It’s Women’s History Month AND International Women’s Day. Let’s Celebrate!

Learn More with Free Teaching Resources for Women’s History Month

Women’s History Month AND International Women’s Day (#IWD)? What’s the Difference?

It’s not just a difference in geography. Today, IWD is more focused on civics: advocacy, equity, and concrete action. Women’s History Month is a time to learn about the impact of women throughout our history and in today’s world, focused on accomplishments in science, politics, education, business, arts, culture, and more.

INTERNATIONAL WOMEN’S DAY
International Women’s Day (IWD) was launched as a global advocacy and visibility initiative in the early 20th century focusing on women’s rights, such as suffrage, equality, labor rights, and safety. First officially celebrated in 1911, it gained momentum after tragedies like the Triangle Shirtwaist factory fire in New York City on March 25, 1911, which killed 146 young workers, most of whom were women and girls.

​This year’s theme of IWD is “Accelerate Action” which focuses on the need to work together to make changes in gender parity more quickly. According to the World Economic Forum, at the current rate of progress, it will take until 2158 (!!) until women across the world have full economic parity. Some of the actions include supporting girls in learning STEM (science, technology, engineering, and math) and providing more access to education. We are all for that! Check out videos and other free resources from International Women’s Day organizaation here.  

WOMEN’S HISTORY MONTH
In the 1980s, the National Women’s History Alliance (then called The National Women’s History Project), advocated for an expanded “Month” of recognition in the U.S. as part of their mission to “Write Women Back into History.” They convinced Congress and the White House to celebrate women’s role in history, resulting in the official designation of the week of March 8th (International Women’s Day) as National Women’s History Week. Then, in 1987, NWHA led a successful campaign to extend the celebration to the entire month of March, resulting in National Women’s History Month. Today, they focus on achievements of women throughout history and offer curated materials, like posters, articles, book lists, webinars, teacher support, speakers, and more.

Pandia Press is proud to be a Partner of the National Women’s History Alliance! Look for our own Livestream Chat on Teaching Women’s History with Pandia Press & NWHA Executive Director, Dr. Jill Kracov Zinckgraf, later this month. 

ONLINE RESOURCES Here are some resources to learn more about this month of recognition:

• Get started with National Geographic and the Federal government’s Women’s History Month website which offers videos and teaching resources. 
• Plan a virtual field trip: the National Women’s History Museum offers personalized virtual “field trips” to homeschool and youth groups of 10 or more people. The Smithsonian American Women’s History Museum has online materials broken down by learner levels. 
• Always a great resource on inclusive U.S. History, the Zinn Education Project, offers lesson plans on women’s history including this lesson on how a 1st grade teacher taught the 1908 Textile strike and women’s labor rights to younger learners. 
• Learn more about how women in our communities with many lived experiences have influenced our world such as this article from Yes! Magazine “10 Black Women Innovators and the Awesome Things They Brought Us!” and Teen Vogue’s “Four Asian American Women Who Changed History“. Listen to the first-person stories of women from all walks of life (not just the famous ones!) at StoryCore. Get tips on teaching Women’s History – and ALL history – from an inclusive, diverse perspective at the Resilient Educator.