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 2023 is #EmbraceEquity.
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:
- Join author Rhian Tracey on Friday 24th March to hear about her thrilling new adventure I, Spy: A Bletchley Park Mystery. Set during WWII, the story is based on true events and is a tribute to Rhian’s great-aunt and the thousands of women and young girls who worked at Bletchley Park during the war.
- 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.
- Books for Topics, Corebooks, LoveReading4Kids, Book Trust and Scottish Book Trust are all good sources of book lists that celebrate strong and inspiring female characters.
- Celebrate the achievements of women in sport with this selection of books from Best Books for Schools.
- The National Literacy Trust has put together resources to support International Women’s Day for students of all ages. Download a book list suitable for primary and secondary schools that also includes activities to develop key oracy and writing skills. Secondary schools can also register for an International Women’s Day resource pack in collaboration with acclaimed poet Sophia Thakur.
- 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.
- Sign your secondary pupils (14-18) up for an online Learn with the Lords: Women’s History Month Question Time on March 27th looking at the contribution of women past and present to the work of the House of Lords with the opportunity to submit questions to Baroness Tanni Grey-Thompson, multi-medal-winning Paralympic athlete and member of the House of Lords since 2010.
- Celebrate the achievements of women scientists and engineers with this Women in STEAM collection from Best Books for Schools.
- Check out the free Suffrage in a Box resources from the Bodleian Library. 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.
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