International Women’s Day Celebration and Women's Action for Social Change Conference

International Women’s Day (IWD) is a time of celebration and promotion of the of women’s united action for global equality and change.  It is a global day of connecting all women around the world and inspiring them to achieve their full potential.  IWD celebrates the collection power of women past, present and future!

2008 - Let There Be Clothes!

2008 was the launch of Mulberry’s first all-school International Women’s Day Celebration, “Let There Be Clothes,” which focused on women in the clothing industry, from the plight of garment workers across the world, to fashion design.

As part of our celebration, Mulberry Theatre Company worked with a group of Year 9 girls who researched the garment industry and developed a short, devised piece of theatre based around that theme, which was a part of the Let There Be Clothes! Assembly.  We also had two wonderful guest speakers, Nadia Idle from War on Want and Sara Berman, a fashion designer.  And to top it all off, we hosted an all-school clothing exchange!

International Women’s Day is a fantastic opportunity for us to both celebrate the work here at Mulberry and also to inspire students by learning more about issues and achievements of women around the world.

2009

This year’s International Women’s Day focused on the power of women’s voices when they unite for change.  Inspired by the Equal Pay Act, and the plight of women who are fighting to promote equal pay for equal value, we explored the history of how ‘ordinary’ women can come together to promote change.

This year’s event included live performance devised by Mulberry students, guest speakers, a poetry café, and lunch and registration activities for all girls to participate in. Related events include.....

Women's Action for Social Change Conference, 8th July 2009

History

International Women's Day has been observed since in the early 1900's, a time of great expansion and turbulence in the industrialized world that saw booming population growth and the rise of radical ideologies.  Great unrest and critical debate was occurring amongst women. Women's oppression and inequality was spurring women to become more vocal and active in campaigning for change. Then in 1908, 15,000 women marched through New York City demanding shorter hours, better pay and voting rights.

The first International Women's Day was launched on 8 March 1911 in Copenhagen by Clara Zetkin, Leader of the 'Women's Office' for the Social Democratic Party in Germany. This followed many years of women's campaigning dating back to British MP, John Stuart Mill, the first person in Parliament calling for women's right to vote.