What Is International Women’s Day?
International Women’s Day (March 8th) is a global day celebrating the social, economic, cultural, and political achievements of women. The day also marks a call to action for accelerating women’s equality.
IWD has occurred for well over a century, with the first IWD gathering in 1911 supported by over a million people. Today, IWD belongs to all groups collectively everywhere. IWD is not country, group or organisation specific.
Each year a new theme is announced by UN Women. Celebrating women’s achievements and increasing visibility, while calling out inequality, is key.
- raising greater awareness about issues impacting women's equality
- taking a stance to call out inequality while working to forge positive action
- highlighting and applauding where important gains are being made
- celebrating women's achievements and accomplishments
For #IWD2023 the theme is #EmbraceEquity. Imagine a gender equal world. A world free of bias, stereotypes, and discrimination. A world that is diverse, equitable, and inclusive. A world where difference is valued and celebrated.
What Does the Research Tell Us About International Women’s Day?
LeanIn and McKinsey publish the Women in the Workplace report every November. Here is the full report and here are the headlines from the 2022 data.
Why Is International Women’s Day Important to Leaders?
- The school system is female heavy but we are under-represented when it comes to female Headteachers, Executive Headteachers and CEOs.
- The glass ceiling sits above Deputy Headship level for women in educational leadership.
- The gender pay gap in education is significant for both the teachers/ leaders but also for the operations staff which is often female heavy too.
- The biggest demographic who leave teaching every year are women who are parents from 30-39.
- The school system is not as family-friendly as non-teachers assume it is and flexible working is not fully embraced across the system.
Key Questions to Reflect on as a Leader
- How are you celebrating women's achievements in the workplace?
- How are you forging women's equality with different stakeholders and different partners?
- How are you identifying the inequities in your workplace?
- How are you raising awareness of gender discrimination, prejudice and injustice?
- How intersectional is your approach and your lens to the experience of women in your workplace?
- How are you taking action to drive gender parity
- How are you collectively embracing equity?
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