International Women's Day 2026 | 11 Funny Movies to Watch, a Music Playlist and Much More!

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International Women’s Day (IWD) 2026 is Sunday March 8, and that means it’s time for our annual article with inspiring quotes, movies to watch, the 2026 themes, questions to consider—and more.

This year, I’ve created a separate article with ALL our inspirational IWD quotes and graphics to date. You can choose to grab an individual quote, or a ZIP file of an entire set to share with friends and/or on Social Media.

Then below, as well as the usual IWD History, 2026 IWD Themes and questions, you’ll also find a “Strong Women” Spotify song playlist (music is always uplifting and inspiring), plus our movie recommendations for this year. And this year, with everything going on in the world, we’ve chosen funny movies for you to help lighten our mood.

What will you do for International Women’s Day (IWD) this year?

Will you gather with friends to honour IWD?
Will you watch a female led movie with the people you love eg. your friends/children/partner? (we have a list to help with that!)
Will you listen to music by women? (we have a playlist for that!)
Will you discuss the issues in the world facing women, and how they might apply to or in your life? (we have questions to help with that too!).

In this International Women’s Day article you’ll find:

IWD at Fierce Kindness in 2026
A little International Women’s Day (IWD) History
The 2026 IWD Themes
How I Became a Proud Feminist

IWD Resources for 2026

A “Strong Women” Spotify Music Playlist
See ALL our International Women’s Day Quotes here (links to a separate article)
11 Movies to Watch this IWD
Go Deeper with these thought-provoking questions

What will you do for International Women’s Day this year?

IWD at Fierce Kindness in 2026

International Women’s Day is our annual reminder that 1) we still have a way to go to achieve gender equality, and 2) that we all play a part.

I say this every year—but this year it feels more important than ever.

The United Nations says “Right now, in 2026, women have only 64 per cent of the legal rights that men hold worldwide.” Click here to learn more about the status of women’s rights worldwide.

For example, there are horrors happening to women in Afghanistan as women’s rights are rolled back. Iran is also actively trying to roll back women’s rights.

Then, with the release of the Epstein files we’re reminded that men in power still believe they can abuse women with impunity. And whilst many famous men mentioned in the files deny they were involved, many still used terms such as “bring your girls” or “bring your harem”. Some of these men continued associating with Epstein even after he was convicted. Even Deepak Chopra had a long-term friendship with Epstein and said some very questionable things.

And then the Gisele Pelicot memoir has just come out. In it she talks about the flood of letters she received from women who had similar experiences.

Tweet about Women Voting as their husbands do

Just one example of women being told to vote as their husbands do.

With more far right politics around the world we are seeing discussions like: Do women need to vote—or can the husband vote for the household?

And then we are seeing men shaving off their eyelashes (a trend on TikTok) to avoid looking “feminine”.

These are just a few of the issues around the world.

We need International Women’s Day now, more than ever!

So I hope this article inspires you to celebrate, share or do something to honour International Women’s Day in 2026!

First, a Little International Women’s Day (IWD) History

Theresa Malkiel (circa 1910)

According to Wikipedia the first Women’s Day observance—a “National Women’s Day” was in February 1909 in New York, USA. It was organized by the Socialist Party of America—and was the idea of a suffragist, workers activist and proponent of adult education for women: Theresa Malkiel. Ukranian born, she started as a factory worker and eventually became a leader within the Socialist party.

Considered so important, The United Nations adopted International Women’s Day in 1975. It occurs on March 8 every year, and in many parts of the world it’s an official holiday. And depending on where you are in the world, IWD might be an acknowledgement and celebration of historical—and more recent—achievements by women. And/or it might be an ongoing movement to ensure that women are seen and treated as equals.

According to InternationalWomensDay.com:

International Women’s Day is a global day celebrating the social, economic, cultural and political achievements of women. The day also marks a call to action for accelerating gender parity.

2026 IWD Themes

The United Nations theme for IWD in 2026 is: Rights. Justice. Action. For ALL Women and Girls. The UN is calling for, “…action to dismantle all barriers to equal justice: discriminatory laws, weak legal protections, and harmful practices and social norms that erode the rights of women and girls.”
The theme for 2026 at InternationalWomensDay.com is #Give To Gain. “Give To Gain emphasizes the power of reciprocity and support. When people, organizations, and communities give generously, opportunities and support for women increase. Giving is not a subtraction, it’s intentional multiplication. When women thrive, we all rise.”

Before we get into the International Women’s Day Resources for 2026, here’s a little story (nothing too dramatic, thankfully!) about my awakening as a feminist.

How I Became a Proud Feminist!

Back in 2006, I was growing my life coaching business and was at a local Chamber of Commerce networking event talking with 3 men (yeah, not my target market!), one of whom was a local politician.

The politician (let’s call him Roger) asked what I did for a living. So I said I was a life coach who coached women in tech, finance and law. Roger paused and scrunched up his face, and I thought: he’s going to ask me, “What on earth is a life coach?”. But instead, out of nowhere he said with the utmost loathing, “What? Are you a feminist?”.

And then he stalked off, leaving the other two men and I to raise our eyebrows at each other and wonder what just happened! I felt a little ashamed, but I couldn’t say why. And that night I went home and looked up feminism in a dictionary (it can’t be that bad, surely!). Anyway, here’s the definition I found:

feminism: a doctrine or movement that advocates equal rights for women.

And just like that, I realised everyone in the world should be a feminist! That was the moment I decided I would wholeheartedly embrace being a feminist.

We need to reclaim feminism

I get that many of us are scared to call ourselves a feminist, for fear of being associated with ‘those’ feminists who are shrill, demanding and ‘over-react’ to everything.
I get that many (especially) of the younger generations want to transcend gender by making it neutral or irrelevant. I LOVE this idea.

But… We still live in a world people born with female body-parts (no matter how you choose to present in the world) are silenced, and have their rights reduced and removed.

If we want equal rights for 50% of the world’s population, we need to reclaim feminism and we need to courageously stand up and say:

I believe in equal rights for women.
I am a feminist!

And next time someone ‘accuses’ me of being a feminist, I will reply: Gosh, yes, absolutely. Aren’t you?

“Strong Women” Spotify Music Playlist

I created this “Strong Women” Public Music Playlist on Spotify for IWD.

It’s an all-around celebration of women and music! With over 150 fabulous tunes (10+ hours!) that are proud, angry, sad, strong, vulnerable, fun—and just plain talented.

There are hits, as well as songs you won’t have heard before. You’ll find soul, pop, rock, R ‘n B, country, modern, old skool and classics. All Women—All Wonderful!

Did I miss a top tune? Comment below and let me know what you’d like to see in the playlist and I must just add it!

Finally, I’ve found 11 Funny Movies for You to Watch for IWD 2026

I love to share movies for IWD. It’s a great way to celebrate women, and also to feel uplifted and inspired to be—and do—more! Plus, movies are a fun way to learn, celebrate and come together—especially if you’re interested in other life experiences, careers and cultures.

And for 2026, with everything going on in the world, we wanted to help you laugh…

Did you know laughter is proven to be good for us? Just some of the benefits of laughing include:

Relaxing our muscles & relieving physical tension (for up to 45 mins).
Reducing stress hormones like cortisol.
Increasing our dopamine which boosts our mood.
And when we laugh with friends we boost our oxytocin (a feel-good bonding hormone).
Laughter also brains improves memory and focus (by bringing more oxygen to our brains)!

Here are 12 Great Things to Watch for IWD

Watch (and/or share) in honour of International Women’s Day with your teenagers, girlfriends, colleagues, children, partner and more!

This year as always, we’ve tried to ensure the movies represent a diverse range of womanhood—race, size, beauty, age etc.

First, a Comedy Short (1 min 47s)

I shared this last year, but it seems particularly topical this year with the increase in country-country aggression around the world:

The Baroness Von Sketch Show of the G4 World Summit—a short sketch of how the world would be if it were run by women… Share with your friends!

11 Funny Women Movies

Please Note: The links below take you to IMDb (Internet Movie Database) so you can watch trailers and read more about the movies.

Bridesmaids (2011) Written by women, and starring Kristen Wiig, Maya Rudolph and Rose Byrne this is a full-on mainstream comedy. A movie about friendship (in all its ‘positive’ and ‘negative’ glory) where our bride frets that marriage will mean she can’t spend time with her friends, and our maid of honour has her own life to sort out…
Joy Ride (2023) Written and directed by women, and starring Ashley Park, Sherry Cola and Stephanie Hsu. I thoroughly enjoyed this movie as friends help an adopted American Asian woman attempt to find her birth mother in China. Please Note: Rated R—it’s quite crude and gets pretty silly!
Girls Trip (2017) With 2 women writers, and starring Regina Hall, Queen Latifah and Jada Pinkett Smith. Four lifetime friends travel to New Orleans for a festival and well, let’s just call it a “ladies-on-the-loose” comedy! Again, it is R rated—perhaps for raucous and racy!
In a World… (2013) Written, directed and starring… a woman (Lake Bell). This is a comedy as a woman tries to make it in the voice over world, despite the sexist expectations that surround her—including from her own father (the “king” of voice over). Competing against her father and his protege, our heroine attempts to “change the voice of a generation”.
The Heat (2013) Written by a woman and starring Sandra Bullock and Melissa McCarthy, an “uptight” FBI agent (Bullock) has to team up with a “foul-mouthed” cop who likes to bend the rules (McCarthy) to catch a drug lord.
What Men Want (2019) With one woman writer and starring Taraji P. Henson and Kristen Ledlow. A woman sports agent finds she can hear what men are thinking, and this helps her get a competitive edge in trying to land a hot new client against male sports agents… Interestingly, this film helps us see that ultimately, we need to understand our own thoughts and feelings.
Trainwreck (2015) Written by and starring Amy Schumer and Brie Larson, this movie follows a women who loves to party and believes monogamy is unrealistic. She has been “trained” by her rogue of a dad that commitment is bad, but finally meets a “good” guy and has to (for want of a better description!) “grow up”.
Late Night (2019) Written by and starring Mindy Kaling and Emma Thompson. A talk show host (Emma Thompson) is under threat of losing her show and brings on (under pressure) a female writer (Mindy Kaling) to help. After much resistance from the show host—and eventually appreciating her writer—the two women come together to overcome the sexist and old school TV environment.
Nobody’s Fool (2018) Starring Tiffany Haddish and Tika Sumpter. Tiffany Haddish has just got out of prison and suspects her sister’s new man may be a scammer. Lots of attitude and crude humor! Please note this is rated R.
Booksmart (2019) Written and Directed by Women. Starring Kaitlyn Dever, Beanie Feldstein and Jessica Williams. Two high-achieving best friends realise they have worked too hard and missed out on the best time of their life. They decide to make up for lost partying on the eve of their graduation. I loved this movie, especially as our heroines are not perfect either and also have to confront their own prejudices!
Spy (2019) Starring Melissa McCarthy and Rose Byrne. Should we call this Jane Bond? A top desk-based CIA agent volunteers and becomes an unexpected high stakes “James Bond” type spy and saves the day. Thoroughly enjoyed this silly movie.

For even more movie ideas:

Questions to “Go Deeper” this International Women’s Day

If you want to go a bit deeper yourself, or create discussion with your children, loved ones, colleagues or friends, here are a few powerful questions for this year’s International Women’s Day:

Celebrating Women

Which aspects of IWD most interest you? ie. celebrating women’s achievements, highlighting remaining issues, the 2026 themes around Rights. Justice. Action #Give To Gain or something else?
What women’s achievements can you name from history?
How do you seek out and celebrate women’s achievements today?
If you are a woman, what could you do to own your own achievements?
What do you think we should focus on to make the world a fairer place for women?

International Women’s Day

What are you doing to celebrate International Women’s Day this year?
If you’re a man: How will you use this year’s IWD to shift how you think about women?
If you’re a woman: How will you use IWD to shift what you think and feel about womanhood?
For both women and men: What are your limiting beliefs and prejudices around women?
- Consider what prejudices or limiting beliefs might you have around women, beauty and sexuality, skin colour, size, age, education, ability, roles etc.
What do you do when you notice gender bias, discrimination or stereotyping?
Are you willing to actively call out gender bias, discrimination and stereotyping when you see it? If not, why not?

Don’t worry about what you should do, worry about what you can do. Gloria Steinem

IWD 2026 Themes: Rights. Justice. Action. For ALL Women and Girls + #Give To Gain

I have to be honest, I don’t love this year’s IWD themes (again). Yes, of course I’d like to see Rights. Justice. Action. For ALL Women and Girls (but this feels like a Truism). And #Give To Gain (what does this mean? Women give so much already!) I prefer the idea of Generous Support. ANYway…

Here’s what the UN says this year: “No matter how deeply rooted the sexism or how discouraging the politics, we refuse to step back or abandon our mandate. Instead, we climb together—for the rights and empowerment of all women and girls.”

And here are some further questions inspired by this year’s IWD Themes:

How could you support the rights of women in the spheres of your life where you have influence? (for example your home/work/social/recreation/leisure/exercise etc.)
How and where could you be more generous and supportive of the women in your life (without sacrificing yourself!)?
What does feminism mean to you? What gets in the way of you being a proud feminist?
What concerns do you have around the rights of women in your country?
Women of colour, with disabilities, of minority religions, non-heterosexual and trans people (and many other ways we can discriminate) can add an extra dimension of challenge.
- What concerns do you have around diversity, inclusion and belonging more generally? What are they and why do you think that is?
What are you willing to do to help create a world where everyone is included (including you!)?

So, what will you do for International Women’s Day this year?

There are still millions of women all around the world who are restricted, controlled and don’t have the same rights as men—and in many countries this is going backwards.

What is most scary to me is that even in so-called “Western” or industrialised nations, we continue to objectify women (and ourselves!). There are trends that want to put women back in the home, and many men are becoming more and more obsessed with “masculinity” in a way that is denigrating to womanhood.

So what will you do this IWD?

Will you gather with friends for International Women’s Day this year?
Will you watch a movie with the people you love (your friends/children/partner): one that highlights female humour, courage, achievements—and/or struggles?
Will you listen to music by women?
Will you discuss the issues in the world facing women, and how they might apply to or in your life? (see the questions above).

And remember:

A feminist is anyone who recognizes the equality and full humanity of women and men. Gloria Steinem

If you liked this International Women’s Day article, you may also like:

Image of Happy Women Friends for International Women’s Day by Rido via Shutterstock

Image of Theresa Malkiel by Unknown via Marxists Internet Archive Photo Gallery