International Women’s Day (IWD) is celebrated annually on 8th March 2022. This is a global day to celebrate the social, cultural, economic and political achievements of women, to raise awareness of bias and discrimination that can occur and for everyone to take action for equality.
This day was created in order to honour and celebrate the women who campaigned for women’s rights and for those who today are also continuing to do this.
International Women’s Day was originally celebrated in 1910/1911, the aim was to create equality globally for men and women
The fight was originally led by the Women’s Social and Political Union, which was also known as the Suffragettes. These women campaigned for the right for women to be able to vote. They were known for wearing purple, green and white which now are the colours for international women’s day.
- Purple stands for justice and dignity
- Green is for hope
- White represents purity
Also, there were the Suffragists, who also campaigned for the right for women to vote, these were the National Union of Women’s Suffrage.
Theme for 2022
2022 theme is Break the Bias, this is to call out gender bias, discrimination and any stereotyping.
Gender bias, can be deliberate or unconscious, however, whichever the bias is, it can make it hard for women to move forward within Companies.
Ways to celebrate
- Show support and advertise women of the past and present and their amazing work
- Hosting an event or supporting a charity
- Acknowledge the achievements of the women employees in the workplace
- Advocate for gender equality in the workplace
Some of the Women who are remembered
There are too many influential and amazing women to mention here for international women’s day, however, two of these include:
- Marie Curie – whose work and research led to the advanced treatment of many illnesses
- Jane Austen – who was a successful author during a time when it was believed women should not work
International Women’s Day Website
There is an international women’s day website, which can be found at
www.internationalwomensday.com
This website was set up as a support network to help to provide a platform for positive change for women and to offer guidance resources for all.
It also informs you of all the IWD events that are taking place across the globe.
According to the World Economic Forum, we will not see gender parity in our lifetimes as they believe gender equality will not be achieved for almost another century.
For more information on Equal Opportunities, click here. For any other advice all Clover HR on 0330 175 6601
