The Congress welcomed formal delegations from 12 countries, uniting almost 200 women. It was intended as a response to women being largely excluded from the early workings of the International Labor Organization (ILO).

Key topics discussed included women’s labour rights, the eight-hour workday, night work restrictions, migration, and policies regarding working mothers. Participants also debated whether women workers should strive for equal treatment with men, or demand women-specific labour protection due to the role as mothers and caregivers.

Delegates and members of voting delegations from Central and Eastern Europe included Dr. Hrbkova (Czechoslovakia), Luisa Landová-Štychová (Czechoslovakia, elected one of five vice-presidents), Marie Majerová (Czechoslovakia), Sophie Dobrzanska (Poland), Feliksa Konopska (Poland), Yadwiga Lukasiuk (Poland), Constancja Olschewska (Poland).

Other participants from Central and Eastern Europe included Madame Slavko Grouitch (Republic of Serbia), Melania Bornstein (Poland), Radmilla Lazarewitch (Republic of Serbia), and Dr. Klotz (Poland, translator, gender unknown).

Read more: The 1919 International Congress of Working Women: Transnational Debates on the “Woman Worker”