On March 8th, we commemorate Women’s Day internationally.
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But what is its origin and what does it mean in 2026?
Women’s Day originates from the early 1900’s campaigns to advance women’s rights, suffrage, and working conditions. Originally, this was a campaign that began in Europe, deeply influenced by leftist labour movements that advocated for better working conditions for women, with notable figures like Clara Zetkin and Rosa Luxemburg. In the 1910s, the calls to action extended over Europe and the Americas, as more women mobilized to demand their rights. For example, in 1919, in Quebec, there was a strike by the women factory workers at the Eddy Match Company in Hull.
Strike by the women factory workers at the Eddy Match Company in Hull, Quebec, 1919.
Throughout the 1900s, the commemorations in honour of working women’s strikes and labour began to be adopted- in the late 1910s across Europe and the US, in the 1920s across Asia, in the 1930s in Latinoamerica. Still, it wasn’t until 1975, when the UN recognized the day as International Women’s Day. This is without even mentioning the fact that, before white women entered the workforce (namely, outside their homes), Black and brown women had been “working” (if we can call enslavement and forced labour “working”) outside their homes for centuries and without any “rights”. Although its adoption has been widespread, oftentimes we lose sight of where it came from and why it still matters. When we see today, for example, promotions and sales using the excuse of Women’s Day as a marketing strategy, are we really commemorating and honouring where this movement comes from? When we say women’s rights, do we include all women? When we celebrate women, we can’t lose sight of the commemoration and honouring of the Russian women advocating against violent state repression who went to the streets in 1917 calling for “bread and roses”. It was women standing up against violence and organizing for labour rights, many who lost their lives in this fight, who made this happen and this should not be co-opted and commodified for capitalist consumption.
On March 10th, there is the recognition of the National Day of Rest for Black Women to honour and recognize the invisibilized labour and resilience Black women are oftentimes expected to provide. We encourage all community organizations, workplaces, and unions to give the day off to your Black femme and women workers so that they prioritize their wellbeing and holistic self-care on this day (and everyday).
On the same day, March 10th, we also commemorate the anniversary of Harriet Tubman’s death. Tubman was a Black slavery abolitionist and freedom fighter who organized the network of safehouses called the Underground Railroad leading enslaved people in the South towards freedom in the North during the American Civil War. Tubman was a relentless advocate for liberation, of Black peoples, of women, and of all peoples. She was a human rights crusader and is renowned for her courage, resilience and unwavering commitment. Tubman is also an example of “manifestation”. Not in the sense of manifesting a new car or a new job, but rather as someone who knew better worlds are possible and made her imagination a reality by actively working to achieve it. This is what we mean when we say “embody your values”. This is what we mean when we say “dream of better futures”. Today, we dream and actively fight for the liberation of all peoples from Congo to Iran, from Palestine to Sudan, from Minnesota to Venezuela, from North to South, East to West.
In 2026, we still see violence against women and girls across the world, with BIPOC, Queer, and Trans women being at higher risk. This is why QTBIPOC specific spaces are still needed, like our upcoming Atelier/C for QTBIPOC+. Violence is not only physical and personal but it is also structural, from laws and policies, to practices and processes. When we talk about “protecting women and girls”, we need to remember, who/what are we protecting them from?
But what does this mean and why does it matter for the non-for-profit sector?
Apart from the obvious “women’s rights are human rights” reason, this matters because the constant cycle of underfunding the community sector is tied to gender equity and the devalorization of women’s work. It is widely known that women’s wages still fall short as compared to men’s, which is even more pronounced for women of colour. However, the whole sector is not paid adequately and it is not only because of the ever-shrinking state safety net, but also because of the kind of work that the community sector provides. Community organizations and NPOs provide “care work”. Similar to reproductive labour (labour that happens, often unpaid, inside the home), care work is undervalued because it has been done mostly by women and as such, it is seen as a “labour or love”. Yes, we love our work and our mission, but this does not mean that this is less heavy or should be paid less than non-care work. We are driven to our limits because “if we care about the mission”, we shouldn’t be complaining about burnout. We are offered project-funding instead of funding that can cover wages because isn’t this all voluntary labour coming out of the goodness of our hearts.
We could list hundreds of studies and resources that outline why and how women’s work is undervalued and gender-equity has not been achieved, but you could find that anywhere. Rather, we think it is best to offer some COCo-flavoured responses to these concerns.
Now what?
Although we may not be able to start the revolution (yet), there are a few things we can do to better advocate and advance equity in the community sector, beginning by changing our policies and practices so that the change is not individual, but structural. Pay transparency and equity is of course important, but since it should already be addressed, we are proposing other possibilities.
- Does your organization support pregnant people and parents with a comprehensive parental leave policy? In 2020, COCo went through a process to make our policy more accessible and equitable for birthing and non-brithing parents. Another example is accessibility for child-care needs, from offering childcare at events to having a space to feed babies, this can help relieve some logistical nightmares for parents. We do not mention childcare and pregnancy related options because it is a “women’s issue”, but rather because we acknowledge it is a “people issue” but it is oftentimes laid on women’s shoulders to take care of.
- Having health insurance that offers coverage for needs such as menopause care or having policies that are sensible to menstruating people’s needs in the workday, are other steps we can take towards equity.
- Having policies and practices that outline the use of pronouns and language around gender are deeply impactful.
- You can also evaluate flexible work schedules, not only for parents who care for children, but in general for your whole staff who, even if they’re not parents, take care of others in their families and communities. As we established, it is “care work” that is undervalued in the “market”, to counteract this, we can give it its proper space in our organizations.
- At COCo, we have paid “community hours”, in which our staff are encouraged and welcomed to take some time to attend demonstrations and protests or volunteer their time to serve and advocate for their communities.
- “Roaming Holidays” are also a practice at COCo in which, a part from Statutory Holidays, we offer our staff a number of days they can take off to observe a particular holiday that is important to them (like the National Day of Rest for Black Women)
- We also have reimagined our hiring practices– for example, by anonymizing candidacies.This is a simple measure that can help unconscious biases we may have. It is important to acknowledge that we may unconsciously perpetuate harmful practices and actively work to prevent them.
Policies and processes that are thought through and done with intentionality, are a great first step! If you’d like a values-driven approach, you can request an exploratory call with our Services team to explore our policy-development and revision offerings. (And no, it is not with the excuse of Women’s Day that we write this to sell services 😂, but rather because we believe that grounded and thoughtful processes can make a difference!). If you’d like to look into funds and grants particular to projects and organizations focused on gender equity and advancement of women, you can fill out our form to get access to Grant Connect, a free service where you can access a library of funding sources you can apply to.
We are not done in our process of making our workplace equitable, but we’re constantly learning, adapting, and reflecting to make sure we embody the values that we hold dearly. We hope these reflections can support you in creating changes in your organization so that the ripple effect can create change in the larger sector- so that we can begin to better value, truly value, the value of our work.
Some resources for further reading:
A part from Grant Connect, you can also find funding sources at:
If you need help in Quebec, please contact:
Shelters and Domestic Violence Resources
Legal Aid
Sexual Harassment
If you want to learn more about marginalized women and LGTBQ+ fights for equity, support organizations like:
