{"id":37397,"date":"2019-03-07T15:25:32","date_gmt":"2019-03-07T15:25:32","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.highspeedtraining.co.uk\/hub\/?p=37397"},"modified":"2025-03-04T13:24:23","modified_gmt":"2025-03-04T13:24:23","slug":"international-womens-day-workplace","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.highspeedtraining.co.uk\/hub\/international-womens-day-workplace\/","title":{"rendered":"How to Mark International Women’s Day in the Workplace"},"content":{"rendered":"

On the 8th March every year, the world celebrates all of the wonderful women that live within it. This is International Women’s Day<\/strong><\/a>: a globally recognised day with gender equality at its core. It has been celebrated for over 100 years.<\/p>\n

The theme for International Women’s Day 2025 is Accelerate Action<\/strong>, which emphasises the importance of taking swift and decisive steps to achieving gender equality. It calls for increased momentum and urgency in addressing the systemic barriers and biases that women face, both in personal and professional spheres.<\/p>\n

Companies can participate in the conversation around gender parity and empower their male and female employees to promote equality at all times. For this reason, it could be beneficial to mark the day within your workplace.<\/p>\n

\"IWD<\/p>\n

\u201cGender equality is a human fight, not a female fight.\u201d<\/strong><\/span> – Frieda Pinto<\/em><\/span><\/p>\n

\"IWD<\/p>\n

What is the History Behind International Women’s Day?<\/h2>\n

The beginning of the 20th century was a time of unrest and political debate amongst women. They were becoming more vocal about their oppression and were beginning to campaign for change.<\/p>\n

In 1908, 15,000 women marched through New York City, demanding better pay and voting rights. A National Women’s Day was celebrated across the USA the following year. In 1910, an International Socialist Women’s Conference, held in Copenhagen, voted to establish an annual International Women’s Day<\/strong>. In 1911<\/strong>, this was honoured for the first time in Austria, Denmark, Germany, and Switzerland. The United Nations began celebrating International Women’s Day on the 8th March in 1975<\/strong>. The day is now observed across most of the world and, in 27 countries, it is an official holiday.<\/p>\n

Many organisations have chosen to recognise International Women’s Day. Google<\/strong> have been known to change their logo to reflect the day, while toy-manufacturing company Mattel<\/strong> revealed 17 new ‘role model’ Barbies in 2018 to reflect real-life inspirational female figures, like sportswomen.<\/p>\n

Such public recognition can be valuable for\u00a0drawing attention to global issues and\u00a0encouraging action as part of a wider project. Smaller businesses also have the power to promote change by recognising International Women’s Day within their workplace.<\/p>\n

\"Business<\/p>\n

\"IWD<\/p>\n

“In the future, there will be no female leaders. There will just be leaders.”<\/strong> <\/span>– Sheryl Sandberg<\/em><\/p>\n

\"IWD<\/h2>\n

Why Do We Still Celebrate International Women’s Day?<\/h2>\n

Gender equality has improved massively over the past 100 years.\u00a0 In 1919, a woman couldn’t apply for a loan in her own name, couldn’t work in a legal profession or civil service, couldn’t claim equal pay for doing the same work as men, and couldn’t prosecute a spouse for rape. In the UK, these things are now unimaginable. This is because we’ve come a long way in the journey towards gender equality and we now have laws in place to prevent discrimination.<\/p>\n

Despite this, we still have a way to go before we can claim complete gender equality and parity. In the UK, men still earn, on average, 9% more than women<\/strong>. Only 23% of the world’s politicians are women<\/strong> and only 16% of people on FTSE 350 executives are women<\/strong>. Additionally, women make up 64% of the world’s illiterate population<\/strong>.<\/p>\n

It’s expected to take another 100 years<\/strong> for the gender gap to be balanced out. This is why we still celebrate International Women’s Day and why it’s important to keep fighting for gender equality and balance.<\/p>\n

\"A<\/p>\n

Is There an International Men’s Day?<\/h3>\n

International Men’s Day began in 1992 and is celebrated on the 19th November<\/strong> every year. The aim of this day is to shine a spotlight on men who make a positive difference in the world and raise awareness of issues that men face globally. With suicide still being the biggest killer of men under 45 years old, then days like International Men’s Day are essential for encouraging men to speak out and break the stigma surrounding mental health.<\/p>\n

If you choose to mark International Women’s Day in your organisation, then you should also celebrate International Men’s Day<\/strong> for the purposes of gender equality and balance. Keep an eye out for our advice on marking this occasion closer to the time.<\/p>\n

\"IWD<\/p>\n

“There is no limit to what we, as women, can accomplish.”<\/strong> <\/span>–<\/span> Michelle Obama<\/span><\/i><\/p>\n

\"IWD<\/p>\n

How Can I Recognise International Women’s Day in my Workplace?<\/h2>\n

Celebrating International Women’s Day in your workplace is one thing your business can do to enable a conversation around gender parity.<\/p>\n

Furthermore, acknowledging IWD encourages women to get involved in areas and industries that are largely made up of men. For example, if you are a software development business and the majority of your workforce are male, then showing that you recognise IWD may encourage females to apply. This is important when you consider that only 15% of employees working in STEM roles<\/a> in the UK are female.<\/p>\n

\"A<\/p>\n

Types of Activities for International Women’s Day<\/h3>\n

Your activities don’t have to be extravagant: small activities are still beneficial for raising awareness. Some ideas we have are:<\/p>\n