The 8th of this month is International Women’s Day, a global day to celebrate the social, economic, and political achievements of women worldwide.

Although International Women’s Day is still a few days away, we wanted to take the opportunity to discuss it now. Starting the conversation early builds momentum, giving individuals and organisations time to reflect on progress and acknowledge the work ahead.

Every year, International Women’s Day is celebrated with a unique theme that focuses on specific aspects of gender equality. This year’s theme is “Accelerate Action,” which highlights the need for fast and decisive steps to overcome gender inequality. https://www.internationalwomensday.com/Theme

Despite the progress made globally, women still face disparities in areas such as economic participation, political representation, and access to education. At the current rate, the World Economic Forum estimates that achieving full gender parity could take until 2158, which is around five generations from now.

The COVID-19 pandemic further worsened these issues, disproportionately affecting women in terms of increased job losses, caregiving responsibilities, and incidents of domestic violence. Unfortunately, we are now seeing a scale back of of DEI policies globally, most notably in places like the U.S where President Donald Trump signed an Executive Order titled "Ending Radical and Wasteful Government DEI Programs and Preferencing," directing the termination of all DEI programs within the federal government. Following this executive order, major corporations such as Meta, Amazon, Walmart, and Google have also scaled back or eliminated their own DEI initiatives.

These developments will have serious negative implications for women in the workplace, resulting in increased discrimination, weakened support systems, and greater barriers to achieving gender equality. The rollback of DEI initiatives means less resources available to support women, increasing the risk of discrimination and undoing all previous efforts in closing the gender gap in the workforce

This demonstrates how easily progress can be undermined. Without continuous action, we risk moving backwards instead of progressing forwards.

❓How Business & Recruiters Can Help Accelerate Action

Here are a few practical ways we can help accelerate action in achieving gender equality.

👩‍🦰Continue To Support Gender Diversity Initiatives: It’s essential to keep prioritising DEI policies which ensure women are represented in leadership roles. This can be done by:

• Implementing mentorship programmes aimed at getting women into leadership positions.

• Setting diversity targets for senior management roles.

• Focusing recruitment efforts on hiring more female talent.

💻Offer Flexible Work Arrangements: We can provide more flexible work options by offering

• Hybrid and remote working.

• Support to employees with caregiving responsibilities through on-site childcare or childcare stipends where possible.

💸Promote Pay Equity: We should all actively work to close the gender pay gap by:

• Conducting pay audits to identify and address disparities in salaries.

• Offering transparency around salary bands and promotion criteria.

• Having standardised compensation packages to reduce bias in salary negotiations.

🛟Foster a Safe Work Environment: Establishing clear policies to prevent sexual harassment and ensuring a safe, supportive work culture is essential to retaining and accelerating progress for female talent. Companies must:

• Implement anti-harassment training for all employees.

• Set up confidential reporting systems for harassment complaints.

• Enforce a strict zero-tolerance policy for harassment or discrimination.

📃Advocate for Policy Changes: Support and advocate for policies that benefit women, such as:

• Offering paid family leave for both parents.

• Providing subsidies or discounts for childcare services.

• Supporting legislation that promotes affordable and accessible childcare options for working parents.

  
  

International Women's Day is an opportunity to celebrate progress, but achieving true gender equality requires ongoing effort.

Employers and recruiters must ensure that women are genuinely supported and represented, not just on 8th March, but every day.