Statement for International Women’s Day (IWD)

International Women’s Day (IWD), celebrated annually on March 8, honors women’s achievements in all aspects of life—social, economic, cultural, and political—and advocates for gender equality.

Clara Zetkin was a member of the German Communist Party and a great Socialist thinker who, along with the revolutionary Vladimir Lenin, pushed for and developed International Women’s Day. She knew that women’s struggle was rooted in class struggle, that both men and women had to fight together for a complete transformation of society, and that the woman’s question could not be divorced from class.

Clara Zetkin was revolutionary in her staunch opposition to war, and commitment to the peace movement. She was arrested several times for resisting the war.

On this day we should remember the spirit of women in resistance and revolutions, who have always understood that capitalism is the oppressor that keeps us divided. That freedom is tied to food, health, homes, safety, and peace. International Women’s Day is a fight against capitalism for all oppressed people.

Aminah Sheikh – Vice President – Canadian Freelance Union

This year the CFU celebrates working women in the Labour movement.

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