International Women’s Day and Women’s History Month

Resource type: Event

Price band: Free

Key stage: KS1, KS2, KS3, KS4, KS5

Region(s): All of UK

International Women’s Day is celebrated annually on March 8th, during Women’s History Month. Together they provide an opportunity to celebrate the social, economic, cultural and political achievements of women across the globe and to reflect on the work that still needs to be done to achieve gender equality. Each year an annual campaign theme is chosen for International Women’s Day that runs for the entire year. The theme for 2024 is #InspireInclusion.

The International Women’s Day website provides general information about IWD and resources to support it, including:

Tips and packs to help you run your own IWD event.
A selection of resources specifically for schools.
A directory of Women Speakers.
A directory of IWD events.

Cost: Free.

About International Women’s Day: International Women’s Day has been going for over 100 years. The IWD website was launched in 2001 and provides a platform to help forge positive change for women.

Further resources:

Celebrate International Women’s Day with a discussion about feminist YA fiction with authors Laura Wood and Polly Crosby. Suitable for pupils aged 13+ this free Scholastic Live event includes an opportunity to ask Laura and Polly questions and learn how feminist themes influenced their books A Season for Scandal and This Tale is Forbidden. Register with the password WORLDBOOKDAY.
Sign up for The Female Lead Society, a schools’ programme that provides resources across a range of topics to prompt discussion around female representation and ambition, and that encourages young women to take the lead in their own lives. The sessions are student-led and the programme is available for primary and secondary schools.
Read The Female Lead Society’s research on social media usage among teenage girls and encourage students to sign up for their #DisruptYourFeed challenge to follow people that inspire them, help them develop different interests and make them feel empowered.
Introduce primary pupils to the origins and importance of International Women’s Day with this free, comic-book format resource from National Geographic Kids.
Download a one-hour lesson plan exploring gender equality in the news from Topical Talk. Suitable for pupils aged 10+ and available with a free membership.
Books for Topics, CLPE, LoveReading4Kids, Book Trust and Scottish Book Trust are all good sources of book lists that celebrate strong and inspiring female characters.
For younger readers, explore this list of picture books that feature strong, independent girl characters from CLPE.
Celebrate the achievements of women in sport with this selection of books from Best Books for Schools.
Celebrate the achievements of women in science and engineering with these two booklists from Best Books for Schools and LoveReading4Kids.
Browse the British Science Association’s #SmashingStereotypes library to find stories of women working in science and engineering today.
Explore a selection of free videos for Women’s History Month from award-winning website TrueTube. Suitable for KS3 and 4.
Explore the library of short films about the lives of women through history from BBC Teach. Suitable for primary and secondary pupils.
Browse a collection of articles about some of history’s most inspirational women on Sky History.
Download a free UK Parliament booklet for primary aged children featuring the stories of six women who have influenced laws and equal rights in the UK.
Check out the free Suffrage in a Box resources from the Bodleian Library suitable for KS3 and 4 pupils. They include reproductions of images and other items from their collections that can be printed or displayed on screen.
The Little Rebels Children’s Book Award celebrates books that promote social justice and challenge stereotypes.