International Women's Day is a global day celebrating the social, economic, cultural and political achievements of women. The day also marks a call to action for accelerating gender parity. Significant activity is witnessed worldwide as groups come together to celebrate women's achievements or rally for women's equality. 

Marked annually on March 8th, International Women's Day (IWD) is one of the most important days of the year to:

• celebrate women's achievements

• raise awareness about women's equality

• lobby for accelerated gender parity

• fundraise for female-focused charities

International Women's Day is not country, group, nor organization specific. The day belongs to all groups collectively everywhere. Gloria Steinem, world-renowned feminist, journalist and activist once explained "The story of women's struggle for equality belongs to no single feminist, nor to any one organization, but to the collective efforts of all who care about human rights."  So make International Women's Day your day and do what you can to truly make a positive difference for women.

The campaign theme for International Women's Day 2022 is #BreakTheBias. Whether deliberate or unconscious, bias makes it difficult for women to move ahead. 

Did you know research shows that bias contributes to women being passed over for jobs and promotions. Almost three in four women experience bias at work, and those who do are more likely to leave their jobs. And women of color, LGBTQ+ women, and women with disabilities face more acute biases. Yet only one in three employees, including managers, challenges biased behavior when they see it.

In keeping with the #BreakTheBias theme, we have shared a section below to highlight the work being done by The Female Lead on research to highlight and help to combat the biases faced by women in the workplace as well as helping to change the narrative for young girls.

In 1989, American legal scholar and civil rights activist, Kimberlé Crenshaw coined the term intersectionality to explain how race intersects with gender to produce barriers for Black women but is now also widely used to encompass overlapping impacts of discrimination based on gender, race, physical ability, ethnicity, nationality, citizenship, socio-economic status, and more.

Crenshaw used the metaphor of a traffic intersection to explain the concept: When traffic flows from four directions and an accident occurs, the accident can be caused by cars coming from one direction or from all directions. The cause is hard to distinguish. Similarly, when Black women face discrimination, it’s not due to only racism or only sexism — it’s a combination of both forms of discrimination.

This international women's day, at Unity, we want to challenge you to think about how different women are impacted by not only gender bias, but other biases too. Women make up 67% of the employees at Next, but they are all affected by different experiences. By taking the time to hear the different biases faced, we can better support and lift up women all across the business. 

Being an intersectional ally means using your voice to advocate for inclusion and diversity, as well as support women and girls who face barriers and discrimination that you may not face yourself.

There are several ways you can be a better intersectional feminist ally:

• Be aware of sweeping generalisations or beliefs about marginalised groups, and recognise that within those groups, people have multiple identities and experiences. For example, not all women or people in the queer community have the same experiences or perspectives.

• Use inclusive language when addressing or acknowledging people with multiple identities.

• Analyse the diversity and representation in your daily life, whether it’s at work, at school, or in your community. Ask yourself whether these spaces could be more inclusive and welcoming.

• Take the opportunity to listen when someone with multiple identities shares their experience, while recognizing it’s not their responsibility to educate others. Take the initiative to research diverse viewpoints that will broaden your understanding

The Female Lead is an educational charity dedicated to finding the factors that limit women’s choices and fulfilment and amplifies their voices in order to drive change and improve economic outcomes.

Women’s voices and stories have been ignored and undervalued. Girls learn early on that society expects them to follow a narrow version of success. The Female Lead shares the stories of women who have found different ways to fulfilment and achievement.

[Find out more here]

New social media scheme encourages girls to follow positive figures such as Michelle Obama.

Disrupt Your Feed was an 18-month research project between The Female Lead and Cambridge University psychologist Dr Terri Apter into the untapped potential of social media to enhance teen aspiration and promote positive mental health.

The Social Media Pledge was shared by over 150 influencers and reached  20 million users with 330 million impressions. The research was covered in the Sunday Express, Daily Mail, Telegraph and Psychology Today and many more! The research findings and insights are now shared with 18,000 schools and universities and are part of the Female Lead’s leadership programme.

[Read about the study]

[Visit the Female Lead]

"With the pandemic set to impact women worldwide, we've been working closely with experts, coaches and neuroscientists on how we can build back better and give women the freedom, creativity, flexibility and fulfilment they so deserve.

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We've created The Fulfilment Finder, a short survey on our website that focuses on 5 dimensions important to women's happiness; Self, Society, Relationships, Money and Work.

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By taking the survey you will gain a deeper knowledge about yourself and discover what in your life is making you feel fulfilled, as well as areas you may want to change or focus on."

[Take the Survey Here]

Intersectionality means to not look at race and gender separately but understand how they intersect and how this affects how we view diversity. Lian Li, engineering manager at Container Solutions, wants to celebrate IWD by highlight the contributions made by women of colour to our industry and our communities.

[Find out more here]

Though we need to progress faster than we have been for the advancement of women's rights, we want to make sure we acknowledge and commend the small milestones that have taken place. Every positive story is a small step towards gender equality, and we should be proud of everyone who joins us on our mission.

[Find out more here]

These feminist quotes are from women of all ages and walks of life. From Cher to Maya Angelou and Eleanor Roosevelt, these inspirational Women's Day quotes will have you ready to take on the world and keep your head held high no matter what! 

[Find out more here]