Women's Day status: German perspective

The initiative Frauenstreik Bonn, together with the feminist strike alliance, had expected 400 people. During the demonstration, the organizers repeatedly pointed out the hygiene rules, mask requirements and distance, and went around with lists of contact tracing. People of all ages, including families, gathered at the demonstration. The majority marched across Friedensplatz through the old town to Frankenbadplatz, having flags in rainbow colors. A number of men among them had to queue at the back of the train, as the organizers explained via megaphone. 

In Germany this day is called Weltfrauentag, Frauenkampftag, Frauentag. This holiday is considered an official day off only in Berlin. It began to be celebrated there quite recently - since 1911. Moreover, in 2021, the theme of the United Nations for International Women's Day, called International Women's Day in English, is "Women in leadership: Achieving an equal future in a COVID-19 world".

• Struggle for women's rights

The one who invented this holiday in March was Clara Zetkin. From republic to dictatorship she was an active advocate for women's rights. Her name is inextricably linked to the celebration of International Women's Day.

Living in France, Clara Zetkin actively participated in the preparation and work of the Constituent Congress of the Second International in Paris in 1889, where she made a speech on the role of women in the revolutionary struggle. And after Germany stopped persecuting the Social Democrats, Klara returned to her homeland, where in 1892 in Stuttgart she began to publish the SPD newspaper for women "Equality".

 In 1907, Clara Zetkin became the head of the SPD women's department, where she, together with Rosa Luxemburg, advocated for equal rights for women. At the International Conference of Women Socialists in Copenhagen in 1910, at the suggestion of Zetkin, it was decided to celebrate International Women's Day, later timed to coincide with the anniversary of the demonstration of workers in New York textile enterprises on March 8, 1857.

• Clara Zetkin and Rosa Luxemburg as the main creatures 

From 1920 to 1933, Zetkin was constantly elected as a member of the Reichstag from the Communist Party, while at the same time heading the International Women's Secretariat of the Comintern. In 1920, Clara Zetkin went to the Soviet Union for the first time, where she met Lenin and Krupskaya. In subsequent years, Zetkin often came to Moscow to participate in the congresses of the Comintern. She had friendly relations with Lenin and Krupskaya.

In July 1932, when, as a result of early elections to the Reichstag, the National Socialists won a majority in the German parliament, Clara Zetkin was in Moscow. As the oldest member of the Reichstag, she had the right to open the first session of the new convocation and, despite feeling unwell, she went to Berlin, where she made a fiery speech about the danger of Nazism and called for the creation of a united anti-fascist front. After the left-wing parties were banned in Germany, Zetkin went to her final exile, this time to the Soviet Union.

"Out with women's suffrage!"

This sentence was the main demand of the “mothers” of International Women's Day. Even if this objective has now been achieved, gender equality is neither a reality in Germany nor in the rest of the world. 

• Back to history

Despite the fact that it is Germany that is the birthplace of this holiday, which arose on the initiative of Clara Zetkin, today it is practically forgotten, and if they remember, then in a few words. True, then no one gave flowers and gifts to women, and the celebration was limited to participation in meetings and demonstrations. Later, this holiday became popular in many countries of the world as International Women's Day, but in Germany, there is no particular enthusiasm for its celebration now. 

Since 1911, women have been celebrating "International Women's Day", which draws attention to women's rights and gender equality around the world. The day is intended to celebrate the achievements of the women's rights movement to date, draw attention to existing discrimination and inequalities and encourage people to work for gender equality. 

• Nowadays...How the holiday on March 8 is going in Germany?

As a matter of fact, in the homeland of the "holiday of spring and love", the inhabitants of the country do not show much enthusiasm, but who are celebrating the celebration are the emigrants. Angela Merkel is making efforts to revive the old tradition of celebrating March 8. For the sake of fairness, it must be said that in the five federal states that were previously part of the GDR, they still remember the good old holidays. They do not have the status of official days off, but there are people who remember the old days of German socialism, celebrate March 8 with all the traditional attributes: giving flowers and gifts, going to restaurants and romantic dates.

If we talk about other German lands, then their residents are not allowed to completely forget about the holiday on March 8, flower girls who offer aromatic splendor for every taste. Already from January 15, the windows of all flower shops in Germany are blooming with a living rainbow, which means that March 8 is just around the corner, and it's time to get ready for it. Many young people do not know about this holiday, but they say that it would be nice to receive a bunch of flowers or a gift from a loved one on March 8.

All in all, International Women's Day has therefore not lost its importance and continues to be celebrated annually. Women around the world will be raising awareness of women's rights that have not yet been realized with events, celebrations and demonstrations.

Nataliia Beketova for Youthreporter.^_​