Women's Rights: Where We've Been and Where We're Going

Today, March 8, marks the 100th anniversary of International Women's Day (IWD), a day that honors the achievements women have made, while noting the obstacles we must still overcome. Women have made great strides toward equality since 1911, but many inequalities remain.

International Women's Day is celebrated across Europe, Africa and Asia — with parades and other fanfare honoring the contributions of women. It is a national holiday in 30 countries. IWD is a day of celebration during the month of March, which last year President Obama officially proclaimed as Women's History Month.

Today we kick off a blog symposium for women's rights: During the remainder of the month you'll hear from many voices about the work that is being done to advance women's equality in the United States — the gains we've made and the struggles we still face.

During the symposium, you'll read about issues including:

• new and continuing challenges within the women's rights movement.
• why violence against women should be seen as a violation of human rights.
• a call for the United States to ratify the Convention on the Elimination of All Forms of Discrimination Against Women.

Today — 100 years after the world first recognized the global struggle for women's rights — and throughout the remainder of March, please join us in the critical and ongoing fight for women's equality.