struggle they began with the same determination.
Christina is an Ambassador in “WE ARE HER”- Ambassadors Network
WE ARE HER is an Erasmus+ project, co-funded by the EU, which started in December 2023 and finishes in November 2025, with the following participating countries: Belgium, Greece, Turkey, Albania, Egypt and Lebanon. The aim of this two-year project, in line with EU policies, is to contribute to the empowerment of women, girls and young people to fully realize their rights and increase their participation in politics, economic and cultural life. The project seeks to address the structural causes of gender inequality and gender discrimination in different and diverse regions of the world. A total of 100 young people, 20 from each country, will participate in local networks as Ambassadors, and will be trained to design and implement activities in the city, taking a leadership role in local communities, especially in the field of gender, equality, women’s empowerment and inclusion.
