8 Great Ways to Celebrate Women's History Month Right Now

At IGN, we celebrate the incredible women who shape our industry and the world—not just this March, but every month. Join us in recognizing and amplifying their voices. Here's your guide to Women's History Month and how to celebrate.

The History of Women's History Month

Women's History Month originated from a 1987 petition by the National Women’s History Project, aiming to celebrate women's contributions to the U.S. and acknowledge their achievements across various fields. Interestingly, it started as "Women’s History Week" in 1982, expanding to a month-long national celebration in 1987. Since 1995, every U.S. President has issued a proclamation designating March as Women’s History Month.

8 Ways to Celebrate Women's History Month

• Learn About Women in History and Share Their Stories
• Support Women-Owned Businesses and Professionals
• Watch Movies or Shows Directed by Women
• Read Books Written by Women Authors
• Play Games Created by Women
• Listen to Podcasts Featuring Women
• Volunteer at Women-Based Organizations
• Donate to Programs and Organizations Uplifting Women

1. Learn About Women in History and Share Their Stories

Discover inspiring women throughout history—inventors, leaders, and more. Explore resources like the Smithsonian website, StoryCorps, and The History Channel.

Suggested Reads:

• How Women Taught Me to Love and Build Games
• Yoko Shimomura's Story: The Composer of Kingdom Hearts, Super Mario RPG, and More Wins Game Developers Choice Award for Lifetime Achievement
• Twelve Black Women You Should Know
• 10 Women Inventors You Should Know

2. Support Women-Owned Businesses and Professionals

Support women entrepreneurs! Shop online at Etsy, explore directories like WBD and FoundedByHer, or use Amazon's filter for women-owned retailers. Also, support women's career growth by engaging with organizations like SoundGirls, which fosters networking and support within the audio industry.

Also see: 14 Great Women Comic Book Writers.

3. Watch Movies or Shows Featuring Women or Directed by Women

Explore streaming services like Hulu (featuring shows with Black female leads) and Showtime's SHOWTIME WOMEN®, showcasing diverse female talent. Catch up on award-winning films like Anora, starring Mikey Madison.

Our Anora Review:

Writer Lex Briscuso said, "Sean Baker’s hysterical and moving Anora serves up its lead character’s purity of heart on a silver platter, showing us what it means to be let down just when the world seems so full of possibility. In this frank exploration of sex work, class, and the promises we make and break, the director reaches our souls and reminds us life isn’t all it seems to be through a story of outcasts and outsiders."

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Here are more ways to watch Anora.

Discover Women Directors:

Enjoy films like Barbie, American Psycho, and The Hurt Locker, all directed by women. Netflix offers easy browsing of women-directed movies.

Watch Women's Sports:

Support women's sports! ESPNW covers major leagues (NWSL, WNBA, NCAAW), and justwomenssports.com is dedicated entirely to women's athletics. We also recommend checking out WOW (Women of Wrestling). Stream many events on ESPN+.

ESPN+
Sign up for a standalone ESPN+ subscription or as part of the Disney Bundle. See it at ESPN+

4. Read Books Written by Women

Women authors now publish over 50% of all books! Explore diverse genres and authors. Here's a list of 10 books by Black women to get you started.

Best-Selling Books by Women Authors
Browse Amazon's most popular best sellers. See it at Amazon

5. Play and Discover Women-Led Games

Many incredible games are created by women! From Portal and Celeste to Uncharted and Centipede, explore games with women creators. Learn more about women in game development and find curated lists of games created by women on sites like G2A and Microsoft.

6. Listen to Podcasts Hosted by Women

Explore a wide range of podcasts hosted by women, covering news, history, comedy, and more. NY Public Radio has a list of over 100 to get you started. Here are some IGN recommendations:

• You're Wrong About: Sarah dives into reconsidering miscast people and events.
• Ladies & Tangents: Jeri and Ciara discuss companionship, human rights, and more.
• Scam Goddess: Laci Mosley explores scams and "fun crime."
• Axe of the Blood God: Kat Bailey, Nadia Oxford, and Eric Van Allen discuss RPGs.
• What's Good Games: Andrea Rene, Brittney Brombacher, and Riana Manuel-Peña analyze video game news.
• My Favorite Murder: Karen Kilgariff and Georgia Hardstark cover true crime comedy.
• This Ends At Prom: BJ Colangelo and Harmony Colangelo analyze coming-of-age films.
• Girlfriend Material: Rosie Turner shares funny stories and chats.
• A Little Queer: Capri and Ashley discuss queer culture.
• The Artist In Me Is Dead: Rhonda Willers explores creativity.
• Conversations With Moon Body Soul: Kaitee Tyner discusses holistic wellness.

(All podcasts listed above are available on Apple Podcasts.)