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International Women's Day

International Women's Day is celebrated annually on March 8 to mark women's achievements and focus greater attention on rights for women and girls.

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Deutschland Berlin 2025 | Reaktionen bei Demonstration zum Internationalen Frauentag

Deutschland Berlin 2025 | Reaktionen bei Demonstration zum Internationalen Frauentag

Thousands march for women's rights in Berlin

In Berlin, tens of thousands of people marched through the capital to celebrate International Women's Day.

A woman stands in front of a JobCenter board in Berlin

A woman stands in front of a JobCenter board in Berlin

Husband tax? German women's pay drops after marriage — study

According to researchers, women's wages in Germany drop 20% on average after marriage. Men's pay is unaffected.

Three women in theatrical costumes sit on a stage during a performance

Three women in theatrical costumes sit on a stage during a performance

All-female cast leads theater in besieged Ukrainian city

With most male staff fighting the war against Russia, a theater troupe in Chernihiv continues to perform amid attacks.

A baby in a mosquito net in Togo

A baby in a mosquito net in Togo

Why are women in Africa still pressured to have children?

Why are women still pressured to have children? DW finds out what women think of this issue.

poster for exhibition shows the face of a white woman with red hair and text in German

poster for exhibition shows the face of a white woman with red hair and text in German

Exhibition examines fight for equality in divided Germany

"Women in Divided Germany" is the title of an exhibition 35 years after reunification.

A woman walks past a mural painting of Iranian flags in a street in Tehran

A woman walks past a mural painting of Iranian flags in a street in Tehran

Women in Iran fight for rights as economic crisis bites

Women bear the brunt of economic and social restrictions in Iran — and are the country's driving force for change.

phone, speech bubbles, combinations of special characters meant to represent expletives

phone, speech bubbles, combinations of special characters meant to represent expletives

Global online hate: sexism over critical thinking

Worldwide, politically active women experience online hate, often with threats of sexual or physical violence.

A symbol photo of the Nigerian flag

A symbol photo of the Nigerian flag

Nigeria: Senator suspended after filing harassment claim

Nigeria's Senate will have just three women after the temporary suspension of Natasha Akpoti Uduaghan.

A woman sitting outside.

A woman sitting outside.

How Tiktok helped one woman quit a toxic relationship

Linda Loran quit an abusive relationship with the help of social media. Now she tells her story on TikTok.

DW AfricaLink

DW AfricaLink

International Women's Day: Female power in African politics

What's the state of gender parity in African politics? Legal practitioner Becky Ahadzi joins us with DW's Adwoa Domena.

Three women in a composite photo

Three women in a composite photo

How female politicians deal with hate speech

Hate speech and threats of violence aim to silence politically active women. But many fight back.

Helen Nkwocha on the touchline

Helen Nkwocha on the touchline

International Women's Day: Female coaches battling barriers

A man leading an elite women's team is commonplace, but the opposite is almost never true. Women are pushing for change.

Abigail Kwartekaa Quartey with her hands up in a boxing stance

Abigail Kwartekaa Quartey with her hands up in a boxing stance

Ghana's world champion female boxer is a trailblazer

Meet Ghana's first female world boxing champion, Abigail Quartey, who has punched through barriers to keep on fighting.

Two people in white lab coats standing in a bright white lab

Two people in white lab coats standing in a bright white lab

More women than men study at German colleges

Women continue to make up the majority of university students in Germany, a new study has found.

Women labourers in Narayanganj, Bangladesh carry piles of bricks weighing more than 15 kg on their heads

Women labourers in Narayanganj, Bangladesh carry piles of bricks weighing more than 15 kg on their heads

Women's rights under attack amid democratic erosion: UN

The UN's Antonio Guterres said that instead of mainstreaming equal rights, the world was mainstreaming misogyny.

A closeup picture of Karin Radström next to a truck of German manufacturer Mercedes

A closeup picture of Karin Radström next to a truck of German manufacturer Mercedes

Germany lags behind in boardroom gender equality

Though women have made inroads on company boards in Germany, it is still lonely at the top as Otto's new boss proves.

A woman holds up a placard that says, "Do not repeal the anti-FGM/C law"

A woman holds up a placard that says, "Do not repeal the anti-FGM/C law"

Gambia postpones vote to repeal FGM ban

Lawmakers in Gambia have referred a bill to repeal the ban on FGM for further committee discussions.

Afghan women at a shopping area in Kabul

Afghan women at a shopping area in Kabul

Harsh dress codes hamper Afghan women's rights

Since the Taliban takeover in 2021, Afghan women and girls have lost access to education, employment and public spaces.

A pile of unmarked voting forms at Old St Josephs Gym Hall in Dublin, as Ireland holds referenda on the proposed changes to the wording of the Constitution relating to the areas of family and care. March 8, 2024.

A pile of unmarked voting forms at Old St Josephs Gym Hall in Dublin, as Ireland holds referenda on the proposed changes to the wording of the Constitution relating to the areas of family and care. March 8, 2024.

International Women's Day: What's happening around the world

Ireland is voting on constitutional changes over inclusivity and equality on the day that focuses on women's rights.

Women in Tehran walk down the street without a headscarf

Women in Tehran walk down the street without a headscarf

Iran's women vow resistance against 'misogynistic' regime

In Iran, women face daily harassment, but continue demanding their right to expression and self-determination.

Trinity Rodman holds her head in her hands during World Cup 2023

Trinity Rodman holds her head in her hands during World Cup 2023

Gender health imbalance still holding back women in sport

Women's sport has become far more visible in recent years but understanding of women's health within it lags behind.

Valentina Lisnycha, in surgical scrubs, at Ukraine's Mechnikov Hospital in Dnipro, an operating theater is seen behind glass, where three doctors are at work

Valentina Lisnycha, in surgical scrubs, at Ukraine's Mechnikov Hospital in Dnipro, an operating theater is seen behind glass, where three doctors are at work

Ukraine war transforms doctor's hospital into 'horror film'

Anesthesiologist Valentyna Lisnycha cares for wounded soldiers and civilian blast victims at a Dnipro hospital.

DW Videostill I Soldatinnen in der Ukraine

DW Videostill I Soldatinnen in der Ukraine

Women in Ukraine's army fighting for the right to fight

More than 400,000 soldiers are serving in the Ukrainian military. Twenty percent of them are women.

Illustration of three women in front of the Bundestag, one putting her ballot into a ballot box

Illustration of three women in front of the Bundestag, one putting her ballot into a ballot box

If only women voted, what would Germany look like?

What would be different in Germany if only women voted? Which parties would be in power?

German women removing debris in Berlin in 1947.

German women removing debris in Berlin in 1947.

Women's movements in Germany — a long history

Women have been fighting for equal rights in Germany for over 170 years. Much still remains to be done.

Historical photo, digitally colorized, of a group of female protestors on their way to a gathering.

Historical photo, digitally colorized, of a group of female protestors on their way to a gathering.

The pioneers of Germany's women's movement

Though Germany's women rights activists weren't as radical as their sisters in Britain, they began early and persisted.

Woman wearing cleaning gloves

Woman wearing cleaning gloves

Congo: From cleaning rags to business riches

How a DRC entrepreneur started cleaning houses and turned it into a multi-city business.

Afghan girls weaving carpets after the Taliban imposed restrictions on their education

Afghan girls weaving carpets after the Taliban imposed restrictions on their education

Banned from education, Afghan women turn to carpet weaving

Afghan women take up carpet weaving to feed their familiies after the Taliban crackdown on their rights.

Nigeria Wahl Bola Ahmed Tinubu

Nigeria Wahl Bola Ahmed Tinubu

AfricaLink on Air - 08 March 2023

Nigeria: Who are the women in the life of President-elect Bola Tinubu?+++Breaking skating gender stereotypes

Protests in Pakistan on International Women's Day

Protests in Pakistan on International Women's Day

International Women's Day: A fight for freedom

Women are marching in cities across the world to demand better living conditions, safety, equal opportunities and pay.

A woman working on a computer

A woman working on a computer

How a German firm is attempting to bridge gender pay gap

A coworking space in Berlin has found a novel way to compensate women for earning less than men.

Women and girls reading from the Quran in a Kabul madrasa in October 2022

Women and girls reading from the Quran in a Kabul madrasa in October 2022

Afghanistan 'world's most repressive country' for women: UN

The UN has said that Taliban-ruled Afghanistan is the "world's most repressive country."

A woman with her face painted in the colors of the Iranian flag in a protest in solidarity with Iranian people.

A woman with her face painted in the colors of the Iranian flag in a protest in solidarity with Iranian people.

Iranian women filmmakers in the resistance

Iran's women filmmakers struggle under oppression. Their films show the truth about the lives of women in the country.

Deutschland | Emanzipation und Frauenrechte

Deutschland | Emanzipation und Frauenrechte

How women's rights evolved in Germany

For Women's Day, find out more about how legal and cultural changes in Germany led to more gender equality.

A group of young Iranian teenage girls without covering their mandatory Islamic headscarves walks past the wall of the former US embassy amid snow in Tehran

A group of young Iranian teenage girls without covering their mandatory Islamic headscarves walks past the wall of the former US embassy amid snow in Tehran

Women's Day: Iranian women vow to press on despite clampdown

Despite years of propaganda, the regime has failed to prevent women from rising up against the clerical establishment.

Annalena Baerbock stands in a tent, a woman fastens a necklace

Annalena Baerbock stands in a tent, a woman fastens a necklace

How can Germany's feminist policies benefit Africa?

Germany wants to empower women and girls worldwide with new feminist foreign and development policy strategies.

Hayley Wickenheiser

Hayley Wickenheiser

Breaking down barriers: Pioneers of women's sport

Many high-profile female athletes have shaken up the male-dominated sporting establishment over the years.

Participants at the rally of the Equal Pay Day with ballons in Berlin

Participants at the rally of the Equal Pay Day with ballons in Berlin

Germany's gender pay gap just won't go away

Female workers in Germany are still paid less than their male colleagues in nearly every industry, confirms a new study.

Chinese police stand in a line during a protest in Beijing

Chinese police stand in a line during a protest in Beijing

Why a group of Chinese women became human rights activists

After their husbands became targets of a Chinese crackdown, these women began speaking out against Beijing's abuses.

Aachener Friedenspreis | Frauenkonferenz bei Nasfat in der Moschee

Aachener Friedenspreis | Frauenkonferenz bei Nasfat in der Moschee

AfricaLink on Air — 08 March 2022

Women journalists share experiences in a newsroom++Who decides on when to use contraceptives?

A cell phone displays Douyin, Chinese Tiktok

A cell phone displays Douyin, Chinese Tiktok

Sexist Ukraine comments spark China backlash

A wave of sexist comments about Ukrainian women on Chinese social media has led to furious reactions against China.

Deutschland Berlin | DW Journalistin | Wafaa Albadry

Deutschland Berlin | DW Journalistin | Wafaa Albadry

Want to empower women? Call out hate speech

Wafaa Albadry

Hate speech targeting women online threatens our existence — and cannot be tolerated, says DW's Wafaa Albadry.

Stella Nyanzi at a protest for women's rights in Uganda

Stella Nyanzi at a protest for women's rights in Uganda

Stella Nyanzi: Uganda's radical activist

Not even time in a brutal high-security prison has stopped Nyanzi from criticizing Ugandan President Yoweri Museveni.

A group of children playing

A group of children playing

Nigerian rape survivors own their voices

Two women who were sexually abused as children tell DW how they've been empowered to support other victims of abuse.

Women, girls listen to WADI activist, as she peaks about the harms of genital mutilation

Women, girls listen to WADI activist, as she peaks about the harms of genital mutilation

Egypt struggles with female genital mutilation

Egypt is nowhere close to achieving its aim of ending FGM by 2030. Other places have had more success.

Rococo Hall of the Duchess Anna Amalia Library in Weimar, Germany

Rococo Hall of the Duchess Anna Amalia Library in Weimar, Germany

Exciting places in Europe associated with famous women

On International Women's Day, we take a look at some places connected with famous women — from Amsterdam to Venice.

German Amazon workers stage 2-day strike

Trade union Verdi has called the strikes, which coincide with Equal Pay Day and International Women's Day.

New Zealand's Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern addresses European lawmakers via video link during a plenary session to mark International Women's Day at the European Parliament in Brussels.

New Zealand's Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern addresses European lawmakers via video link during a plenary session to mark International Women's Day at the European Parliament in Brussels.

Female world leaders highlight pandemic's impact on women

On International Women's Day, three major world leaders called for equality and protection from gender-based violence.

Women march on the Unter den Linden street in company with police during a demonstration to mark the International Women's Day near the Brandenburg Gate in Berlin

Women march on the Unter den Linden street in company with police during a demonstration to mark the International Women's Day near the Brandenburg Gate in Berlin

Women's Day rallies highlight inequality amid pandemic

Women around the world marked the International Women's day with protests against amplified gender inequality.

Three young women hold banners during the Women's march in Islamabad, Pakistan.

Three young women hold banners during the Women's march in Islamabad, Pakistan.

Pakistani women protest 'patriarchy pandemic'

Women joyfully rallied in Pakistan's major cities for the International Women's day, defying religious hard-liners.