And I was one of them!
I know IWD has not been one thing, ie socialists and trade unions focused on women’s employment rights and capitalist exploitation.
And in the 70s they got really angry that Women’s Liberationists were organising women only events and demonstrations.
But it was often the one day of the year when local women’s groups and activists were recognised, maybe held a joint event to meet each other and connect with local women. Now women pay out to get bite sized feminism at WoW on accessible to the very rich.
It was only formally recognised as an international day in 1975 www.un.org/en/events/womensday/history.shtml and themes were set for each year (mostly ignored!).
So everybody sort of did what they wanted eg in Russia men were supposed to give women red roses to recognise their double shift of paid and unpaid work, but not do anything about it.
But then, and I didn’t really know about this, a couple of women running a PR company decided it would be a good way to get income to set up the “official” International Women’s Day web site!! Some women did object www.feministpeacenetwork.org/2010/01/20/internationalwomensday-com-is-not-the-official-iwd-website-action-alert/ and www.feministpeacenetwork.org/2011/03/09/officially-there-is-no-official-international-womens-day-website/.
But in no time at everyone, women’s groups, local government, just accepted it! Used the web site, used the logo s3-us-west-2.amazonaws.com/internationalwomensday/home/InternationalWomensDay-logoIWD.png and the themes.
Nine years later it now just seems to be a group corporate enterprise if you look at the list of sponsors www.internationalwomensday.com/ signally their commitment to women’s equality.
I’m not saying IWD is central to women’s liberation but it just made me think how, easily, because women don’t have time to be on the lookout all the time (look at the GRA in 2004) the patriarchal steels away what we thought was ours.
The sad thing is looking at the listings on the site they are not very many and basically business orientated. So not surprising many younger women think it is irrelevant to feminism.
Funnily enough a bit like the GRA it is both the ring wing press and the communist who are pointing out what has happened.
www.telegraph.co.uk/women/life/has-international-womens-day-hijacked-pointless-gimmicks/
morningstaronline.co.uk/article/e/international-womens-day-and-struggle-socialism
I suspect that in a few years time no one will bother.
And then trans activists will claim it as their day www.facebook.com/womenstrike.uk/photos/a.1606591646067252/2246873878705689/?type=3&theater