International Women's Day is celebrated on March 8 annually. It is a UN-recognised event celebrated every year. On March 8, 2022, it will be the 111th International Women's Day.

A year after the labour movement, the communist party of America in 1909 announced to celebrate National Women's Day. The plan to celebrate at an International level was proposed by Clara Zetkin in 1910 at the International Conference of Working Women in Copenhagen. Later, in 1975, the UN declared March 8 officially as International Women's Day globally.

International Women's Day is much of a campaign than a celebration every year. Despite invading every field and making a way for themselves, we are still living in a patriarchal system. It’s over a century now of celebrating International Women's Day but the gender bias remains. But every year with different themes at the international level, the UN has been putting all the efforts in pushing women forward in order to lessen the gap to bring about an equality of genders. This year's theme of UN celebrating International Women's Day 2022 is “Gender equality today for a sustainable tomorrow”. International Women's Day 2022: Know Significance Of Purple Colour And Why People Wear Purple Dress For Celebrating The Special Day.

In the past years as well, the UN formulated powerful themes in order to inculcate in the minds of people the role and status of women in our society. Here are the themes of the past 10 years on International Women's Day to run through and contemplate over them:

1. International Women's Day theme 2021:

“Women in leadership: Achieving an equal future in a COVID-19 world”.

2. International Women's Day theme 2020:

“I am generation equality: Realizing women’s rights”.

3. International Women's Day theme 2019:

“Think Equal, Build Smart, Innovate for Change”

4. International Women's Day theme 2018:

“Time is Now: Rural and urban activists transforming women's lives”

5. International Women's Day theme 2017:

“Women in the Changing World of Work: Planet 50-50 by 2030”.

6. International Women's Day theme 2016:

“Planet 50–50 by 2030: Step It Up for Gender Equality”

7. International Women's Day theme 2015:

“Empowering Women, Empowering Humanity: Picture it!”

8. International Women's Day theme 2014:

“Equality for Women is Progress for All”.

9. International Women's Day theme 2012:

“A Promise is a Promise: Time for Action to End Violence Against

Women”

10. International Women's Day theme 2011:

“Empower Rural Women, End Poverty, and Hunger”.

A woman who prefers overtime at work over the family will still be questioned for her role. But over the past few years, the workforce of women in various fields has tremendously improved, with upto 57.4% contribution, sending a positive message to the world.

(The above story first appeared on LatestLY on Mar 04, 2022 10:12 AM IST. For more news and updates on politics, world, sports, entertainment and lifestyle, log on to our website latestly.com).