International Women’s Day

International Women’s Day is aimed at combating the multiple discrimination and exploitation of women and girls all over the world. Every year, the Women’s Service (MA 57) organizes events to mark the occasion.

As early as 1910, the German socialist Klara Zetkin called for the introduction of a Women’s Day. On March 19, 1911, the first Women’s Day was celebrated in Denmark, Germany, Austria-Hungary and Switzerland. In Vienna, 20,000 people demonstrated for women’s rights on the Ring. The defining issue – also in the following years – was the demand for free, secret and equal voting rights for women. It was fulfilled in Austria on November 12, 1918.

On March 8, 1917, workers’ and soldiers’ wives demonstrated in St. Petersburg on International Women’s Day, triggering the February Revolution. To commemorate the role of women in the revolution, March 8 was proposed as an international day of remembrance in Moscow in 1921.

On Women’s Days, numerous other political goals were then raised, such as reducing working hours without wage cuts, lowering food prices, regular school meals and legal abortion.

Nazi era until the 1970s

During the Nazi era, the holiday was officially banned. It was only after the end of the Second World War that the women’s movement took it up again, although its significance increasingly dwindled. This changed with the women’s movement in the 1960s and 1970s. During this time, there were calls for the ban on abortion to be lifted.

International Women’s Day has been celebrated worldwide on March 8 since the United Nations General Assembly (UN) passed a resolution to this effect in December 1977.

Objectives and measures of the City of Vienna

Women’s Day has now become firmly anchored in the consciousness of our society. The efforts and measures for equality between men and women go far beyond this day. The City of Vienna has set itself the goal of ensuring that every woman and girl in Vienna can live a safe, self-determined and independent life. To achieve this, it is also important to promote the advancement of women and close the income gap. In order to ensure this in the public sector, Vienna is leading by example and has enacted extensive income transparency for municipal salaries by law.

An innovative milestone was set with the project to link public contracts awarded by the city to measures to promote women. The awarding of public contracts is an important lever for initiating gender equality measures in Viennese companies.

Vienna Women’s Day at City Hall

The Housing, Housing Construction, Urban Renewal and Women’s Department and the Women’s Service of the City of Vienna (MA 57) invite you to celebrate International Women’s Day every year.

Excerpt from Original – City of Vienna, March 11, 2025