International Women’s Day 2025: Origins, UK Connections, and How You Can Get Involved  

International Women’s Day (IWD) is a global celebration on March 8. It honours women’s achievements and advocates for gender equality. It started over a century ago and has grown into a worldwide movement.  

The Origins of International Women’s Day  

The first IWD occurred on March 19, 1911, in Austria, Denmark, Germany, and Switzerland. It had over a million people demanding women’s rights to work, vote, and hold office. By 1913, March 8 became the official date. By 1977, the United Nations recognised it as an international event. Today, it’s celebrated worldwide and focuses on issues like gender equality and women’s empowerment.  

International Women’s Day in the UK  

The UK has a rich history of women’s rights activism, with figures like Emmeline Pankhurst leading the Suffragette movement. Whilst there has been progress, challenges remain. Areas like pay equity and gender representation in leadership roles are still affected today. IWD continues to spotlight these issues. Events run across the country celebrating women’s achievements and raising awareness of the work still needed.  

The 2025 Theme: Accelerate Action

This year’s theme, “Accelerate Action,” calls for speeding up progress toward gender equality. According to the World Economic Forum, it could take until 2158 to achieve gender parity. Events across the UK will highlight this theme. Running panel discussions, workshops, and celebrations of women’s contributions.  

WM College and International Women’s Day

WM College has a long history of supporting women’s education. Founded in 1854 as “Working Men’s College,” it became coeducational in 1967.   
 
This IWD, WM College will host a Learn at Lunch panel featuring female leaders from different sectors. Our event will focus on allyship and leadership. We will also look to encouraging steps to accelerate action toward equality with some exciting speakers. Not got your ticket yet? Book here.  

How You Can Get Involved

To support IWD, we invite you to take a photo of yourself striking the #AccelerateAction pose. Whether it’s a selfie or a group picture, your participation will demonstrate our collective commitment at WM College to accelerating action.  

Share your photos on social media. Tag WM College (#WMCollege or our social handle). Or send them to us at marketing@wmcollege.ac.uk. 
 
Find out more here: https://www.internationalwomensday.com/ 

 
Fancy a quick quiz? 

How well do you know women’s history? 

1. Who was the first woman to win a Nobel Prize? 
   a) Marie Curie 
   b) Rosalind Franklin 
   c) Ada Lovelace 
    

2. In what year were women in the UK granted the right to vote? 
   a) 1905 
   b) 1918 
   c) 1932

3. Which woman was the first to fly solo across the Atlantic Ocean? 
   a) Amelia Earhart 
   b) Bessie Coleman 
   c) Jacqueline Cochran 

4. Who was the first woman to serve as President of the United Nations General Assembly? 
   a) Golda Meir 
   b) Eleanor Roosevelt 
   c) Vijaya Lakshmi Pandit 
    

5. Which country was the first to grant women the right to vote? 
   a) New Zealand
   b) Finland 
   c) Australia 

Answers:  

1a 

2b 

3a 

4b 

5a