20250SR__001998ENR INTRODUCED 2025-02-21 PASSED_SENATE 2025-03-06 ENROLLED 2025-03-07 2025 SR ENR Introduced by Senator Wahab (Coauthors: Senators Ashby, Blakespear, Durazo, Pérez, Smallwood-Cuevas, and Valladares) LEAD_AUTHOR SENATE Wahab COAUTHOR SENATE Ashby COAUTHOR SENATE Blakespear COAUTHOR SENATE Durazo COAUTHOR SENATE Pérez COAUTHOR SENATE Smallwood-Cuevas COAUTHOR SENATE Valladares Relative to International Women’s Day. International Women’s Day

WHEREAS, International Women’s Day first emerged from the activities of labor movements at the turn of the 20th century in North America and across Europe; and

WHEREAS, The first National Woman’s Day was observed in the United States in in honor of the garment workers’ strike in New York, where women protested against working conditions; and

WHEREAS, International Women’s Day was marked for the first time in by Austria, Denmark, Germany, and Switzerland, where more than one million women and men attended rallies demanding the rights for women to vote and to hold public office, women’s rights to work, to vocational training, and to an end to discrimination on the job; and

WHEREAS, In 1913–14, International Women’s Day also became a mechanism for protesting World War I. As part of the peace movement, Russian women observed their first International Women’s Day on the last Sunday in February, and elsewhere in Europe, on or around March of the following year, women held rallies either to protest the war or to express solidarity with other activists; and

WHEREAS, In 1917, against the backdrop of the war, women in Russia again chose to protest and strike for “Bread and Peace” on the last Sunday in February, which fell on March on the Gregorian calendar. Four days later, the Czar abdicated and the provisional government granted women the right to vote; and

WHEREAS, In 1975, during International Women’s Year, the United Nations began celebrating International Women’s Day on March 8; and

WHEREAS, In 1979, the Convention on the Elimination of All Forms of Discrimination against Women was adopted by the United Nations General Assembly and the international treaty, described as an international bill of rights for women, was instituted on September 3, 1981, and has been ratified by states; and

WHEREAS, International Women’s Day has assumed a new global dimension for women in developed and developing countries alike. The growing international women’s movement has helped make the commemoration a rallying point to build support for women’s rights and participation in the political and economic arenas; and

WHEREAS, International Women’s Day is a time to reflect on progress made, to call for change, and to celebrate acts of courage and determination by ordinary women who have played an extraordinary role in the history of their countries and communities; and

WHEREAS, The United Nations has designated the theme for the International Women’s Day as “For ALL women and girls: Rights, Equality, Empowerment.” The theme is a call to action to unlock equal rights, power, and opportunities for all and a future where no one is left behind; and

WHEREAS, We are called upon to fight relentlessly for women’s and girls’ full range of human rights, challenge all forms of violence, discrimination, and exploitation; address systemic barriers, transform entrenched inequities, and elevate the voices of marginalized women and girls, including young people, to ensure inclusivity and empowerment; redefine power structures by ensuring inclusive access to education, employment, leadership, and decisionmaking spaces; and prioritize opportunities for young women and girls to lead and innovate; and

WHEREAS, International Women’s Day stands as a reminder of the long history of women’s social activism and organizing; calls attention to the fight for equal wages, better working conditions, and the right to vote; highlights the fact that while women make up more than one-half of our population, they are disproportionately represented in our state; and brings awareness that too few women are in leadership positions and too many live in poverty;

now, therefore,

be it Resolved by the Senate of the State of California, That the Senate designates March 8, 2025, as International Women’s Day; and be it further Resolved, That the Secretary of the Senate transmit copies of this resolution to the author for appropriate distribution.