The origin of International Women's Rights Day

International Women's Rights Day originated in a feminist labor struggle in Saint Petersburg on 8 March 1917, whose slogan was “Bread and Peace.” This event will allow Russian women to obtain the right to vote. The day of March 8 has remained a marker of the feminist struggle: a date made official by the UN (United Nations Organization) in 1977 as International Women's Day (International Women's Day in English).

The UN defines a theme each year that gives rise to numerous debates and actions.

For example, the theme of 8 March 2025 was: “For ALL women and girls: rights, equality and empowerment” which called for action that could promote equal rights, power, opportunities and the empowerment of all.

Many battles are still to be fought to improve the situation of women in our society, such as:

• Fight against sexist and sexual violence against women;
• Defend the same remuneration for equal positions;
• Fight against forced marriages around the world;
• Act for better access to education and health;
• Or even encourage the access of women to decision-making positions, especially in politics.

Every year and around the world, March 8 is an opportunity to celebrate all those who have made it possible to improve the status of women and those who fight for gender equality every day. It is also an opportunity to highlight the inequalities that persist and to make demands for women's rights heard!

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The challenges of gender equality in business

In the professional sphere, inequalities between women and men are multiple and often interconnected. Wage differences are particularly representative of these inequalities: women earn on average 22% less than men (Inequalities Observatory, 2025).

Apart from wage differences, women also run into the glass ceiling in business. In fact, becoming a manager is always more complicated for women than for men, with equal skills: 35% of women managers are in fact managers compared to 43% of men (APEC, 2021).

In 2020, women are also three times more likely to work part-time than men and this is not always the case. Parental (and mental) responsibilities and domestic work may be part of the reason why women are turning more to part-time jobs (INSEE, 2022).

Finally, fighting against ordinary sexism and harassment is a real challenge in business. 8 out of 10 women have already been confronted with sexist remarks at work (AFMD, 2021). Faced with this, The French Association of Diversity Managers Created The sTope initiative bringing together different companies that fight against sexism in business and highlights all the best practices to end it!

Also to read:
Gender equality: tips for mobilizing your business
Mapping gender equality

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5 actions to mobilize your business for International Women's Rights Day

We offer 5 ways to mobilize your teams, on March 8, but also all year round, to advance women's rights:

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Raise awareness among employees about sexism and sexist and sexual harassment

In France, around 41% of women aged 18 to 74 who have worked have already been victims of sexual harassment at work, compared to an average of 30.8% at the European Union level (Eurostat, 2024). Sexism also contributes to explaining pay imbalances between women and men and to shaping the “glass ceiling”.

To combat sexism and sexist and sexual harassment, you can:

• Offer your teams or colleagues to attend training courses, online or in person, on gender-based and sexual violence with All of us or Stand-Up. These courses are free and accessible to all;
• Encourage them to participate in participatory and fun workshops, in particular via video games with Hally ;
• Introduce them to the Mapping gender equality from Komeet;
• Or make visible and available to all named sexual harassment representatives (mandatory for any company with more than 11 employees).

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Participate in a collection of hygiene products with Elementary Rules

The collections are easy to organize with your employees and allow them to be mobilized effectively.

Elementary rules suggests that businesses set up collection points on their premises. Employees can donate periodic protections such as tampons, pads, or menstrual cups. This action makes it possible to raise awareness among teams about menstrual poverty while collecting products to redistribute them to women in need.

Also to read: Multiply the impact of your business through fundraising

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Co-animating literacy workshops with Ikambere

The association Ikambere provides medical, social and psychological support to women living with HIV in their social and professional reintegration in Paris and the Paris region. She is actively looking for volunteers to co-lead literacy workshops!

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Contributing to the inclusion of women in the digital world with Social Builder

Social Builder works for the professional inclusion of women in the digital world thanks to mentorship. If you work in the digital sector, you can support Social Builder beneficiaries in their professional retraining!

This action requires making yourself available for a few hours per month.

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Mentoring a woman over 45

Are you an HR, HR director or even a manager? You can help the association Arcé Avenir Women and support the employment of women over 45 by becoming a mentor. This action will allow a beneficiary to regain self-confidence and regain professional balance!

A concrete way of fight against discrimination sexists and ageists that many women over 45 face!

Also to read:
Social commitment of employees in companies: everything you need to know
The CSR highlights guide

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Komeet helps you organize highlights internally

Do you want to organize a highlight in your company around International Women's Rights Day? Komeet helps you to easily mobilize all your employees: thanks to our engagement platform, our animation kits and the support of our experts, create rituals and gradually integrate engagement into your corporate culture!

Explore the platform