Dating back over a century, with origins in 1911, International Women’s Day (IWD) has become an important day to reflect on progress, honour the achievements of women, and highlight the ongoing journey toward gender equality. Celebrated on the 8th of March, the day remains of global importance – simply because, on a worldwide scale, we’re not quite there yet. This year’s theme, ‘Inspire Inclusion’, is about inspiring others to understand and value women’s inclusion whilst also inspiring women to step into their power, knowing that they belong, are valued, and have equality. Here, we look at why this day remains globally relevant and highlight five influential women bringing the ‘inspire inclusion’ theme to life.
While we’ve come a long way – particularly in the Western world – sizeable gender inequality still exists globally in these critical areas:
Behind closed doors, women’s rights still lag
According to the World Health Organisation (WHO), it’s estimated that 1 in 3 women will experience physical or sexual abuse in their lifetime, with domestic violence cases surging in recent years. To add to this, research from the United Nations (UN) predicts millions of girls are at risk of becoming child brides by 2030, and more than 600 million women are alive today who were married in childhood. In many parts of the world, discriminatory practices continue to undermine women’s rights, and without law and policy changes and increased education and empowerment, little will change. Shockingly, in 43% of the world, there is no explicit minimum age of marriage once exceptions like customary and religious laws, pregnancy or parental permission are taken into account.
The gender pay gap remains wide open
On average, women in the labour market globally still earn 23% less than their male counterparts. While this gap has been closing steadily, research from the World Economic Forum shows the pace at which it moves has slowed to just 0.3% year on year. Based on this, the year of expected pay parity is still a distant milestone – 2154. Further contributing to this lack of pay parity is women carrying the lion’s share of unpaid domestic and care work – it’s estimated they undertake three times more hours in unpaid work than men worldwide.
The great education divide continues
Knowledge is power, and girls who receive a solid education are less likely to marry young and more likely to lead healthy, productive lives with better futures for themselves and their families. While this sounds like a simple equation, education remains scarce for many girls and young women today. UNICEF estimates that 129 million girls are out of school globally, with only 49% of countries having achieved gender parity in primary education. The barriers to education are many and varied, which UNESCO aims to address through its Strategy for Gender Equality in and through education.
With so much work still to be done for women’s rights and gender equality, it’s important to highlight trail-blazing women who inspire and empower future generations. As part of celebrating IWD, we want to highlight our top five figures of femme-spiration:
Margot Robbie (aka Barbie)
Our homegrown hero and Neighbours girl-next-door turned Hollywood superstar broke box office records in 2023, with ‘Barbie’ becoming the highest-grossing film in Warner Bros. history and, overall, the highest-grossing film in 2023. It also skyrocketed Margot Robbie to the highest-paid woman in Hollywood and crowned director Greta Gerwig with the title of highest-grossing movie ever from a female filmmaker. Margot Robbie as Barbie was so much more than a portrayal of a plastic doll; Margot captured the world with a Barbie that was “unapologetically herself, whether she’s an astronaut, a scientist, a chef, or a fashionista,” says Robbie. “Her strength lies in her ability to embrace her passions and be a role model for girls to follow their dreams”. In fact, in Barbieland, women are in total control.
Taylor Swift
Named Time Magazine’s 2023 Person of the Year, Taylor Swift is the first woman ever to appear twice on a Person of the Year cover and is a force to be reckoned with. Not only is she a cultural icon, but she has shown the world time and time again that she can take back her power and change the game. In 2017, she became part of the #MeToo movement, appearing in court to testify against a radio DJ who sexually assaulted her, and more recently, she re-recorded many of her past albums – fittingly named ‘Taylor’s Versions’ – to regain rights to those that had been sold without her consent. Since then, she’s hit the tour circuit, embarking on a global tour that’s grossed over a billion dollars.
Cate Blanchett
Another homegrown marvel, Cate Blanchett, has made moves within the film and entertainment industry many others never have. She is not only an actor and film producer but also a UNHCR ambassador; she advocates for climate change through her podcast with Danny Kennedy, ‘Climate of Change’, and works to reduce the waste she sees in her line of work that contributes to the climate issues our planet is facing. More recently, Cate has launched the Proof of Concept Accelerator Program at the University of Southern California in Los Angeles, which aims to support filmmaking talent whose stories directly promote the perspectives of women, trans and non-binary.
The Matildas
Although this list is made up of a bunch of influential and powerful women, it would be remiss of us not to include our very own team of inspirational women, the football superstars, the Matildas. The team broke television records in 2023 with their match against England in the 2023 FIFA Women’s World Cup, with more than 11 million Australians tuning in nationally, making it the highest rating program in Australian history! Not only have they broken records, but they’ve shifted attitudes about ‘women’s sport’ and been vocal about pushing for equality in prize money, with the FIFA women’s league prize money sitting at only 25% of the men’s league. Our Tillies are also lauded for inspiring future generations of female football players and driving an uptick in football participation overall.
Ursula Von Der Leyen
Topping the Forbes World’s Most Powerful Women list in both 2022 and 2023 and the first female President of the European Commission, Ursula Von Der Leyen has continued to lead with skill and honour in challenging times. She spearheaded a 750-billion-euro COVID relief bill and has recently become one of Ukraine’s staunchest supporters amid the current conflict.
Prior to her time as president of the European Commission, Ursula Von Der Leyen has campaigned tirelessly for childcare and parental leave schemes in her home country, Germany, unfalteringly supported equal adoption rights for same-sex couples, and campaigned for a statutory quota for female participation in the supervisory boards of companies in Germany.
Inspire inclusion and make real change
Celebrating women’s achievements and raising awareness for gender equality is beyond burning your bra in the street, it’s about inspiring others to value women’s inclusion and inspiring women to be included, too.
This 8th March, take a moment to celebrate the inspirational women in your life and support women in any way you can – even the smallest action can help fuel our ongoing journey towards full gender equality.
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