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International Women's Day

Updated Friday, 28 February 2025

International Women's Day celebrates the achievements of women to raise awareness about gender equality, so we've put together some of our top FREE resources about women's history and gender equality. This year the theme is #AccelerateAction for gender equality.

International Women's Day celebrates the achievements of women to raise awareness about gender equality. 

International Women's Day is celebrated every year on 8th March, with thousands of events occurring around the world to mark the economic, political and social achievements of women. 

Below are some of our top picks for this year. Each article, interactive or free course will teach you about the most influential women of our time and the struggle for equality.

Educate Women on Health Choice Decisions 

From menopause to abortion – dig deeper into some of the social factors that have influenced women’s health. 

  • Talking about the menopause: symptoms, support and the role of exercise

    This free OpenLearn course is designed to help anyone whose life is affected by the menopause. No matter what gender you identify with, this transitional phase can affect people in all sorts of ways, so this course is open to all. The objectives are to empower everyone, by increasing knowledge of what the menopause is and the effects it can ...

    Learn more to access more details of Talking about the menopause: symptoms, support and the role of exercise
    Talking about the menopause: symptoms, support and the role of exercise

  • Wholly Trinity: Abortion, Art and Activism in Ireland

    "…art can assist people to learn not only about the objective forces at work in the society in which they live, but also about the intensely social character of their interior lives. Ultimately, it can propel people toward social emancipation." (Angela Davis).This short film, produced collaboratively by The Open University, Alliance for Choice ...

    Watch now to access more details of Wholly Trinity: Abortion, Art and Activism in Ireland
    Wholly Trinity: Abortion, Art and Activism in Ireland

  • Exploring issues in women's health

    This free course, Exploring issues in women's health, will introduce social model approaches to health and wellbeing, which take as their starting point not the scientific context of the body, but the social context in which women live. The focus is on women and the impact of social and cultural factors on women's health. The course touches...

    Learn more to access more details of Exploring issues in women's health
    Exploring issues in women's health

  • Why do women need abortions?

    Roe Vs Wade has been overturned, meaning half of US women will be stripped of their right to choose. Explore our video collection on women's abortion experiences based on Open University research that shows how an unintended and unwanted pregnancy can easily happen, even when using contraception.

    Watch now to access more details of Why do women need abortions?
    Why do women need abortions?

  • Four weird ideas people used to have about women’s periods

    Professor of Classical Studies Helen King takes a look at historic beliefs around menstrual periods.

    Watch now to access more details of Four weird ideas people used to have about women’s periods
    Four weird ideas people used to have about women’s periods

  • Women have heart attacks too - but why do they often go misdiagnosed?

    Women are no less likely to die from a heart attack than men - and some groups of women may be more likely to suffer an attack. But more men receive treatment for the condition. Patricia Davidson suggests why this might be - and how it should change.

    Read now to access more details of Women have heart attacks too - but why do they often go misdiagnosed?
    Women have heart attacks too - but why do they often go misdiagnosed?

Celebrate Women in STEM 

Explore some of the female trailblazers in science, technology, engineering and maths and honour them by taking on a career in these fields (or inspire a young woman or girl to do that instead!). 

  • Returning to STEM

    This free badged course, Returning to STEM, offers useful skills and solutions to help you get back into a career in science, technology, engineering or mathematics (STEM).

    Learn more to access more details of Returning to STEM
    Returning to STEM

  • Katherine Johnson: NASA mathematician and much-needed role model

    Katherine Johnson, who in February 2020 died at the age of 101, was an amazing woman. But up until a few years ago, hardly anyone had heard of her or her achievements. Professor Monica Grady explores her amazing legacy.

    Read now to access more details of Katherine Johnson: NASA mathematician and much-needed role model
    Katherine Johnson: NASA mathematician and much-needed role model

  • Emmy Noether: Bucking the historical trends

    Mathematics isn't solely the pursuit of men. We should celebrate great thinkers like Emmy Noether and the superb work of women in mathematics today

    Read now to access more details of Emmy Noether: Bucking the historical trends
    Emmy Noether: Bucking the historical trends

Applaud Equality for Women in Sport

Empower female athletes and take a look at some of the challenges for women in sport and recognise their contribution.

  • Supporting female performance in sport and fitness

    Do you support women’s performance in sport or fitness as a coach or parent? Are you a female athlete who wants to optimise your performance using recent research insights? If so, then this free course is for you. It addresses the problem of sports science research traditionally being male dominated and the assumption that if it works for men ...

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    Supporting female performance in sport and fitness

  • Issues in women's health in relation to sport and fitness

    Explore some themes in women's sport in the following animations.

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    Issues in women's health in relation to sport and fitness

  • Women in sport

    Ever thought about sports and wondered, but what about for a woman? These articles cover specific topics concerning women in sport, considering questions such as, what if Eliod Kipchoge was a woman? Are women leaders the key to growing women’s sport? What about motherhood, what are the challenges in returning to sport or starting up a new sport?

    Read now to access more details of Women in sport
    Women in sport

  • Pushing through the speed barrier: trailblazing women in motorsport

    Explore how women are increasingly breaking into the traditionally male-dominated field of motorsport in this article.

    Read now to access more details of Pushing through the speed barrier: trailblazing women in motorsport
    Pushing through the speed barrier: trailblazing women in motorsport

  • Women’s sport: insights from a researcher’s journey

    Have you ever witnessed the electrifying rush of motorcycle racing and then realised you’re watching women? The roar of the engines, the speed, the exceptional skill, the intense focus: it’s more than just a race for many women, it can be a fierce battle for empowerment and mastery.

    Read now to access more details of Women’s sport: insights from a researcher’s journey
    Women’s sport: insights from a researcher’s journey

  • Victory through resilience: how England Vitality Roses adapted to setbacks

    Failure is rarely something people seek out because it’s uncomfortable and reminds us of our shortcomings, whether of personal goals or external expectations. However, avoiding failure would mean avoiding sports.

    Read now to access more details of Victory through resilience: how England Vitality Roses adapted to setbacks
    Victory through resilience: how England Vitality Roses adapted to setbacks

Take Note of the Women Who Changed the World

 Be inspired by some extraordinary women from across the world who challenged inequality and broke patriarchal rules. 

  • The history of female protest and suffrage in the UK

    This free course focuses on one example of democratic protest: the campaign to extend the vote to women in the UK. In the course you'll be introduced to two key figures in the campaign, Ada Nield Chew and May Billinghurst, and you'll look at the ways in which the Women's Social and Political Union, the National Union of Women's Suffrage ...

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    The history of female protest and suffrage in the UK

  • How women changed the world

    Who wrote the first novel over 1000 years ago? Who disguised herself as a man to explore the new world? Take this interactive world tour to discover the stories the history books left out. 

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    How women changed the world

  • The Extraordinary Rosa Parks

    In 1955, Rosa Parks boarded a bus and history was changed forever.

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    The Extraordinary Rosa Parks
  

Build Inclusive Workplaces so Women can Thrive 

Make efforts to smash that glass ceiling and find out what can be done to make your workplace more inclusive.  

  • How can we stop science, engineering and technology losing talented women?

    There's still a massive gender imbalance in university STEM subjects. What can be done to address this? Clem Herman has some ideas...

    Read now to access more details of How can we stop science, engineering and technology losing talented women?
    How can we stop science, engineering and technology losing talented women?

  • Hybrid working: wellbeing and inclusion

    How is your workforce doing? What impact did the post-COVID-19 ‘pivot to online’ and the processes and practices that have followed have on staff wellbeing? This course will explore what workplace wellbeing means in a hybrid working world – whose responsibility it is, the challenges involved in creating and maintaining it, and the benefits it ...

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    Hybrid working: wellbeing and inclusion
  

Explore Instersectionality

Take a look at the links between race, gender and other systems that work to oppress women in the resources below.    
            

Look at Insights into Violence against Women

From exploring ways to help victims of rape and sexual assault to police brutality, these articles look further into violence against women.

  • Introduction to the trauma-informed investigation of rape and serious sexual offences article series

    Trauma can affect the way victims of rape or serious sexual offences behave and react, so how should police officers go about investigating these cases? This series of articles explores research looking into these investigations and the need for a trauma-informed approach.

    Read now to access more details of Introduction to the trauma-informed investigation of rape and serious sexual offences article series
    Introduction to the trauma-informed investigation of rape and serious sexual offences article series

  • Black Women and State-Sanctioned Police Violence: The Case of Sarah Reed

    In January 2016, Sarah Reed, a woman with known mental health problems, was found dead in her cell at Holloway prison. She had been a victim of police violence a few years earlier. This article explores the injustice in the Criminal Justice System experienced by black women. 

    Read now to access more details of Black Women and State-Sanctioned Police Violence: The Case of Sarah Reed
    Black Women and State-Sanctioned Police Violence: The Case of Sarah Reed

  • Here’s the truth about false accusations of sexual violence

    This year has seen a significant rise in reported cases of sexual harassment. Campaigns such as #MeToo has provided a platform for people to connect with other victims. But how do we know these allegations are legitimate? 

    Read now to access more details of Here’s the truth about false accusations of sexual violence
    Here’s the truth about false accusations of sexual violence

Debunk the Myths Surrounding Women in Male-Dominated Careers 

 Ever fancied a job in engineering, science or mathematics? Go for it – but before you might like to gain some inspiration from the resources below.  

  • Seven myths of being a female engineer

    There is a mountain of myths surrounding the engineering profession – particularly the role of women within the industry.

    Read now to access more details of Seven myths of being a female engineer
    Seven myths of being a female engineer

  • Wangari Maathai: standing up for women and the environment

    Professor Wangari Maathai was an environmentalist and the first female African Nobel Peace Prize winner. Yoseph Araya explores her contribution to the environment and what that meant to be a woman in this field of work.

    Read now to access more details of Wangari Maathai: standing up for women and the environment
    Wangari Maathai: standing up for women and the environment

  • Exploring stereotypes in STEM

    Who belongs to STEM? This collection of videos explores stereoptypes in Science, Technology, Engineering and Maths.

    Watch now to access more details of Exploring stereotypes in STEM
    Exploring stereotypes in STEM

 

Continue your learning with a free course

  • Exploring Virginia Woolf’s Between the Acts

    This free course introduces Virginia Woolf’s last novel, Between the Acts (1941), with the aim of understanding how she writes about time, memory, and ideas about identity. It also considers why Woolf’s fiction is often considered difficult. Selected extracts from her essays on writing help to clarify some of these perceived difficulties, ...

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    Exploring Virginia Woolf’s Between the Acts

  • Janis Joplin and the Sexual Revolution

    This free course, Janis Joplin and the Sexual Revolution, will introduce you to issues around the sexual revolution and how this, and other contemporary social revolutions of the 1960s, impacted upon American rock musician Janis Joplin (1943-1970). You will investigate the extent to which the contemporary sexual revolution brought about ...

    Learn more to access more details of Janis Joplin and the Sexual Revolution
    Janis Joplin and the Sexual Revolution

  • Simone de Beauvoir and the feminist revolution

    In this free course you will study the ideas of philosopher Simone de Beauvoir (1908-1986). In doing so you will also briefly study the philosophy of Beauvoir’s lifelong partner, philosopher Jean-Paul Sartre. The type of philosophy that links them is called ‘existentialism’. Beauvoir and Sartre are the foremost philosophers of French ...

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    Simone de Beauvoir and the feminist revolution
  

None of these take your fancy? Why not browse through our full selection here. With over 1000 free courses available, there is something for everyone. 


 

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