Radio | News week in plain Finnish | Saturday 8.3.2025

UN International Women’s Day

This time, the topic of the news week is the UN’s International Women’s Day.

International Women’s Day is celebrated today, March 8th.

International Women’s Day is a jubilee year, as it is now being celebrated for the 50th time.

We will now tell you more about International Women’s Day and its history.

History

Women’s Day originated in the early 20th century in the USA and Europe.

The first International Women’s Day was celebrated in the USA in 1909.

The following year, in 1910, an international meeting of socialist women was held in Denmark.

The meeting decided to promote women’s suffrage and other women’s issues on Women’s Day.

The current International Women’s Day came later.

The UN declared 1975 International Women’s Year.

International Women’s Day was first celebrated on March 8, 1975. It has now been 50 years since then.

Wars and conflicts

The position of women is particularly poor in wars and conflicts.

There are many wars and conflicts.

In war zones, it is difficult for women to access healthcare, for example. Healthcare is limited and supplies are scarce.

A UN report says that 500 women or girls die every day in conflict zones around the world due to complications during pregnancy or childbirth.

Almost 50,000 women die from unsafe abortions every year.

Domestic violence

There are problems with the position of women even in countries where things are generally good.

For example, in Finland, women face intimate partner violence. Approximately 30 percent of women have experienced intimate partner violence at some point.

Domestic violence is more common in Finland than in other Nordic countries.

Salary, education and politics

A common problem in women’s equality is pay. Women often receive less pay than men.

In some countries, girls still have fewer opportunities to receive education than boys.

There are also often fewer women than men in politics and leadership positions.

Repetition

The topic of the news week this time was the UN’s International Women’s Day.

Let’s repeat the most important things.

International Women’s Day is March 8. This year it is celebrated for the 50th time.

Wars and conflicts make the situation difficult for many women.

There are problems elsewhere as well. Women are more likely to be subjected to violence than men.

Women’s pay, educational opportunities, and access to politics are often worse than men’s.

This was a news week in plain Finnish. See you again, let’s hear from you!