The Paw Print

By Madeleine Spanbauer, Editor-in-Chief

March 8 is globally celebrated as International Women’s Day, a day to recognize women’s decades-long fight for equality. It brings women across the world together to focus on important issues such as reproductive freedom and gender-based discrimination. With over a century of International Women’s Day celebrations in the past, it’s vital to remember the day’s history and the accomplishments of centuries of past and present women.

International Women’s Day has its roots in the European and North American labor movements in the early 1900s. The first instance of the day was celebrated on March 19, 1911, by people across Europe through parades, banners and marches demanding the right to vote and hold public office. It was first officially recognized by the United Nations in 1977.

International Women’s Day is celebrated in many different ways around the world. Italy commemorates the day by gifting women bunches of yellow flowers to symbolize female strength and solidarity. In Romania, the day is treated similarly to Mother’s Day, providing people with the opportunity to recognize the female figures in their lives. The United States does not recognize International Women’s Day as an official holiday; however, the month of March is nationally known as Women’s History Month. Spain takes a more political approach, focusing more on women’s rights and gender equality through protests.

While the circumstances under which International Women’s Day is celebrated have certainly changed, the message remains the same. The most important issues raised on March 8 this year were equal pay, reproductive rights and education. During a time of political duress, the theme of 2025’s International Women’s Day was “Accelerate Action,” and many worry that the current political climate will result in a loss of progress on hard-won equality.

For example, during Donald Trump’s first term, the president made several comments on his administration’s efforts to cease insurance coverage of different methods of birth control, leading many women to raise concerns about the future of their reproductive freedom. Additionally, according to the Center for Reproductive Rights, during Trump’s second term, he hopes to rescind FDA approval for abortion medications such as Plan B.  

Trump has also made numerous threats to women in the workplace, with the National Partnership for Women & Families saying that he has already undone protections for federal contract workers by rescinding the executive order dictating that federal contractors may not discriminate against employees on the basis of religion, sex, race, age or otherwise. In addition, efforts to undo or undermine the Pregnant Workers Fairness Act, which requires employers to offer accommodations to employees related to pregnancy or childbirth, could put up to 2.8 million pregnant workers at risk each year.

International Women’s Day has made a significant impact on members of the Payton community, as well, and reminds us of the progress that has been made and the steps still necessary for change. Steph Salajean ‘26 said, “To me, International Women’s Day serves as a reminder that, although we’ve come a long way in women’s rights and getting closer to true equality, there’s still a lot of work that needs to be done. For example, the gender pay gap is still very real and very detrimental, and there are still societal expectations on women specifically, like telling them, ‘Oh you should do this, you can’t do this.’ So I think International Women’s Day is kind of a reminder that we should celebrate the advances we’ve made but also acknowledge that there is still work to be done.” 

Christa, a junior, thought about International Women’s Day in terms of its impact on minorities, saying, “I think that International Women’s Day is about education, it’s about pride, and, especially as an Asian American, it’s about accepting other women in other cultures and embracing diversity.” 

It will likely take years and many serious changes for women to get the equality and rights that International Women’s Day emphasizes. Regardless, it is a good practice to remember the strides that have already been made and keep pushing forward in the fight against misogyny. The fight is not over, and is likely never-ending, but there will always be people who support the movement, both in the Payton community and in the world.