A roundtable was held at KUL NASU on the topic: ‘Soviet relic or struggle for rights: how March 8 appeared and what alternatives to the holiday exist in Ukraine?’

On March 8, 2024, a round table on the topic took place at the Kyiv University of Law of the National Academy of Sciences of Ukraine: «Soviet legacy or struggle for rights: how March 8 appeared and what alternatives to the holiday exist in Ukraine?», the organizer of which was an associate professor of the Department of General Theoretical Legal and Socio-Humanitarian Disciplines Olena Romanova.

Every year on March 8, the world celebrates International Women’s Day, which is historically also celebrated in our country. The holiday originated at the beginning of the 20th century, when the leader of the women’s group of the Social Democratic Party of Germany Clara Zetkin During the second International Conference of Working Women in Copenhagen, the idea of establishing International Women’s Day was expressed. In the Soviet Union, the main theme of the day was not women’s rights — they are replaced by postulates about ‘spring, beauty, and femininity’.

International Women’s Day is a symbol of women’s aspiration for peace, the realization of equal rights and opportunities, and the freedom to choose their own life path. This date is celebrated in remembrance of the cultural, political, and socio-economic achievements of women. The leitmotif of this date is the movement for women’s rights, which draws attention to issues such as gender equality, sexism, reproductive rights, and violence against women.
The round table participants explored the following topics:

• International Women’s Day: history;
• how the USSR turned March 8 into a ‘holiday of flowers and candies’;
• Ukrainian women’s struggle for gender equality;
• the contribution of women to the defense of the country and ensuring security;
• traditions of celebrating March 8 in the world.

A lecturer from the Department of General Theoretical Legal and Socio-Humanitarian Disciplines took part in the round table meeting Konstantin Borodin. During the event, students presented pre-prepared presentations, asked each other questions, discussed, and expressed their own views and positions.

The round table meeting was held both offline and online (on the Google Meet platform). At the end of the work, the results were summarized.

Press Center KUL NASU