Why International Women's Day Still Matters

If you use Twitter or you happened to check out the news today, you probably heard... 

that it's International Women's Day (IWD).

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And not just any IWD, but the 100th, to be exact. So, how did it get started - and what does it mean today?

It all started back in 1911 when women in Europe were working hard to secure some basic rights to work, vote and hold office. In fact, IWD was first observed in Austria, Denmark, Germany and Switzerland. 

Though it started out as a politically charged observance, IWD today tends to be more about thanking and appreciating the women in our lives - which is great! - but let's not forget that there are still millions of women all over the world who still don't have many of the basic rights European women were fighting for a century ago.

If you want to make sure IWD gets celebrated the way it was meant to, check out some of the work being done by these organizations or find an event happening near you on the official IWD website

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Zalina Alvi

Zalina grew up in Toronto and began her career in journalism at the York University campus newspaper. Before joining Verge in 2010, she worked for a documentary festival, a non-profit organization and various magazines and newspapers. Zalina has had some eclectic travel experiences, including reporting for a newspaper on the island of Molokai in Hawaii.

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