March for Midwives – International Women’s Day
Every year on 8 March, streets around the world fill with people demanding change. From mass demonstrations in capital cities to local marches organised by communities, International Women’s Day (IWD) is a moment to claim space, raise voices, and insist on progress for women’s rights and gender equality.
This year, let’s make IWD count for women’s sexual and reproductive health and rights. At a time of growing global pushback on access to care, women’s health must be high on our collective agenda. And if we are serious about women’s health, we must be serious about midwives.
Why march for midwives?
Midwives are central to the health and wellbeing of women and gender diverse people across their lives. They provide sexual and reproductive health services, contraception, comprehensive abortion care, antenatal and postnatal care, care during birth, and ongoing support for newborns and families.
Without enough midwives, women face delays or barriers to essential care, health systems become more medicalised and less responsive to women’s needs, and inequalities in health outcomes grow wider and harder to reverse. But the impact goes beyond access to services. Without enough midwives, we also lose some of the strongest advocates for women’s rights and gender equality. Midwives do not only provide care. They uphold informed decision-making, autonomy, and dignity, and support women to exercise control over their bodies and their health. When midwives are missing, women lose access not only to care, but to choice, agency, and rights.
Our demand for change
You might be wondering how big this gap really is. The answer is stark and urgent: the world is missing one million midwives. This shortage affects every region and leaves millions of women without access to essential care across their lives.
This is the moment for action. That is why we are driving the One Million More Midwives petition. It is a global call for governments and decision-makers to invest in, train, and employ the midwives women need.
Taking this demand to the streets turns IWD into an action-packed advocacy moment, transforming marches into political pressure and visibility into change.
How to take midwives with you this IWD
To help you bring the call for more midwives with you this IWD, we have prepared posters you can print and take to your local march. Or grab cardboard and markers and make your own sign. Keep it bold, clear, and impossible to ignore.
Printing your posters:
- Our posters are designed in a 3:4 scale, so they can be printed at different sizes, including A4, A3, A2, or larger, without losing quality.
- Download the posters in the highest resolution available before printing.
- Here you can find the editable templates, so you can translate the text into your own language before printing.
- You can print them at home on a standard printer, or take the file to a local print shop if you want a bigger or more durable sign. For marches, thicker paper or light card works best.
If you prefer to make your own sign, here are a few ideas you can use or adapt:
- Women’s health needs midwives
- No women’s rights without women’s health
- Care for women starts with midwives. We need more of them!
- If you care about women’s health, sign this petition!
Always add the petition link to your sign or banner: www.millionmore.org
Turning up matters. Turning up with a clear demand matters more.
How to join your local IWD march
- Find a march near you: search online or on social media for International Women’s Day events in your city or town.
- Prepare your sign: print one of our posters or create your own. Keep the message simple, visible, and strong.
- Add the petition link: include www.millionmore.org so people know exactly how to take action.
- Bring others with you: march with other midwives, colleagues, friends, and allies. Collective action is powerful.
- Share and amplify: take photos, post them on social media, and encourage others to sign the petition. Tag @world_midwives so we can amplify your advocacy.
This International Women’s Day, march for women’s health. March for midwives.
