Reflecting on International Women's Day in 2024
“Reflecting on International Women’s Day,” in the centre on a blue background. Navy blobs at the top and bottom opposite corners with pink outline blobs.
International Women’s Day is March 8th in the spirit of collective action for gender equality and rights of women and girls. This year, the theme is Inspire Inclusion to showcase the many ways that action and awareness can be done to promote the participation of women and girls in our societies.
Women and girls’ rights are human rights. So I would like to highlight what I have learned over the years that have informed and increased my participation in advocating for gender equality.
Activism for women and girls rights is diverse with many ideas and directions. We all have different experiences and perspectives of what solutions would best fit the environment that we exist in. There is never one solution that fixes all the issues that women and girls face and in different environments and needs, it may not make sense to implement.
We all have a role to play and it is at every level. There is work to be done from the conversations we have with our community all the way to the policies and decisions being made for women and girls that can impact their rights. Do the level that you think best fits your capacity, interest, and overall goal. It is great to dream big but it is also great to take action wherever we can.
Gender parity, which is a common issue that is being discussed on all levels of action, is alarmingly so far away. On average, it will take 130 years to close the gender pay gap according to the Global Gender Gap Index Report 2023. There are prominent industries such as STEAM that have the largest gap affecting access and growth that women and girls can benefit from and for society.
Women and economic growth are quite connected. If we want strong economic growth, women’s participation is the biggest driver to the growth that is so desired. If their rights and needs are not being considered, you may not see the growth that is driven by women’s involvement.
There are so many interconnecting issues that need to be considered for women and girls. In the topic of equality, the main consideration is the value to be respected, safe, and feel like they belong to the community. Women and girls contribute so much, but it is not always recognized. Creating an environment and space in which women and girls can feel like belonging due to being respected, safe and heard is critical to the success of society.
Feel free to learn more about International Women’s Day and the amazing conversations that are happening this month.
International Women’s Day - https://www.internationalwomensday.com/
UN Women - https://www.unwomen.org/en
Commission on the Status of Women - https://www.unwomen.org/en/csw
NGO Forum - CSW68 - https://ngocsw.org/ngocsw68/
Amanda