When I was younger I used to balk at the idea of International Women’s Day. I used to say, ‘I think we’re worth all 365 days of the year, thank you very much’. The thing is, I was living in a privileged environment sheltered from discriminatory practices. Often encouraged to use my voice. Able to pursue higher education and meaningful work. I believed choice and opportunity were not impacted by gender.
Choosing a career in a male-dominated industry, I thought that if I played the part and acted accordingly, I would be considered an equal, part of the ‘boys club’. But that delusion and my career trajectory both came crashing down in a big way when I became pregnant with our first child.
I still believe women are worth all 365 days of the year, but I’m now awake to the fact that we’re nowhere near the world I thought I was living in for the first half of my life.
Some of the more sobering statistics include:
- Globally, almost 1 in 3 women have experienced physical and/or sexual violence at least once in their life.
- For every 1$ men earn, women earn 87 cents on average.
- Just 5% of global research and development funding goes to women’s health research, with 4% allocated to women’s cancers and 1% for all other female-specific conditions.
Addressing the gap in women’s health alone could boost the global economy by $1 trillion annually by 2040. And yet, according to the World Economic Forum, it will take until 2158 at the current rate of progress to reach gender parity.
And since we don’t have the representation needed where political and economic decisions are being made:
- Only 29 countries currently have female leaders.
- Just 10% of Fortune 500 companies are led by women.
We each need to take action to close the gaps in women’s health, economic participation, and political involvement.
This year’s theme for International Women’s Day is Accelerate Action. Because it’s not just the big, bold moves that count. It’s in fact the small actions we take collectively that can really make a difference.
Here are some ideas:
- Commit to prioritizing your well-being and treat yourself like you matter. Start exercising, learn something new, set a boundary, and/or show yourself some compassion.
- Educate yourself about what your perimenopausal body needs and advocate for the care and support you deserve.
- Ask your HR department to consider adding this health benefit to your company’s plan.
- Send a letter to your government representative to advocate for better breast screening.
- Ask for a raise.
- Bone up on your personal finances.
- Use your talent to raise money for a local women’s shelter.
- Offer your leadership skills to a worthy cause.
- Vote.
I used to say, ‘I think women are worth all 365 days of the year, thank you very much’. But that statement, my career choices, and how I lived my life was about proving my worth to everyone else. And that usually meant ignoring my own needs and never feeling like I was enough.
I’ve since realized that to be truly worth all 365 days of the year, I have to believe I am worthy. That’s why implementing ideas like the ones suggested above are critical to Accelerating Action. Because if we don’t treat ourselves like we matter, why would anyone else?
