300 Years to Equality?

No. Absolutely Not.

?? Let’s Lead With the Hard Truth. At the current rate, it will take 300 YEARS for women to reach equality.

When Terri Stockton dropped this stat, it smacked me in the face. I couldn’t stop thinking about it.

? 300 years? That’s not progress. That’s glacial. ? 300 years? That means my daughter’s daughter’s daughter will still be fighting this fight. ? 300 years? That means waiting is not an option.

I know people will say, “But we’ve made so much progress!”

Yes, we have. But not enough. Not even close.

What Else Hits Hard?

We need more data gut punches—stats that don’t just tell the story, but make people feel it.

?? 0 women in the top 100 highest-paid athletes. ?? 0 women in the top 10 most influential people in tech. ?? Only 21% of tech leadership roles are held by women. ?? Autistic women are diagnosed on average 7 years later than autistic men.

These aren’t small gaps. These are gaping voids.

The framing is key:

?? This isn’t about just representation. It’s about power.

?? This isn’t about just fairness. It’s about who gets funded, promoted, heard, and paid.

?? This isn’t a women’s problem. This is a system problem.

?? This isn’t just about today—it’s about what our boys and girls see, who they believe belongs, and what they set their sights on.

Who Else Needs to Read This?

We’re not just talking to people who already get it. We need to reach the people who think this doesn’t apply to them.

1?? Men in tech & leadership. They’re the ones sitting at the decision-making tables. They have the power to hire, promote, fund, and champion women. They need to see this as their issue too.

2?? People who think “we’ve made so much progress.” Those who say, “But look how far we’ve come!” need to realise that incremental progress is not enough when we’re still 300 years away.

3?? Neurodivergent professionals who don’t realise gender bias affects them too. Many ND men understand workplace bias, but they don’t realise ND women face an entirely different level of invisibility, late diagnosis, and underemployment.

4?? Young women entering tech & leadership. They need to see the real picture—not just the “empowering” speeches, but the hard numbers that show them what they’re up against so they can demand better.

The Call to Action: Who’s Going to Step Up?

This can’t just be about raising awareness.

? Awareness doesn’t close pay gaps. ? Awareness doesn’t create leaders. ? Awareness doesn’t rewrite hiring policies.

This is about stepping up.

?? Men in leadership: Are you paying women fairly? Are you promoting them at the same rate? Are you creating space for ND women to thrive?

?? Tech & research industries: Are you fixing your gender gaps in hiring, funding, and visibility?

?? Educators & policymakers: Are you ensuring ND girls aren’t left behind before their careers even start?

?? Women & ND professionals: Are we pushing for systemic change, not just survival?

Final Thought: If 300 Years Sounds Absurd, It’s Because It Is.

So let’s not wait. Let’s accelerate action. Let’s make it impossible to ignore.

We are at a turning point. We either demand change NOW, or we accept 300 more years of waiting.

?? Who’s with us? ??

Coming Up Next → International Women’s Day Celebrations at Jigsaw24

This post is the wake-up call. But next, I want to celebrate. International Women’s Day is about action, but it’s also about recognising the incredible women driving change today.

?? At Jigsaw24 , thanks to Terri Stockton , we took action, we had conversations, and we lifted each other up. ?? I’ll be sharing how we celebrated and the impact it made. Stay tuned! Shahida Barick FRAeS Shannon Cooper

#AccelerateChange #IWD2025 #WomenInTech #NeurodivergentWomen

Reference:

World Economic Forum. (2021). Global Gender Gap Report 2021. Retrieved from https://www.weforum.org/reports/global-gender-gap-report-2021