Beginning in 1910, March 8 became annually observed as International Women's Day.  March 8 was choosen to commemorate 2 events.  On March 8, 1857,  female textile workers in New York City marched in protest of unfair working conditions and unequal rights for women. It was one of the first organized strikes by working women, during which they called for a shorter work day and decent wages. On March 8, in 1908, women workers in the needle trades marched through New York City's Lower East Side to protest child labor, sweatshop working conditions, and demand women’s suffrage.  

Women’s History Week was instituted in 1978 in an effort to begin adding women’s history into educational curricula.

In 1987, the National Women's History Project successfully petitioned Congress to include all of March as a celebration of the economic, political and social contributions of women.