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

At IGN, we celebrate the incredible women who shape our industry and world—their creativity, inspiration, empowerment, and positive impact. This isn't just a March thing; it's an ongoing commitment. Join us in recognizing and uplifting women's voices. Here's a guide to Women's History Month and ways to celebrate this March.

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. It evolved from "Women’s History Week" (March 7, 1982) into a month-long national celebration. Since 1995, every U.S. President has issued a proclamation designating March as Women’s History Month.

TL;DR - 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

Explore the stories of influential women—inventors, leaders, and more. Start with online resources like the Smithsonian archives, 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, browse directories like WBD and FoundedByHer, or use Amazon's filters to find women-owned retailers. Also, actively support women's career growth. Organizations like SoundGirls provide networking and support for women in audio. Sharing success stories and promoting organizations offering workshops and resources helps uplift women in business.

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 and movies with Black female leads) and SHOWTIME WOMEN®, showcasing films by and featuring women. Catch up on award-winning films like Anora, starring Mikey Madison.

Our Anora Review:

Lex Briscuso wrote, "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."

[See it at Hulu](link to Hulu)

Discover Women Directors:

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

Watch Women's Sports:

Support women's sports! ESPNW covers major leagues (NWSL, WNBA, NCAAW), and justwomenssports.com is dedicated to women's athletics. We also highlight WOW (Women of Wrestling).

Stream events on:

[ESPN+](link to ESPN+)

4. Read Books Written by Women

Women authors are prolific! BookRiot notes women publish over 50% of all books since 2020. Explore diverse genres and authors. Here's a list of 10 books by Black women.

[Best-Selling Books by Women Authors](link to Amazon)

5. Play and Discover Women-Led Games

Many fantastic games are created by women. From Portal to Celeste and Uncharted, women have made significant contributions. Explore game lists featuring women creators on G2A, Microsoft, and other platforms. Consider Celeste's journey to becoming a significant trans game.

6. Listen to Podcasts Hosted by Women

Discover a wide range of podcasts hosted by women, covering news, history, comedy, and more. NY Public Radio offers a list of over 100. Here are some recommendations:

• You're Wrong About: Sarah examines miscast people and events.
• Ladies & Tangents: Jeri and Ciara discuss companionship and human rights.
• 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 discuss video games.
• My Favorite Murder: Karen Kilgariff and Georgia Hardstark explore true crime comedy.
• This Ends At Prom: BJ Colangelo and Harmony Colangelo analyze teen girl movies.
• 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 shares holistic wellness topics.

(Note: Links to Apple Podcasts or other podcast platforms would be inserted here for each podcast)