Worldwide Girls’s Day (IWD) is quick approaching, and with it comes the flood of well-intentioned however usually superficial company gestures.
Assume pink logos, obscure social media statements, and one-off panel discussions that hardly scratch the floor of gender inequality.
Whereas organisations could also be keen to point out their assist, many fall into the entice of performative activism reasonably than driving actual change.
In case your organisation is planning an occasion or supporting IWD this 12 months, listed below are key methods to maneuver past lip service and make a tangible impression.
1. Let Girls converse and really be heard
Too many IWD occasions declare to assist girls however fail on the most basic stage: giving girls the house to talk.
Panels and discussions ought to function girls as the first voices – this isn’t the time for males to dominate the dialog. Male allies ought to take an lively position in elevating and amplifying the voices of ladies round them, placing ahead gifted girls they work with to be recognised and heard. In case your occasion doesn’t centre the voices of ladies, it’s lacking the purpose totally.
2. Pay girls audio system, don’t count on free labour
Girls are already grossly underpaid, and the gender pay hole persists throughout industries. In Australia, the nationwide gender pay hole sits at 13% as of 2023, that means girls earn, on common, $253.50 much less per week than males in full-time roles (Office Gender Equality Company).
For girls of color, the pay hole is even wider.
Asking girls to share their experience free of charge solely reinforces these disparities. In case your organisation is internet hosting an IWD occasion, price range for speaker charges. Understandably, many startups and social enterprises could not have the identical sources as bigger corporations, however they’re usually doing their greatest to advocate for girls in significant methods. If monetary compensation isn’t attainable, provide significant in-kind remuneration akin to promotional alternatives, skilled companies, or different types of tangible worth.
3. Champion intersectionality
Illustration issues, and it’s essential that IWD occasions replicate the various realities of ladies’s experiences. This implies actively together with girls of color, LGBTQ+ girls, girls with disabilities, and different underrepresented teams.
Girls from minority backgrounds face compounded obstacles, together with greater wage gaps and fewer management alternatives. In case your panel or occasion lacks racial and cultural variety, it’s time to re-evaluate and deliberately search out extra inclusive illustration.
4. Invite males alongside
Males play a crucial position in closing gender disparities, however IWD is about centring girls. Relatively than giving males talking slots at IWD occasions, invite them to pay attention, be taught, and assist.
Encourage male leaders to attend occasions, publicly endorse women-led initiatives, and take actionable steps inside their organisations to advocate for fairness past simply someday a 12 months. Supporting, amplifying, and advocating for girls’s voices needs to be an ongoing dedication, not a once-a-year efficiency.
5. Recognise girls who usually go unseen
IWD shouldn’t solely have fun high-profile executives and business leaders – it must also highlight the ladies in your office and business who’re making vital contributions however hardly ever get recognised.
That is significantly necessary in male-dominated fields, the place girls are sometimes neglected regardless of their experience and management.
Use this event to raise new expertise, spotlight unsung heroes, and be sure that recognition goes past the standard suspects.
6. One Roof’s strategy to IWD
At One Roof, it might sound counter-intuitive, however we regularly select to not host large-scale occasions round IWD.
The truth is, there’s already a variety of noise, and for us, day by day is IWD. As an alternative, our nationwide group of Ambassadors might be internet hosting native meetups to foster in-person connection and significant conversations.
Whereas we totally assist the significance of IWD occasions, this strategy aligns with our dedication to long-term, sustained motion reasonably than one-off gestures.
Extra than simply someday
In the end, the ideas behind these suggestions shouldn’t be confined to a single day in March.
True dedication to gender fairness requires ongoing effort. In case your organisation is critical about supporting girls, begin embedding these practices into on a regular basis enterprise operations akin to paying girls pretty, elevating various voices, and recognising contributions year-round.
Worldwide Girls’s Day needs to be a catalyst for lasting change, not simply one other company PR train. Let’s do higher, past the pink logos and hashtags.
- Frances Goh is cofounder and head of group & development at One Roof.
