Women’s equality has made positive gains but the world is still unequal. International Women’s Day celebrates the social, political and economic achievements of women while focusing global attention on areas requiring further action.
Each year International Women’s Day (IWD) is celebrated on 8th March, with the first day being held in 1911. Thousands of events occur to mark the economic, political and social achievements of women. Organisations, governments, charities, educational institutions, women’s groups, corporations and the media celebrate the day.
This year’s theme is #ChooseToChallenge – which looks to celebrate women’s achievement, raise awareness against bias and take action for equality.
Below, we’ve rounded up a number of ways both you as an employee and your employer can celebrate International Women’s Day. Companies and organisations can also find lots of resources to support their International Women’s Day activities on the IWD website.
Join a women’s network
Like it or not, networking is important for all our careers.
Unless you are a natural extrovert, stepping into a room full of strangers and explaining your business away can often feel daunting. Nevertheless, done the right way, it can also be extremely rewarding both from a commercial and personal development perspective.
Quite simply, any professional with an ounce of ambition regardless of their sector, and across the board, will need to network in some shape or form for the duration of their career if they are to get on in business. For women specifically, networking is often still an intimidating and uncomfortable experience for many, however.
Here at WeAreTheCity, we have a number of articles and resources for those looking for advice on how to network, where to find networks and how to get the most of it. You can find a small selection of such articles below:
The value of networking: How you can make the most of business opportunities
We’ve also developed our very own Network’s Directory, which houses hundreds of different networks across a variety of sectors.
Purchase a ticket for a female team member to attend WeAreTechWomen’s One Tech World Conference on 11-13 May 2021
We have been hosting our women in tech conference for over five years. In fact, we have welcomed over 5,000 diverse women through our doors since 2015. We are not a large media company, we are a passionate organisation that has been championing women in tech for the past 13 years. To us, it’s personal. 17% of women in the industry is not just not enough, it needs to change. For this change to happen, it starts by showing existing women in the industry and those who want to transition in, what that world of future tech really looks like. It also involves encouraging women from all backgrounds to consider tech careers, so that we can build products and systems that are truly inclusive. Our conference will not solve these problems overnight, or even scratch the surface on the journey we need to go on for gender parity in the industry, however it will provide an opportunity for attending to learn about what is innovating and disrupting the industry globally. This will enable them to have a broader understanding of the tech landscape and to think about how they adapt their skill sets and grow their networks for the future.
This year, we are going to be bringing you the very best global virtual learning experience on a state-of-the-art conferencing platform. Our conference will provide ample opportunities to learn about emerging technologies and what is innovating and disrupting the industry. We are blessed to be given time from some of the world’s finest speakers who will be joining us to share their wisdom and knowledge. We will deliver innovative sessions on over 50 different areas of tech, with a side order of career development, fireside chats and ample networking opportunities, both on the day and through our global virtual networking world.
Donate to a charity or volunteer
Here at WeAreTheCity, we actively encourage our members to give back to society either by getting involved in charity initiatives or via social responsibility projects.
There are a number of great charities that support women and you could help by donating or volunteering your time.
Discover more charities and ways of giving back here.
Ask for a pay rise
With this year’s theme being #ChooseToChallenge, there has never been a better time to ask for a pay rise!
While this can seem daunting, we’ve put together a number of articles to prepare you for that meeting with your boss.
Support women returning to work
People have career breaks for many reasons; maternity/paternity, caring for a loved one, sickness or a sabbatical.
Whatever the reason for the time away, it can always be an overwhelming period of time when it comes to returning.
Through no fault of your own, the gremlins circulating in your head will make you question things – has the industry changed? Is going back the right decision? Am I ready? Is my family ready? Can I still do my job?
Self-doubt and conflicting thoughts are natural. Yes, it’s daunting but keep in mind, your company needs you and your experience is valuable.
WeAreTheCity has lots of resources and articles, with lots of advice about returning to work. You can find out more here.
