Celebrating International Women's Day 2023

Two years ago, I posted on International Women’s Day. A lot has changed for me personally since this post but the reasons that we all need to focus on gender equality have not. So today, on International Women’s Day, I want to share more of my personal thoughts about why this day is so important and some ideas on what we can do to accelerate change. 

First, I want to start with why I am excited about International Women’s Day, or IWD.  I love the fact that IWD is a global day that celebrates women’s impact on the world, AND that it marks a call to action to accelerate gender parity everywhere. IWD helps refocus us on something many people already know: 111-years after the first IWD was celebrated, the playing field is still not level for women. In America, women still make 82 cents for every dollar earned by men, and America is better than many countries in the world in this regard. In our workplaces and homes, obstacles that primarily impact women still are widespread. In spite of the challenges, I remain optimistic, and I want to be a part of the global effort that changes that reality for every single girl and woman.

Two years ago, I told a story about when I was in school. It was real and very personal but it was a long time ago. I was actually challenged by someone who said to me (and I paraphrase), “but that was years ago – things are different now.” My answer for those who know me should not be too surprising. It was “B.S”. I then told another more current story that I will share with you. 

Folks who know my daughter often say, “the apple did not fall from the tree” and to be fair, they are not wrong. She is a STEM girl through and through. I subscribed to a parenting philosophy that was based on three A’s – Academics, Athletics and Arts. Claire played the piano and was a gifted gymnast, but she was first and foremost a good student. She worked hard and cared deeply. During a parent teacher conference, one of her elementary school teachers made a recommendation for on-level math for Claire. I was stunned. It made no sense. She had scored above the 90th percentile and was in the “talented and gifted” program. My usual M.O. was to have my children advocate for themselves; however, this was not a time to be silent. I challenged the teacher and finally got an answer. She told me she thought it was in Claire’s best interest because she was SO busy. I was clear with the teacher that academics were her priority and pointed out that was evidenced in her performance in her classes and I gave the teacher an ultimatum. She would put her in the appropriate math class for her skill level or we would be meeting with the principal. My point in telling this story is that this stuff still happens, and it happens a lot more than we think. I do not think this teacher would have cared about a boy with the same credentials playing baseball or football. Is it any wonder why we don’t have nearly enough girls in STEM? My daughter knows that I have her back, but all girls need to know that we have their backs, and when I say “we” here, I mean the collective we – parents, friends, educators, politicians, the system, EVERYONE. 

I have made it my mission as a woman leader to pay it forward. I mentor and sponsor females and I am committed to help drive gender diversity generally and more specifically in STEM programs. I love the work we are doing at Apollo to drive DEI and social outcomes which is one of the pillars of our ESG strategic framework. I believe the work that we are doing in Board Diversity and Supplier Diversity is unique from an approach and outcomes perspective across our peers and we are so excited about the impact we are having. The even better news is that we are just getting started. 

I want to end this post with a couple of questions and a challenge. What are you doing to help drive gender parity and help to truly create equal opportunity? What more could you do to help move the needle on gender parity and opportunity? My challenge to you is simple: find more ways to engage on gender parity and make sure those around you hear your message. The more leaders we have working on this every day, the faster we will get to the finish line. I want to make sure that my daughter, your daughter(s) and our future female leaders have the level playing field that each of them deserves – and that our global community deserves – to reach their potential!