Dating back over a century, with origins in 1911, International Women’s Day (IWD) has become an important day to reflect on progress, honour the achievements of women, and highlight the ongoing journey toward gender equality. Celebrated on the 8th of March, the day remains of global importance – simply because, on a worldwide scale, we’re not quite there yet. This year’s theme, ‘Inspire Inclusion’, is about inspiring others to understand and value women’s inclusion whilst also inspiring women to step into their power, knowing that they belong, are valued, and have equality. Here, we look at why this day remains globally relevant and highlight five influential women bringing the ‘inspire inclusion’ theme to life.

While we’ve come a long way – particularly in the Western world – sizeable gender inequality still exists globally in these critical areas:

 

Stop violence.

 

illustration of pay gap between man and women.

 

  • The great education divide continues
    Knowledge is power, and girls who receive a solid education are less likely to marry young and more likely to lead healthy, productive lives with better futures for themselves and their families. While this sounds like a simple equation, education remains scarce for many girls and young women today. UNICEF estimates that 129 million girls are out of school globally, with only 49% of countries having achieved gender parity in primary education. The barriers to education are many and varied, which UNESCO aims to address through its Strategy for Gender Equality in and through education.

Gender equality concept.

 

With so much work still to be done for women’s rights and gender equality, it’s important to highlight trail-blazing women who inspire and empower future generations. As part of celebrating IWD, we want to highlight our top five figures of femme-spiration:

 

 

  • Taylor Swift
    Named Time Magazine’s 2023 Person of the Year, Taylor Swift is the first woman ever to appear twice on a Person of the Year cover and is a force to be reckoned with. Not only is she a cultural icon, but she has shown the world time and time again that she can take back her power and change the game. In 2017, she became part of the #MeToo movement, appearing in court to testify against a radio DJ who sexually assaulted her, and more recently, she re-recorded many of her past albums – fittingly named ‘Taylor’s Versions’ – to regain rights to those that had been sold without her consent. Since then, she’s hit the tour circuit, embarking on a global tour that’s grossed over a billion dollars.

 

 

 

 

Inspire inclusion and make real change

Celebrating women’s achievements and raising awareness for gender equality is beyond burning your bra in the street, it’s about inspiring others to value women’s inclusion and inspiring women to be included, too.

This 8th March, take a moment to celebrate the inspirational women in your life and support women in any way you can – even the smallest action can help fuel our ongoing journey towards full gender equality.

 

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