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Women’s History Month Facts & Worksheets

Women’s History Month is an annual celebration in Australia, United States, Canada and the United Kingdom that highlights the contributions of women in society. It’s celebrated during March in Australia, the U.S. and the U.K., and in October in Canada.

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Women’s History Month is an annual celebration in Australia, the United States, Canada, and the United Kingdom that highlights the contributions of women in society. It’s celebrated in March in Australia, the US, and the UK, and in October in Canada.

See the fact file below for more information on the Women’s History Month or alternatively, you can download our 35-page Women’s History Month worksheet pack to utilize within the classroom or home environment.

Key Facts & Information

HISTORICAL BACKGROUND

  • Women’s History Month is in line with International Women’s Day on 8 March. In Canada, it’s celebrated during October, running in conjunction with the celebration of Person’s Day on 18 October.
  • The legacy of Women’s History Month can be traced back to the first International Women’s Day held in 1911.
  • The Education Task Force of the Sonoma County Commission on the Status of Women, located in California, initiated a “Women’s History Week” celebration in 1978. Parades, essay contests, and other school activities were conducted in line with the celebration.
  • Women’s History Week was designed around the week of International Women’s Day, which is 8 March.
  • In 1979, The Women’s History Institute at Sarah Lawrence College, chaired by noted historian Gerda Lerner, conducted a fifteen-day conference from 13-29 July. When the attendees learned about the successful Women’s History Week of Sonoma County, they agreed to initiate similar celebrations.
  • By February 1980, U.S. President Jimmy Carter issued a presidential proclamation declaring the week of 8 March, 1980, as National Women’s History Week.
  • Within a few years, numerous schools and communities across the country were celebrating Women’s History Week as supported by the local government units.
  • Every year, the date for Women’s History Week changed. The National Women’s History Project was responsible for spearheading the annual lobbying effort.

WOMEN’S HISTORY MONTH CELEBRATION

  • By 1986, 14 states in the US had declared March as Women’s History Month. This action was used as the rationale for Congress to declare the entire month of March 1987 as National Women’s History Month.
  • In Canada, Women’s History Month was proclaimed in 1992. Its purpose is to give Canadians an opportunity to learn more about the contributions of women to society.
  • In Australia, Women’s History Month was first celebrated in 2000 as initiated by Helen Leonard, head of the National Women’s Media Centre, working with the Women’s Electoral Lobby.

ADDITIONAL INFORMATION ABOUT WOMEN AND WOMEN’S RIGHTS

  • On 8 February, 1909, the first Women’s Day took place in New York City. The Socialist Party organized the observance to commemorate the march of thousands of women who fought for economic rights.
  • During the mid-19th century, women in many countries started to organize movements to fight for their rights to vote and run for office.
  • They became known as suffragists or suffragettes.
  • In 1904, the International Women’s Suffrage Alliance was formed by Millicent Fawcett and Carrie Chapman Catt, along with other leading women’s rights activists.
  • In September 1893, the British colony of New Zealand was the first to pass national-level voting rights for women through the Electoral Bill. A year later, Australia also granted full rights to women to vote and represent parliament, except for aboriginal women of Australia.
  • In November 1918, British Parliament passed the Eligibility of Women Act allowing women to be elected in Parliament.
  • By 1920, countries including Denmark, USSR, Canada, Sweden, Iceland, Austria, Czechoslovakia, Germany, Luxembourg, Poland, the Netherlands, Austria, and the United States granted women the right to vote.
  • In the United States, the suffrage movement was led by Lucretia Mott and Elizabeth Cady Stanton who organized the first women’s rights convention, known as the Seneca Falls Convention in 1848.
  • Frederick Douglass, a former slave and abolitionist attended the convention. Susan B. Anthony also met the two at the World Anti-Slavery Convention held in England in 1850.
  • Today, at least 17% of U.S. Congressional and Senate seats are occupied by women.
  • In the field of sports, women were only allowed to join the Winter Olympic Games in 1924 for the figure skating event. By 1966, Roberta Gibb became the first woman to finish the Boston Marathon.
  • American novelist Edith Wharton became the first woman recipient of the Pulitzer Prize for fiction in 1921. In years before, accomplished authors including Jane Austen, the Brontë sisters, Mary Ann Evans and Louisa May Alcott all used male pen names to avoid discrimination.
  • Hatshepsut of ancient Egypt’s 18th dynasty was the only female pharaoh recorded in history.
  • The public philosopher and suffragist Jane Addams was the first woman laureate of the Nobel Peace Prize.

Women’s History Month Worksheets

This is a fantastic bundle that includes everything you need to know about Women’s History Month across 35 in-depth pages. These are ready-to-use Women’s History Month worksheets that are perfect for teaching students about Women’s History Month which is an annual celebration in Australia, the United States, Canada, and the United Kingdom that highlights the contributions of women in society. It’s celebrated in March in Australia, the US, and the UK, and in October in Canada.

Complete List Of Included Worksheets

  • Women’s History Month Worksheets
  • Women’s History Month Word Finder
  • Fact or Bluff
  • Who Am I?
  • All Over the World
  • Picture Analysis
  • Girl Power!
  • Women in Science
  • Poster Making
  • We’ll Sing For You
  • My Woman Idol
  • Five Events of Amazing Women
  • Women’s Rights
  • Women to Know
  • Lady Presidents
  • Suffragettes
  • Famous Firsts
  • Iconic Speeches
  • Golden Globe: Golden Voice
  • Herstory in History
  • Time for Woman

Frequently Asked Questions

What is Women’s History Month a celebration of?

Women’s History Month is an annual celebration of women’s role in and contributions to society throughout history until the present time.

When is Women’s History Month celebrated?

In countries like the United States, the United Kingdom, and Australia, the celebration happens every March of each year. In Canada however, it is observed in the month of October.

Who started Women’s History Month?

In passing Public Law 100-9, the U.S. Congress declared the month of March 1987 as National Women’s History Month after the appeal made by the National Women’s History Project.

Why is Women’s History Month celebrated?

This month-long celebration was initiated to give recognition to the contributions and achievements of women in the United States in different fields. Now, Women’s History Month is commemorated in various parts of the world to honor the accomplishments of women in their respective communities.

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Link will appear as Women’s History Month Facts & Worksheets: https://kidskonnect.com - KidsKonnect, February 26, 2023

Use With Any Curriculum

These worksheets have been specifically designed for use with any international curriculum. You can use these worksheets as-is, or edit them using Google Slides to make them more specific to your own student ability levels and curriculum standards.

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