Image: Shutterstock
Like it is rightly said, women can’t be recognised only on one day, this needs to be done every day. When International Women’s Day is around the corner, however, it is the day to celebrate womenYou can help them thrive and empower to succeed. This is why this day has gained significant importance over time.
As the idea of International Women’s Day gained momentum, women and their work started garnering recognition, but we still have a long way to go! Let’s hear from some powerful industry leaders of the country on what they think on different aspects.
1. Building work environments where women thrive
2. Creative Women Have a Higher Visibility
3. Forging Women’s Empowerment Worldwide
4. Forging Women’s Equality In Tech
5. Celebrating the Women forging Change
6. Empowering Women’s Choices In Health
7. International Women’s Day: FAQs
Building work environments where women thrive
Image by Smita Mohanty
From Smita Mohanty, Integrator PRADAN, an organisation working towards alleviating India’s rural poor:
“It is important that organisations are women-friendly, as gender equality is one of the key driving forces for the success of any organisation, city, and even country. Women bring diversity, ideas, and soft skills to organizations. Thus, building workplaces where women can thrive; accept, acknowledge, and value their work is significant for any organisation’s success.
“While PRADAN conducts multiple initiatives for making the organisation conducive and progressive for women, there is one initiative I would like to highlight. Every year, we organise gender audits where internal auditors check in with each woman to determine the pros and cons of working for PRADAN. The auditors also talk to men about their observations and get inputs from them in order to improve the organisation for women. The management team then works on gender strategies to address these issues. Issues faced by womenMake PRADAN more welcoming to women. This initiative has incredibly helped in making women work happily in the organisation and they want to continue working with us.”
Tip: Listen to your women employees.
Creativity: Women are more visible
Image: Sargam Dhawan
From Sargam Dhawan Bhayana, Director, Tressmart Marketing Pvt Ltd:
“Today, the world over, people are talking about gender equality. There has been a huge leap in gender equality initiatives in all organisations globally – at least statistically most organisations are talking about it. Unfortunately, female talent is not well-known. The first step to changing this is to change how women are portrayed in society.
This should not only be the responsibility of women. Men should also have equal responsibility for gender representation at work. It is high time we make gender equalityAcceptance of the creativity of women is more visible, in particular. We must recognize that we all are part of a greater whole and can work together to make positive change. There are many ways to close the gender gap, especially in the workforce, and by including diversity and inclusion goals, we will definitely be able to bridge the gap.”
Tip: Encourage diversity and inclusion
Forging Women’s Empowerment Worldwide
Image: Supriya Patil
From Supriya Patil – Environmental Expert of Grow-Trees.com:
“The theme for this year’s International Women’s Day is ‘Break the Bias’, and it is one that I wholeheartedly support. We have all seen the struggles women have had to overcome in order to break free from skewed societal constraints and find their place in a society where they were told they didn’t have one. However, women have continued to fight back against injustice and discrimination over the years. Although some women have the strength and determination to overcome these difficulties, others are still searching for answers.
“A small action can go a long way. We must give women equal opportunities in all areas of life and gradually dismantle the idea that gender determines how they perform in their chosen fields.We must set an example by exposing any discrimination that makes women feel less valued or vulnerable. Women who feel empowered can be successful Empower other womenLet us make sure they feel secure, powerful, equal, so that they can share inspiring stories, not sorrowful, weak, or remorseful stories. While women’s narratives are shifting in metropolitan environments, I feel rural communities require special attention in this area because many people still hold outdated beliefs.”
Tip: Set an example for others.
Forging Women’s Equality In Tech
Image: Gitanjali Singh
From Gitanjali Singh – Head, Strategy and Client Success, Visionet BFSI:
“According to data from 451 Research, a technology industry research firm, women now make up 34% of the IT workforce in India. This is a positive sign. But can more be done? Yes. Also, we need to consider how many women are forced out of the job market because of this. Domestic pressures and caregiving duties which as I said before, are traditionally assigned to women in India.”
“Women in leadership positions are needed to set an example and show others that glass ceilings can be thrown down.Women who are leaders inspire women to dream big. STEM education can be made more affordable by providing opportunities for tech learning, apprenticeships, and encouraging more women to enter middle management and leadership positions. Women in tech. As I mentioned before, skilling is a crucial part of empowering women and increasing their employability in the post-pandemic world where technologies are becoming redundant very quickly.”
Tip: To retain women in work, it is important to break the gendered notions of duties.
Celebrating the Women forging Change
Image: Divya Jain
From Divya Jain – Co-founder Seekho and CEO Safeducate:
“While women, in general, need to be celebrated, what is even more essential is celebrating those who are changing our current status quo. Over the past decade, there have been massive leaps in empowerment and one of the inadvertent effects of COVID for certain has been creating a slightly more accessible playing field for women.We need to have deeper conversations about the issue. Specific needs of womenout in the open, and driving to make this change.
“At Seekho we are striving towards this change by upskilling the country’s young professionals with future-forward skills and providing employment opportunities with India’s leading brands.”
Tip: To create change, engage in deeper conversations about the needs of women.
Empowering Women’s Choices In Health
Image: Sangita Reddy
From Sangita Reddy – Joint Managing Director Apollo Hospitals:
“The strategy for women’s health and wellbeing is based on the vision in which all girls and women are enabled, supported and empowered in achieving their full health potential and wellbeing, with their human rights respected, protected and fulfilled. All stakeholders and governments must work together to improve the health and well-being of women and girls, beyond maternal and child health., ensuring that policies and health systems are gender-responsive and based on a life-course approach.”
Tip: Empower, support and encourage women to realize their full potential in health.
International Women’s Day: FAQs
Q. What is the theme for International Women’s Day 2022?
Image: Shutterstock
A. This International Women’s Day, we will #BreakTheBias. If you ever envisioned a future where all genders are treated equally, it would be a future without prejudice, preconceptions, or inequality, wouldn’t it? This future is inclusive and fair. A future where individuality is valued and cherished. We can achieve women’s equality together, by teaming up. We can eliminate bias from our societies, professions and schools, colleges, as well as institutions. On International Women’s Day and well beyond, let’s all join together to break the bias.
Q. Why is International Women’s Day celebrated?
A. Every year on March 8th, the world celebrates International Women’s Day to honour the essence of women’s empowerment, to recognise and appreciate the contributions made by women in all disciplines. It’s a time to respect women and give them additional cause to thrive and rejoice. Women all over the globe gather to march for gender equality.
Q. Why is March 8 celebrated as Women’s Day?
A. The celebration of International Women’s Day began when a woman called Clara Zetkin, the leader of the Social Democratic Party’s women’s office in Germany, proposed the notion in the year 1910. This day was designated as Women’s Day after it was unanimously agreed upon and embraced by more than 100 women throughout the world. International Women’s Day was switched to March 8 in 1913 and is now celebrated on the same day annually.
Q. When did Women’s Day gain importance?
A. The first-ever International Women’s Day was hosted in 1911. This day has been observed since the early 1900s, when the globe was experiencing significant industrialisation and as a result, upheaval and growth. This day was originally known as International Working Women’s Day. It wasn’t until a few years that people realised women’s potential, regardless of their career paths, and ever since, International Women’s Day has gained new significance.