Just 100 years ago women in the UK didn’t have the right to vote, they weren’t allowed to serve as magistrates or jurors, and they were barred from many professions.

March 8^th is the 100^th anniversary of International Women’s Day – providing us with an opportunity to celebrate progress, and to work towards a time when today’s inequalities will seem as shocking as those from 100 years ago.

This year we have teamed up with a number of other organizations as part of the We Are Equals coalition. As always there are plenty of ways for you to get involved, to demand equality in your neighbourhood and around the world.

1. Ensure women play an active role in the new Egypt

Women are being excluded by the caretaker government and the international community is turning a blind eye. Most recently, a new national committee formed to propose changes to the Egyptian constitution was composed only of men. This is not acceptable.

2. Get involved in the big debate

Head over to weareequals.org and if you’re on Twitter, use the hashtags #iwd and #weareequals

3. Watch and share the Equals film

James Bond supports International Women’s Day:

What else are you up to? Let us know below or send us a message on Twitter.

Happy International Women’s Day!

See what we’ve done in previous years:

2010: Every day should be Mother’s Day

You contributed to a giant Mother’s Day card – bringing the issue of maternal mortality to the attention of the main political parties.

2009: The #oneten campaign

We used Twitter to highlight a shocking stat: every year one in ten women in the UK suffer rape or other violence.

We all value the women and mothers in our lives and so we’re happy to be celebrating International Women’s Day, and saying thank you to our mums this March. Yet around the world many aren’t so fortunate and millions of women each year are dying needlessly in childbirth.

Pregnancy is not a disease, yet it kills one woman every minute. Almost all of these deaths are preventable and 95% of them occur in developing countries. Poverty, violence and a lack of education all contribute.

The lifetime risk of maternal death here in the UK is only one in nearly 16,700; in Sierra Leone it is one in eight. It doesn’t have to be this way.

Help us change this

We think a mother’s health is worth fighting for. We know you do too. So join us in telling our politicians that worldwide maternal health needs to be a priority for the next UK Government.

Together we can ensure that every pregnancy is wanted, every birth safe and every child healthy. Together we can make every day Mother’s Day.  Here’s how:

1. Add your photo to our giant Mother’s Day card

2. Email a Mother’s Day message to the party leaders

We’ll also be filling our sites with actions relating to women’s rights all week, so keep your eyes peeled for other ways to get involved. Follow us on Twitter for all the latest.

About our Campaign

We are working with a coalition of UK-based NGOs, professional associations and civil society networks who believe that the world’s women – and its children – deserve better, and the manifesto for motherhood is a starting point for our campaigning around the UK general election.
Read the Manifesto for Motherhood (PDF)

You can find out more about our campaign for maternal health here.

One in four local authorities leave female victims of violence without the specialised support they need.  Scary, isn’t it?

Find out how the flashmob went to spread this message for International Women’s Day

Make a difference – email your MP now

Of course, this campaign has a concrete action.

End Violence Against Women’s new website ‘Map of Gaps’ shows exactly which services for women escaping violence are lacking where.

See what services are missing in your local area, and email your MP directly on Mapofgaps.org – it’s that easy to make a big difference.

Violence against women affects women globally, cutting across boundaries of wealth, race, and culture.  Here are a couple of actions relating to women outside the UK.

The most common impact of conflict on women is the use of rape as a weapon of war. In fact, it is now more dangerous to be a woman than to be a soldier in modern conflict.

Justine Masika Bihamba and her family have been attacked because of her work as coordinator of a women’s human rights organisation in the Congo. Although they can identify the soldiers, they have still not been arrested. Take action now

Women in Iran are second-class citizens in the family and before the courts – yet more than 60% of university students are women and they work in all kinds of jobs.

Many Iranian women want to challenge this discrimination and they have asked the international community to support them in their struggle. Sign the petition to end discriminatory laws in Iran

To do even more or to take action on our other campaigns then register at ProtectTheHuman.com