International Women’s Day

International Women’s Day (IWD) recognises the progress in gender equality around the world and celebrates women’s economic, political and social achievements. However, it also raises awareness of the inequality that remains and encourages people to fight for greater gender parity.

Who celebrates?

Everyone – it’s a global awareness day!

How do people celebrate?

• People and organisations celebrate their female role models but also raise awareness of the gender inequality that still exist in the UK
• Organisations may also share their plans to increase their gender balance

What should I know?

• The UK’s average gender pay gap is in favour of men by 9.9% and 7.9% in the charity sector
• 65% of charity sector employees are women but only 40% are in leadership roles
• Over 50% of females in the charity sector feel there is a lack of female role models in comparison to 36% of men

How can I support others?

• Commit to one action for the next year to combat gender bias in and outside of the workplace
• Celebrate the female role models in your charity
• Talk to people about their experience of using your services from a gender perspective
• Talk to your team about the gender representation among your volunteer, employee and service user population and if it’s representative of your area.

IWD resources: https://www.internationalwomensday.com/Resources

The Independent’s video on IWD history: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qEGB82ZMW_4

UN video on IWD: International Women’s Day 2020: We are #GenerationEquality

UN: 12 ways to make an impact: https://www.unwomen.org/en/news/stories/2020/2/compilation-small-actions-big-impact-for-generation-equality