International Women's Day - marked annually on March 8 - is a global event to celebrate and support women's rights, while calling for more gender equality.

The first observance of Women's Day on a national level took place in New York on February 28, 1909. It was marked on March 8 in several European countries in 1914 in support of women's right to vote.

The first country to make the day an official holiday was the erstwhile Soviet Union in 1965.

But it became a truly global event when the United Nations in 1975 began marking March 8 as International Women's Day, which is now an official holiday in 27 countries.

Over the last 100 years, women in many countries secured labour rights and protection from violence, access to sexual and reproductive health, and political rights to reach the highest positions of leadership.

However, the original goal of achieving full global gender equality is still a long way off.