Victoria’s Read

International Women’s Day (IWD) originated as part of a protest against the abysmal wages and working conditions which women faced in textile factories.

On March 8, 1857 women workers in the garment industry in New York City stopped working to draw attention to their conditions; 12-hour days, lack of benefits, sexual harassment, sexual assault on the job and unfair wages. Three years later, women garment and textile workers formed their first union but conditions did not improve significantly. Fifty years later on March 8, 1908, women once again mobilized to ask for change. This time they were also demanding an end to child labor and lobbying for votes for women.

Protests about working conditions did not move the government to change the labor laws until a fire on March 25, 1911 at the Triangle Shirtwaist Factory killed 145 women in New York City. They were locked in the building to ensure that they would not take breaks away from their stations even to use the one washroom, which did not work adequately.

The factory conditions which led to the deaths of these women were common in the 1,463 sweatshops existing in the garment industry of the time. The women worked in a sea of flammable materials with no sprinkler systems. The fire escapes, which did exist, were accessed by inward opening doors, many of which were locked. Eighty thousand workers marched through a pouring rain to the funeral held for the women who perished.

The Government was Silent. No laws were immediately changed. The following January 11, 1912, fifteen thousand women garment workers went on strike, demanding shorter working hours, an end to child labor, safe working conditions and equal pay. Their claim was, “Better to starve fighting than starve working.” The women stayed out on strike for nearly three months.

Each year on March 8, women around the world take time to reflect on the current status of women and demand equity under the law, safe and equitable working conditions and freedom from violence in society at large. International Women’s Day commemorates the achievements and accomplishments of women, especially in the workplace. It is a time to feel pride in being a woman and to support other women in their endeavors.

www.etfo.ca/AdvocacyandAction/WomensIssues/InternationalWomensDay