8 Powerful Ways to Honor International Women’s Day at Work
It’s also part of a much larger annual campaign to promote gender equality.
All over the world, communities of courageous women will be hosting events to empower and support each other. These include lectures, career workshops, and exhibitions showcasing women leaders and creators. You can check out the official list of International Women’s Day events being held worldwide here.
The theme of the International Women’s Day campaign for 2020 is #EachForEqual. It’s all about recognizing opportunities to promote positive change in our own communities. Whether you’re fighting large-scale systemic injustice or simply opening the mind of a single person, you have the power to make a difference every day.
How did International Women’s Day start?
In the early 1900s, American women began demanding labor reform and voting rights as more and more of them entered the workforce. This led to the introduction of a National Women’s Day in 1909. The following year, an annual international celebration to promote gender equality and improve working conditions was suggested at the International Conference of Working Women in Copenhagen. The UN recognized International Women’s Day in 1975, and the practice of creating yearly themes was introduced in 1996. You can view a more detailed timeline here.
Why is International Women’s Day important?
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While things have improved a lot since the early 1900s, this has only been possible through the continued efforts of women and allies dedicated to reform. International Women’s Day sets aside time to celebrate the many ways that women have shaped the world we live in. It represents an ongoing endeavor to ensure that women across the globe have access to equal opportunities for success.
This is especially critical in the workplace. Despite the progress we’ve made since the early days of women’s labor reform movements, a surprising number of obstacles still exist for working women that can keep them from moving forward in their chosen careers. We end up losing out on a lot of unique perspectives and innovative ideas simply because we fail to make enough room at the table.
International Women’s Day presents us with an annual reminder to stop, take a look at the world around us, and ask ourselves, “Can we do better than this?” The answer is always “yes.”
How can you celebrate International Women’s Day at work?
We don’t have to wait until March 8 every year to advocate for change in our own communities. However, it can sometimes be difficult to confront instances of inequality when they occur close to home, especially at work. International Women’s Day is an excellent time to open up the conversation, particularly since the 2020 theme focuses on individual responsibility.
It may not always feel like our efforts can make a difference, but change always starts small.
There are simple things you can do to challenge harmful patterns of behavior, encourage your female coworkers, and make your office a great place for everyone to work.
In this post, we want to talk about how you can celebrate International Women’s Day in a way that promotes gender equality in the workplace. Here are eight positive actions you can take.
Give Credit to the Women Who Deserve It
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It’s no secret that women in the workplace aren’t always recognized for their contributions. According to economist Heather Sarsons, a woman has to work twice as hard to receive the kind of recognition that can advance her career. This is especially true when it comes to group projects. Her study of women working in economics showed that they were only rewarded for solo work, whereas men in the same field received the same amount of credit for co-authoring a piece as they did for working alone.
Bearing this in mind, examine your office’s culture of recognition. Do you feel that everyone is equally heard and valued, or are some people ignored despite their good ideas and accomplishments? Challenge this pattern by speaking up when you see someone’s suggestions being overlooked. Calling attention to the excellent work your female colleagues are doing may lead others to acknowledge them as valuable teammates, too.
Rethink the Way You Handle Office Housework
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Office housework might sound like an oxymoron, but it’s a real issue that many working women have to deal with. Things like cleaning up shared spaces, restocking supplies, and planning office parties are considered domestic labor– which is why women are usually expected to do them. According to this article by Dr. Kristen Liesch, women are taken less seriously as employees once they begin to take on these menial tasks.
Conversely, when men “help out,” they’re more likely to be promoted. This phenomenon disproportionately affects women of color. Not only are they more often asked to take care of office chores, says Ruchika Tulshyan, but they’re more likely to be perceived as difficult if they refuse.
Take a look at how office housework is distributed in your own office. Is there a small handful of women cleaning up after everyone else? If so, Dr. Liesch suggests implementing a chore wheel to ensure that everyone pitches in. You might also consider helping out and asking others to do the same. If you’re one of the women who often gets saddled with these tasks, take a break on International Women’s Day and politely delegate to someone else!
Thank the Women on Your Team Who Go Above and Beyond
Women aren’t just expected to do office chores; they’re also expected to possess the interpersonal intelligence necessary to create a harmonious work environment. This means they often end up listening to everyone’s problems, toning down their opinions to protect other people’s feelings, and taking on additional tasks to alleviate their team members. These things don’t always look like work, but they can be draining when they’re demanded of you all the time. In an interview with Forbes, journalist Gemma Hartley explains that too much of this “care-based work” can overwhelm women, taking time and mental energy away from their career goals.
Are there any women in your workplace who always seem to be giving their time and energy to everyone else? This International Women’s Day, take some time to thank the women who perform extra interpersonal labor in your workplace. Write them a heartfelt note to let them know you see and appreciate all the extra things they do. You should also lend them a hand– or an ear– from time to time, too.
Host a Community Building Event for the Women in Your Office
A little friendly competition in the workplace is to be expected, but the bad blood that can form between female coworkers is infamous. The root of these hostilities is usually the fear of being left behind. Since women do not get promoted as often as men, a lot of women feel that positions of power are a scarce commodity they’ll have to fight their female coworkers to get. This post from The Women’s Code discusses the phenomenon in depth.
Workplace rivalries can leave many women feeling isolated. They also serve to increase gender-based disparities in leadership, since it’s difficult to succeed without a strong support network. If you’d like to see a stronger community among the women in your office, it’s time to start building relationships! Try organizing a girls-only brunch for International Women’s Day to help your female colleagues bond with one another outside of work.
Mentor Another Woman
Another critical component for success in any career is mentorship. Having someone more experienced within your chosen field to offer advice and even act as a reference can really help you get ahead. According to this article by Fabiola Stein, it’s also a big reason why women tend to have a harder time succeeding in business. Men typically have access to a wider pool of career-advancing connections than women do, because there are more men in powerful leadership roles.
Stein claims that the best solution to this problem is for successful women in business to look out for younger, less experienced women in their field. In honor of International Women’s Day, why not take an intern or younger colleague from your office out for coffee to discuss her future? Answer her questions, offer career advice based on your own experiences, and provide her with whatever support or references she might need to attain her goals. If this conversation goes well, she’ll have made a valuable business connection, and you’ll have made a new friend!
Tell An Impressive Coworker She Inspires You
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When we think of female role models, the first women that come to mind are probably famous historical figures. International Women’s Day is an excellent time to honor influential women throughout history, but it’s just as important to recognize all the amazing women we interact with every day!
Are there any extraordinary women in your office that you consider role models? If so, there’s never been a better time to tell them. Forge a connection with a woman you admire by letting her know how she’s made an impact on your life. Not only will this make her day, but it may also create an opportunity for the two of you to form a deeper relationship.
Offer to Help Out with a Coworker’s Kids
Even though we’ve come a long way from the days when women were expected to drop their careers along with their last names once they got married, women still face a lot of obstacles at work when they start a family. According to this article from Forbes, women employees are passed over for career-advancing opportunities and may even experience a decrease in salary as soon as they have kids. Men, on the other hand, are more likely to receive promotions and an increase in salary when they become fathers.
Women are often expected to be the primary caregivers, which means that women with full-time jobs and children actually have two full-time jobs. Those who successfully handle both have the support of their family, friends, and coworkers. This International Women’s Day, see if you can help out any of the moms in your workplace. If you feel it’s appropriate, you could offer your services as a babysitter. Otherwise, just let them know that you’re there for support whenever they need it.
Spend Time with Media with Media Created by Women
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It’s important to advocate for gender equality in our workplaces, but we also need to examine how we think about women outside of work. Do we readily listen to women and consider their ideas even when we’re not required to? An article from The Guardian informs us that we may not be used to engaging with women’s voices on a regular basis. As recently as 2010, they found that the majority of major literary magazines focus on publishing reviews written by men about books written by men.
If reading fiction teaches us how to view the world through the eyes of someone else, as this article suggests, shouldn’t we be reading works by people of all genders? This International Women’s Day, consider incorporating more women authors into your reading list. If you need somewhere to start, check out this list of the best female authors from AbeBooks.
At ArtPix 3D, we take gender equality in the workplace very seriously, and we’re proud to be an Equal Opportunity Employer. We think it’s important to cultivate a diverse environment where all our employees feel equally valued.
We hope these ideas for International Women’s Day 2020 inspire you to challenge instances of inequality in your workplace with positive action. Don’t forget to set aside some time to celebrate with all the fantastic women in your life!
If this post has you thinking more about employee recognition, check back in next week for a brand new blog post that’s all about corporate awards! We’ll be talking about when, why, and how to give a custom crystal award for excellent work. In the meantime, you can check out all our previous blog posts right here, or visit our shop for more inspiration.