International Women’s Day is celebrated every year on the 8th March to raise awareness about gender inequalities worldwide. The day also aims to highlight and applaud women’s achievements to create a more inclusive world.
This year’s theme is ‘Choose to Challenge’ which aims to call out and challenge gender biases and inequality. Support for this theme is being shown across social media by raising a hand with the tags #IWD2021 and #ChooseToChallenge.
We spoke to our colleagues here at Mackman about International Women’s Day to find out about their inspirational quotes and what it all means to them.
What does International Women’s Day and its message mean to you?
Our Junior Designer, Emily said: “I think International Women’s Day is not simply about the celebration of women, but is a pivotal day to remind us that we as women have a right to equality. It is our right to be offered the same opportunities as men, to be paid equally, to be treated with the same respect, and to own our actions, body and feelings.”
Emily also said: “It is completely wrong that there is still so few women in powerful, high paid, leading roles, and this is the case globally across all industries. Without equality in the boardrooms of the world, women’s views, opportunities and rights are never going to be truly represented or equal to men.”
Our Communications Intern, Joe, said of gender inequality: “I think a lot of it comes down to education and exposure… There is also an abundance of problematic behaviour on social media and it’s usually stemming from a lack of exposure and education, and an overly-tight grasp on traditionalist values.”
Are there any quotes that have been particularly inspirational to you, and why?
Our Senior Creative, Kerrie’s inspirational quote is:
“We must have perseverance and above all, confidence in ourselves. We must believe that we are gifted for something and that this thing must be attained.”
Marie Curie
Emily explained her inspirational quote: “After watching Emma Watson’s speech at the HeForShe campaign in 2014, I decided I was a feminist. And it is one of her quotes that still inspires me: “I think it is right that women be involved on my behalf in the policies and decisions that will affect my life. I think it is right that socially I am afforded the same respect as men“.”
Our Insight Manager, Amanda’s inspirational quote is:
“I never am satisfied that I understand anything because, understand it well as I may, my comprehension can only be an infinitesimal fraction of all I want to understand about the many connections and relations which occur to me, how the matter in question was thought of or arrived at.”
Ada Lovelace
Amanda said of her quote: “Her story is inspirational because she applied imagination to numbers, saw beauty in data and as a result became the world’s first computer programmer in 1843. I’ve always been interested in how we interpret information and how trends of data can suggest various outcomes. I never stop trying to think about things in a different way.”
So how is gender inequality evolving?
In 2019, Britain saw the lowest level of unemployment since comparable records began in 1971. The gap between male and female UK employment rates are also closing. In 2020, the gap was at 6.3% compared to 10.4% a decade ago. More women are now working full time compared to part time in the UK.
To find out more about International Women’s Day and how to get involved, please see their ‘About Us’ page.