March 8 is International Women's Day. It’s a global day to recognize and celebrate women’s and girls’ social, economic, cultural, and political achievements. It’s also a time to raise awareness of the progress made towards achieving gender equality and the work remaining to be done.

The beginnings of International Women's Day can be traced back to the early twentieth century. It emerged from the activities of labour movements in North America and Europe and reflected a growing call for women’s equal participation in society. International Women's Day occurred on March 19, 1911, in Austria, Denmark, Germany, and Switzerland. That day, over a million women and men, attended public events to show their support. Other countries began to observe and celebrate this day in the following years. The United Nations recognized 1975 as International Women's Year and celebrated March 8 as International Women's Day.

Today, International Women's Day is a day of unity, celebration, reflection, advocacy, and action and is celebrated in many countries worldwide. This International Women’s Day, UN Women and the United Nations celebrate under the theme DigitALL: Innovation and technology for gender equality.

Celebrate International Women’s Day locally with Business to Bruce and Women's House, Serving Bruce and Grey on Friday, March 10 from 6 to 9 p.m at the Kincardine Pavillion in Kincardine, ON.

A do-not-miss International Women’s Day event! Enjoy an incredible night of inspiring stories, paired with networking, refreshments and hors d’oeuvres. At this event, hear from some of the most prominent women entrepreneurs in our area, including Susan Brissette of Wild Matriarch and Jackie Arnold of I Heart My Work. Tickets are $50 and can be purchased here until March 8.