In 1908, 15,000 women in New York demonstrated for shorter hours, higher wages, and the right to vote (in most states, women gained it in 1920, when the 19th Amendment to the US Constitution was passed). The following year, the American Socialist Party proposed that the last Sunday in February be Labor Women's Day.

In August 1910, the well-known figure of the German social democracy Clara Zetkin at a conference in Copenhagen proposed to establish an International Day for the Struggle for Women's Equality and Emancipation.

About a hundred participants from 17 countries supported the idea unanimously.

In 1911, it was first celebrated in Germany, Austria-Hungary, Denmark and Switzerland.
On March 8, it is customary to surround women with care and attention, give flowers, sweets, and jewelry.