Interesting Facts About International Women’s Day And Why It Is Celebrated With Enthusiasm

All about International Women's Day

International Women's Day is a global day for celebrating the social, economic, political, and cultural contributions women have made to society.

To celebrate this event, here are some interesting Women's Day facts you need to know:

Facts about International Women's Day

• International Women's Day is observed globally on March 8 every year to celebrate the achievements of women in various spheres of life.
• It is also known as the United Nations (UN) Day for Women's Rights and International Peace.
• This annual event aims to draw attention to women's concerns and to promote awareness about the need for gender equality.
• International Women's Day had its beginnings almost a century ago, when gender discrimination and oppression of women were the norm.
• The first International Women's Day was held on March 19, 1911. The date was later changed to March 8, 1913.
• The logo for International Women's Day is a purple arrow in a loop with the female gender symbol at its center.
• The theme of International Women's Day 2026 is “Rights. Justice. Action. For ALL Women and Girls.”

Here are some amazing facts about extraordinary women who demonstrated courage, leadership, and determination in championing women's rights and making significant achievements in various fields.

Famous Indian women personalities

• Rani Lakshmibai of Jhansi was an Indian queen and warrior who is known for leading the rebellion against the British in 1857.
• Mother Teresa received the Nobel Peace Prize for her humanitarian work to overcome poverty and distress in the slums of India.
• Sarojini Naidu, also known as 'The Nightingale of India,' was a freedom fighter and poet.
• Annie Besant was a famous British social reformer, theosophist, and women's rights activist who was an ardent supporter of Indian independence.
• Savitribai Phule was a women's rights activist, educationalist, and poet who, along with her husband, Jyotirao Phule, started the first school for girls in India at Bhide Wada in Pune.
• M S Subbulakshmi, also known as 'the queen of music', was a famous Carnatic singer who received the Bharat Ratna.
• P T Usha, the 'Queen of Indian track and field' and 'Payyoli Express', is remembered for her feat at the 1984 Los Angeles Olympics, where she missed winning a medal by one-hundredth of a second.
• Kalpana Chawla was an American astronaut of Indian origin who lost her life in the Space Shuttle Columbia disaster in 2003. She was the first Indian-born woman to go to space.

Famous first achievements by Indian women

• In 1937, Justice Anna Chandy became the first female judge in India. She was also India's first woman High Court judge.
• In 1951, Anna Malhotra became India's first woman IAS officer.
• In 1959, Arati Saha became the first and fastest Asian woman to swim across the English Channel. She is also the first Indian sportswoman to receive the Padma Shri in 1960.
• In 1966, Smt Indira Gandhi became the first woman to serve as the Prime Minister of India.
• In 1970, Kamaljeet Sandhu became the first Indian woman athlete to win a gold medal at the Asian Games.
• In 1972, Kiran Bedi became India's first lady IPS officer.
• In 1984, mountaineer Bachendri Pal became the first Indian woman to reach the summit of Mount Everest.
• In 1989, Justice Fathima Beevi assumed the role of India's first female Supreme Court Judge.
• In 1993, Priya Jhingan became the first-ever Indian woman to join the Indian Army.
• In 1994, Flt Lt Harita Kaur Deol became the first woman to fly solo in the Indian Air Force.
• In 1997, Arundhati Roy was awarded the Booker Prize for her novel, 'The God of Small Things'. She is the first Indian woman to win the Booker Prize.
• In 1987, Neerja Bhanot, a 22-year-old Indian air hostess, was posthumously awarded the Ashoka Chakra, India's highest gallantry award. She is the first and the youngest woman recipient of this award. She lost her life while trying to shield passengers from the bullets fired by terrorists on the hijacked Pan Am Flight 73.
• In 2000, Karnam Malleswari created history by becoming India's first woman to win an Olympic medal (bronze) in weightlifting.
• In 2001, S Vijayalakshmi won the title of India's first woman Grandmaster.
• In 2012, Saina Nehwal became the first Indian badminton player to win a medal (bronze) at the Olympics.
• In 2012, pugilist Mary Kom became the first female boxer to win an Olympic medal (bronze). On January 26, 2020, she was decorated with the Padma Vibhushan, the country's second-highest civilian award, making her the first female sportswoman to receive this honor.
• In 2019, P V Sindhu scripted history by defeating Japan's Nozomi Okuhara to win Gold at the Badminton World Championships, the only Indian to do so.
• In 2019, Sub Lieutenant Shivangi Swaroop became the first woman pilot for the Indian Navy.
• In 2019, Koneru Humpy became the first Indian Grandmaster to be crowned the women's World Rapid Chess Champion in Moscow, Russia.

Famous first achievements by women from other countries

• In 1903, Marie Curie received a Nobel Prize in Physics, becoming the first woman to receive the award. In 1911, she was awarded the second Nobel Prize in Chemistry, making her the first person to receive multiple Nobel Prizes.
• In 1932, Amelia Earhart, an American aviation pioneer and author, became the first female aviator to fly solo across the Atlantic Ocean.
• In 1963, Russian cosmonaut Valentina Tereshkova became the first and youngest woman to fly to space.
• In 1976, Romanian gymnast Nadia Comaneci became the first woman to be awarded a perfect score of 10 at the Olympic Games.
• In 1986, Ann Bancroft completed a trek to the North Pole, the first by any woman. She followed it by an expedition to the South Pole, making her the first woman in history to have visited both the North and South Poles.
• In 2017, Peggy Whitson, a female NASA astronaut, achieved a record of spending the most number of days in space (655 days) - the first by any human being.

Famous women activists

• Malala Yousafzai is the world's youngest Nobel laureate. In 2012, at the age of 15, she was shot at by the Taliban for speaking out publicly about the right to education for girls.
• Greta Thunberg is a 17-year-old Swedish environmental activist who inspired 4 million people to join the global climate strike on 20 September 2019.
• Kamla Bhasin is a social scientist and a feminist who has worked for gender equality, education-related issues, and women's empowerment over a period of 35 years.
• Irom Sharmila, also known as 'The Iron Lady', is a civil rights activist, political activist, feminist, and a poet from Manipur. She is famous for going on 'the world's longest hunger strike' of 16 years to protest the action of military forces opening fire on civilians and killing them.
• Medha Patkar is a social activist and a strong advocate for women's rights in India. She is famous for being at the forefront of the Narmada Bachao Andolan, an Indian social movement protesting the construction of large dams on the river Narmada.
• Indira Jaising is a legal expert and human rights activist known for her role in framing the Domestic Violence Act (2005).

Here's a list of international women's organizations that work to empower and recognize the contributions of women to society.

International women's rights organizations

• The International Council of Women (ICW) was founded in 1888 with the primary goal of supporting women. Currently, it works in alliance with numerous organizations to promote health, education, equality, and peace.
• The International Alliance of Women (IAW) is an international organization founded in 1904 and based in Geneva. It is a non-governmental organization for women's empowerment, equality, and women's human rights issues.
• UN Women is a global agency that strives to set global standards to achieve gender equality and the empowerment of women and girls in all aspects of life.
• Women's Environment and Development Organization (WEDO) is an international women's advocacy organization working to achieve gender equality, human rights, and the integrity of the environment.
• Association for Women's Rights in Development (AWID) is a global feminist membership organization working to achieve gender justice and women's human rights worldwide.
• Women's International League for Peace & Freedom (WILPF) founded in 1915, is the world's longest-standing women's peace organization. It works to address international peace and security.

Global awards for women

Global Award for Women's Empowerment

The Princess Sabeeka Bint Ibrahim Al Khalifa Global Award for Women's Empowerment is given across four categories (public sector, private sector, civil society, and individual champions). The winner receives USD 100,000 for promoting women's empowerment.

International Women of Courage (IWOC) Award

The IWOC Award is an American award presented annually by the United States Department of State that honors women from around the world who have courageously and selflessly advocated for human rights, peace, justice, gender equality, and women's empowerment.

UNESCO Prize for Girls' and Women's Education

This award recognizes individuals, institutions, or NGOs that play an innovative and outstanding role in facilitating girls' and women's education, enabling gender equality in education, and empowering women by improving their quality of life. The award is funded by the Government of the People's Republic of China and carries a cash prize of USD 50,000 to support women's welfare activities.

Global Women’s Leadership Award

This is a lifetime achievement award that honours individuals whose work has expanded economic opportunities for women and girls by sharing practical solutions and successful strategies from around the world. The award is given by a US-based NGO at the annual Global Summit of Women.

Neerja Bhanot Award

This annual award is given to any Indian woman who has overcome social injustice with perseverance and helped other women who have undergone similar distress. The award was constituted in honor of the late Neerja Bhanot, a senior flight purser, who died heroically while trying to save the lives of passengers on the hijacked Pan Am Flight 73 on September 5, 1986. The award carries a cash prize of 1.5 lakh, a citation, and a trophy.

Powerful books by women

• 'Little Women' by Louisa May Alcott
• 'Jane Eyre' by Charlotte Brontë
• 'Wuthering Heights' by Emily Brontë
• 'Agnes Grey' by Anne Brontë
• 'Mrs Dalloway' by Virginia Woolf
• 'To Kill a Mockingbird' by Harper Lee
• 'Uncle Tom's Cabin' by Harriet Beecher Stowe
• 'The Diary of a Young Girl' by Anne Frank
• 'Pride and Prejudice' by Jane Austen
• 'The Complete Poems of Emily Dickinson' by Emily Dickinson

Inspiring movies for women

• Gravity
• Mary Kom
• Queen
• Mirch Masala
• The Devil Wears Prada
• Black Swan
• Frida
• The Iron Lady
• Million Dollar Baby
• Erin Brockovich
• Bend It Like Beckham

If you educate a man you educate an individual, but if you educate a woman you educate a family.
-Dr James Emmanuel Kwegyir-Aggrey

Women around the world continue to face significant difficulties in the workplace and at home. Much more needs to be done for them. We hope this article serves to enlighten how much women have accomplished in the face of oppression and inequality, and why it calls for celebration.

Last updated on: March 04, 2026