How to celebrate International Women’s Day

Women are creators, contributors, carers and all-round dynamos. Every day, we’re achieving great things, but there’s one day that stands out from the rest. 

International Women’s Day (IWD), coming up later this week on Sunday March 8, is an annual event that celebrates our successes, raises awareness against bias, and encourages action to accelerate gender equality. 

In 2020, the theme is #EachforEqual, so let’s look at what it means when each of us is for equality. 

What is the thinking behind #EachforEqual?

This IWD theme is drawn from the idea of ‘Collective Individualism’, which recognises that each person’s actions, conversations, behaviours and mindsets can have an impact on our larger society.

Individually, we’re responsible for our own thoughts and actions – all day, every day – and we can actively choose to:

• Broaden perceptions
• Challenge stereotypes
• Fight bias
• Improve situations
• Celebrate women’s achievements

Collectively, we can bring about change and help one another create a gender equal world. 

This thinking fits with how IWD is run, because the event isn’t country-, group- or organisation-specific. Instead, IWD belongs to all groups collectively, everywhere.  

What kind of gender equality is International Women’s Day striving for? 

IWD says that equality between women and men is essential for economies and communities to thrive, and as such, there’s a call for everyone to choose gender equal boardrooms, governments, media coverage, workplaces and sports coverage. 

There’s also a push towards more gender equality in health and wealth, and all in all, IWD says that equality is not a women’s issue, but a business issue – with rewards on offer for everyone.

How can you get involved with International Women’s Day?

Although there is some serious work to be done, there are lots of fun ways to mark IWD 2020 and help build a gender equal world, both individually and collectively. 

On March 8, you can:

• Strike the #EachforEqual pose to motivate others and make IWD your day. This pose involves putting both forearms in front of you, so that they’re parallel, with both palms down and your elbows at right angles. 
• Post an #IWD2020 message on social media. Take a photo of your pose and post it to Instagram, Facebook, Twitter, LinkedIn, YouTube, TikTok etc, calling for others to support #EachforEqual too.
• Join an event and campaign for #EachforEqual. There are IWD concerts, conferences, fun runs, festivals, rallies and more happening all over the world, so see what’s happening near you with this Event Search. Remember too, that the #EachforEqual campaign runs all year, so think about ways to think and be inclusive beyond March 8.
• Enter an IWD 2020 competition. To celebrate the achievements of women and the organisations supporting them, there are competitions for cake-makers, photographers, street artists, corporations and more… You’ve gotta be in it, to win it!

What are the IWD 2020 MISSIONS? 

In 2020, there are several important MISSIONS being launched which aim to:

• Raise greater awareness about issues impacting women’s equality;
• Take a stance to call out inequality, while working to forge more positive action;
• Highlight and applaud the areas where important gains are being made; and
• Celebrate women’s achievements and accomplishments. 

The MISSIONS cover six key areas and each one comes with a specific goal. 

The MISSIONS are:

1. Women in Technology: To celebrate digital advancement and champion the women forging innovation through technology.
2. Women in Sport: To celebrate women athletes and applaud when equality is achieved in pay, sponsorship and visibility.
3. Women at Work: To champion women of all backgrounds who dare to innovate, lead and uplift others towards a more equal and inclusive workplace.
4. Women Entrepreneurs: To support women to earn and learn on their own terms and in their own way.
5. Women’s Health: To assist women to be in a position of power for making informed decisions about their health.
6. Women Creatives: To increase the visibility of women creatives and promote their work for commercial projects.

A series of interesting articles accompany each MISSION, and all in all, IWD is a great way to think about how you think, and work with the world to create a gender equal society. Let’s do this!