Established in 1911, International Women’s Day (IWD) has been marked for well over 100 years with the 8 March acting as a dedicated day to celebrate the social, economic, cultural and political achievements of women globally.

We’d encourage you to take a little time out now and read on to find out more about the day and how conversation about women’s experiences in the 2021 workplace can help shape change to support greater equality and parity for all.

Why International Women’s Day? 

Regarded as one of the most important days of the year in raising awareness about gender equality and celebrating women's achievements, International Women’s Day also creates opportunities to continue lobbying for accelerated gender parity.

And, while we have seen progression in gender equality, keeping the conversation going is as important now as it ever has been.

For example, research shows that women’s situation in the workplace continues to be heavily impacted in terms of career progression and pay. Forthcoming legislation such as Gender Pay Gap reporting seeks to resolve these issues of course but International Women’s Day also act as a reminder to employers of the need to challenge their individual cultures and decision making that can influence this. 

Additionally, we continue to see the impact on women’s careers through their perceived role as ‘traditional’ care givers. For example, the 2021 CIPD Ireland HR Practices Survey highlights that childcare issues affected female workers to a greater extent than male employees with 48% expressing the view that females were more negatively affected than men. This was further supported with 19% of respondents indicating there had been a significant increase in female workers taking leave to fulfil caring responsibilities.

Who can support International Women's Day?

In short everyone can support International Women's Day, anywhere in the world. It’s not just the responsibility of women, governments, charities, academia or women’s groups – rather it belongs to all groups and organisations collectively

It's 2021 - what can you do to challenge?

We started this article by saying that IWD celebrates and acknowledges women’s achievements across the globe in every aspect of their working and personal lives.

At CIPD Ireland we think the time has come to bring this closer to home.

Each of us as individuals, and as employers, can be proactive in choosing to challenge constructively and support women in the workplace and in their personal lives. And let’s take that a step further with men and boys getting involved too to truly make a positive difference for women.

So, our call to action to you?

Take the opportunity and start (or continue) the conversations that matter and make all working lives that much better - not just today but every day.

#ChooseToChallenge #GenderEquality #WomenInThe2021Workplace