International Women’s Day (March 8) 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.
The first International Women’s Day occurred in 1911, supported by over one million people. Today, millions support IWD globally.
International Women’s Day 2020 campaign theme is #EachforEqual
The campaign theme for IWD this year is #EachforEqual. As Greta Thunberg, an environmental activist and campaigner for climate change have proven. One individual can make a change. Collectively we can all come together to affect real change.
I love this year’s theme #EachforEqual. We are all responsible for ourselves. Yet it is important to collectively fight for gender equality everywhere.
I am a massive advocate of celebrating other women’s achievements in the workplace. Whilst a massive fan of celebrating everyone’s achievements, it’s key to mentor and celebrate women in every aspect of our lives. We still face everyday sexism in the workplace. How many times have you been ignored, passed over or not taken seriously? It’s also important that our brothers, fathers, friends and co-workers support us too.
IWD2020 Campaign Messages
Below you can find key messages from the IWD2020 Campaign, which I felt important to share with you all.
‘An equal world is an enabled world.
Individually, we’re all responsible for our own thoughts and actions – all day, every day.
We can actively choose to challenge stereotypes, fight bias, broaden perceptions, improve situations and celebrate women’s achievements.
Collectively, each one of us can help create a gender-equal world.
Let’s all be #EachforEqual.‘
#EachforEqual is ‘Collective Individualism’
‘The IWD 2020 campaign theme looks at how we can all contribute through ‘Collective Individualism.’
We are all parts of a whole. Our individual actions, conversations, behaviours and mindsets can have an impact on our larger society.
Collectively, we can make change happen. Collectively, we can each help to create a gender-equal world.
We can all choose to be #EachforEqual.’
Year-long activity and collaboration
The 2020 #EachforEqual campaign runs all year long. It doesn’t end today on International Women’s Day.
The campaign theme provides a unified direction to guide and galvanize continuous collective action, with #EachforEqual activity reinforced and amplified all year.
How can we get involved?
So what can we all do to help each other? Laura Whitmore recently spoke about being kind to each other on BBC Radio 5 Live, following the tragic death of Caroline Flack. If we were all responsible for ourselves. What we say. What we do. Then we can individually and collectively help this world be a kinder and better place. In a number of parts of the world, women are still fighting for their basic rights. Let’s not forget them.
We can all contribute in some way. As mothers, daughters, aunts, work-colleagues and friends. We can all make a difference. Some ideas of how we can all contribute are below.
- Look for Events this year where you can contribute, fund-raise or raise awareness of key causes
- Educate yourself about Personal Finance & Money, learn about pensions, investing and wealth management
- Focus on YOU. How to progress in your career/job/field of expertise
- Celebrate and champion other women in the workplace. Work together to combat sexism and inequality
Join in the IWD 2020 Missions
Collectively, we can forge women’s equality. Together we can achieve this sooner and faster. International Women’s Day 2020 sees a number of exciting and important MISSIONS launched, aimed at:
- raising greater awareness about issues impacting women’s equality
- taking a stance to call out inequality while working to forge more positive action
- highlighting and applauding where important gains are being made
- celebrating women’s achievements and accomplishments
Women in Technology Mission
To celebrate digital advancement and champion the women forging innovation through technology
Women in Sport Mission
To celebrate women athletes and applaud when equality is achieved in pay, sponsorship and visibility
Women at Work Mission
Women Entrepreneurs Mission
To celebrate digital advancement and champion the women forging innovation through technology.
Women’s Health Mission
To assist women to be in a position of power for making informed decisions about their health.
Women Creative’s Mission
To increase the visibility of women creatives and promote their work for commercial projects. Musician C Cane fronted a competition looking for female rappers this year.
Prime Employers for Women
Men and women need to work together to make the workplace equal. Financial and workplace equality is of paramount importance to our current and future careers. From the minute women enter the workplace, equal pay should be a guarantee. We also need to set the precedent for women entering the workplace after us.
Does your workplace champion and celebrate women?. It’s important to understand our value, ask for promotions and pay rises, even in this post-Brexit economy. Know your worth. If you do not feel valued where you are. Look to move on to something better. Don’t stay where you don’t feel nurtured, valued and championed.
Prime Employers for Women meet 10 criteria
Employers like Diego, Oracle and, Amazon and MacDonalds are all employers which meet the criteria to become a Prime Employer.
- demonstrate executive leadership commitment to gender equality
- embrace a culture of diversity and inclusion
- forge a female hiring pipeline from early career to executive level
- value and support flexible working arrangements
- provide formal avenues to address any concerns of bias
- ensure women’s inclusion from supply chain through to decision making
- ensure marketing and communications are consistently free from stereotyping
- provide external support for women’s advancement
- monitor progress and outcomes from equality initiatives and activity
- maintain external validation of progressive employer practice