Celebrating International Women’s Day

International Women’s Day (IWD) is a global holiday observed annually on March 8 to draw attention to issues such as gender equality, reproductive rights, and violence and abuse against women. The day signifies a call to action for greater gender equality. Collective action and shared responsibility are critical for achieving a gender-balanced world.

100 delegates, representing 17 countries, agreed with the idea as a strategy to promote equal rights, including women’s suffrage in 1910. The following year on March 19, 1911, over a million people celebrated the first International Women’s Day, in Austria, Denmark, Germany, and Switzerland. Today, IWD belongs to all groups collectively everywhere.

“Fight for the things that you care about, but do it in a way that will lead others to join you.”
— Ruth Bader Ginsburg

Ruth Bader Ginsburg spent a lifetime flourishing in the face of adversity before being appointed a Supreme Court justice, where she successfully fought against gender discrimination and unified the liberal block of the court. Joan Ruth Bader Ginsburg was an American lawyer and jurist who served as an associate justice of the Supreme Court of the United States from 1993 until her death in 2020.

Women in Law

The legal profession commemorates the centennial of The Sex Disqualification (Removal) Act 1919, which allowed women to practice law. The fight for equality in the legal profession is far from over. Women in the legal profession still face barriers and implicit bias. The good news is, lawyers across the country are continuously working together for gender equity in our profession.

“Recognizing the women who have trailblazed and fought for women’s rights and equality is important because, without looking back, it is easy to take for granted where we are today. While we have made tremendous progress, there is still much more to make.”

— Alison Buchanan, Hoge Fenton Shareholder, Chair – Business Litigation