📅What is 8M and what does it represent for women?
For women, March 8 represents:
Historical memory: A reminder of more than a century of struggles, sacrifices and achievements in the pursuit of equality, justice and development.
Unity and sisterhood: A meeting point where women from different backgrounds, cultures and ideologies come together to raise their voices.
Claiming rights: A loudspeaker to demand real equality in all areas: work, social, political, and to denounce gender violence, the pay gap and discrimination.
Global awareness: A moment to focus on the injustices suffered by women around the world, from wars to regimes that oppress them.
What is the History of International Women's Day?
📜 The History of March 8: A Legacy of Workers' Struggle The history of International Women's Day is fascinating and dates back to the late 19th and early 20th centuries, in the context of workers' struggles.
Key Background 1848: In the United States, Elizabeth Cady Stanton and Lucretia Mott gather hundreds of people at the first national convention for women's rights, demanding civil and social rights under the premise that "all men and women are created equal".
1908: A fundamental milestone was the march of some 15,000 women in New York, demanding a reduction in working hours, better wages and the right to vote.
1909: Inspired by this struggle, the Socialist Party of the United States declared National Women's Day, which was first celebrated on February 28.
The Birth of the Idea and the Setting of the Date
1910: During the II International Conference of Socialist Women in Copenhagen, the prominent German leader Clara Zetkin proposed the idea of organizing an International Women's Day globally. The proposal was unanimously approved by the more than 100 women from 17 countries present, although without setting a specific date.
1911: As a result, on March 19, 1911, the first International Women's Day was celebrated in countries such as Germany, Austria, Denmark and Switzerland, with rallies attended by more than one million people demanding women's suffrage and non-discrimination at work.
Why is March 8 International Women's Day?
The definitive date has an origin directly linked to the history of Russia and World War I.
1917: In the context of anti-war protests, Russian women took to the streets on the last Sunday of February under the slogan "Bread and Peace".
According to the Julian calendar, then used in Russia, that date was February 23. However, in the Gregorian calendar, used in the rest of Europe, that day corresponded to March 8.
This massive protest was the trigger for the "February Revolution" that ended with the abdication of Tsar Nicholas II. The success of this women workers' mobilization consolidated the date in the collective memory.
Officialization by the UN
Finally, in 1975, the United Nations officially established and celebrated International Women's Day on March 8, coinciding with International Women's Year.
🗓️ The 8M Slogan in 2026: A Global Call
Each year, the United Nations proposes a slogan to focus the demands. For March 8, 2026, the official slogan is:
"Rights. Justice. Action. For ALL women and girls".
This slogan calls for action to break down all barriers that hinder equality, such as discriminatory laws and harmful social norms. The UN recalls that, today, no country has closed the legal gaps between men and women, and that they only have 64% of the legal rights that men enjoy worldwide.
📍Where is International Women's Day celebrated in Cádiz?
In Spain, the 8M demonstrations are massive and are held in practically all cities. According to information from the mobilizations of this same year (2026), I'll tell you what happened in Cádiz and Andalusia:
Participation in Cádiz: The city of Cádiz was one of the points in Andalusia where demonstrations were held on the occasion of International Women's Day. According to data from the Government Delegation in Andalusia, around 2,500 people gathered at the demonstration in Cádiz.
Andalusian Context: Throughout Andalusia, the mobilizations brought together some 37,000 people, the largest being in Granada (13,000), Seville (7,500) and Malaga (5,000).
The atmosphere: As in the rest of Spain, the streets of Andalusian cities were dyed purple, with banners and chants demanding equality, an end to gender violence and, this year, with a strong message against war and the rise of the extreme right.
The demonstrations in Cádiz, as in other capitals, were part of a "violet tide" that swept through the country to demand that "today is not a holiday, it is a day of protest".
Where can I stay if I want to celebrate International Women's Day?
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