Sometimes it seems as if there’s an International Day for everything — and there just might be. As we approach International Women’s Day, celebrated globally on March 8, let's look at the why behind this annual observance (incidentally the entire month of March is dedicated to women around the world). |
According to the United Nations, “The idea of an International Women's Day first arose at the turn of the century, which in the industrialized world was a period of expansion and turbulence, booming population growth and radical ideologies.” |
Over a century later, our world remains turbulent, and women have been vital change-agents as their freedoms, ambitions and agency grew. The last hundred years have seen trailblazers like Martha Gellhorn, who reported from the front lines during World War II, and Nora Zeale Hurston, who traveled to Haiti and Jamaica in the 1930s as a Guggenheim fellow, breaking barriers and creating a new paradigm of 20th century womanhood. |
Two decades into the 21st century, that work continues, with LFBTQI+ women, women of color and women with disabilities rightfully challenging the status quo, while inspiring a new generation to see the world as theirs. There are still wars to record, mountains to climb, ceilings to break. We believe travel is an integral element in the continuing fight for women’s equality — exposing prejudices and creating accountability in places that have further to go. |
Today we celebrate women, of all shapes and sizes, whatever their background, whatever their identity, whatever their choices. We support all their endeavors and dreams and encourage women to seek and find better futures, for themselves, their families, partners, friends and children. Women of the world, we salute you. |
