How can you get involved during the week of March 8?

1981 International Women’s Day

This poster was created by Beth Foster and Pat Colp to advertize various activities organized in Toronto to celebrate International Women's Day in 1981.

Get active! On this day every year, numerous marches and activities are organized by women’s groups and associations. It is an opportunity to celebrate the advances that have helped women to achieve more equality while at the same time drawing attention to causes where women continue to suffer discrimination. 

On this day, themes are often adopted at a local level in order to highlight local issues. During the 1970s and 1980s, the themes were concentrated on the demands for equality of the sexes in education and work, the right to abortion, access to social services such as affordable daycare, and an end to violence against women. The representation of women in all sectors was was re-evaluated and minority identities were increaslingly included in the debate.

Marches and rallys are organized at a local level on themes which are of concern in that particular area. Since its beginning in the 1978, the International Women’s Day Toronto Committee has adopted a different slogan each year to encourage protestors to gather together with a common goal in mind. Consider the posters of the 1980s displayed below. These were created by the International Women’s Day Toronto Committee and they illustrate various themes which were celebrated in different years.