Perspectives: International Women's Day

March 8 is International Women's Day, and March is Women's History Month, which is a time to celebrate the social, economic, cultural and political achievements of women throughout history. The holiday originated in 1911 when leader of the Women's Office for the Social Democratic Party in Germany, Clara Zetkin, suggested a celebration in every country on the same day for women to "press for their demands." According to the official International Women's Day website, the theme for 2021 is #ChooseToChallenge; the organizers encourage people to call out gender parity in government, workplaces, health care, sports and media coverage. In the past, International Women's Day was celebrated with community festivals, marathons and other events. Because of the COVID-19 pandemic this year, most events will be virtual. Media outlets across the political spectrum covered International Women's Day. Many voices in left-rated outlets advocated to push for gender equality, and highlighted women who broke boundaries throughout history. Some center- and right-rated outlets tended to detail the history of the holiday. Some right-rated voices focused on feminism's purported communist origins.