#EachforEqual and Uplifting on a Global Stage

International Women's Day theme for 2020 is #EachforEqual, which reminds everyone that it’s up to each of us to help create a more gender-parity world.  Themes from the last few years include #BalanceforBetter, focusing on the importance of achieving a gender-balanced world, #PressforProgress, #BeBoldforChange, and #PledgeforParity. As I reflected on these themes today, I strived first to better understand the history of this day.

International Women’s Day is a global day (March 8) celebrating the social, economic, cultural, and political achievements of women. This day also marks an annual call to action for accelerating gender inclusion and parity. This day enjoys a well-intentioned history: the founding United Nations charter (1945) included a provision for equality between men and women. From 1945 to 1975, many leaders on different global stages worked to turn these principles into action. The United Nation’s General Assembly passed a resolution that 1975 should be International Women’s Year. In December 1975, the UN General Assembly passed another resolution that 1976-1985 should be the “Decade of Women.” I was born in that decade.

Fast forward to 2020, a pivotal year, as the world evaluates progress made since the 1995 Beijing Declaration and Platform. Adopted at the Fourth World Conference on Women in Beijing, the Platform for Action is still recognized as one of the most progressive roadmaps for the empowerment of women and girls everywhere. Despite some progress, real change has been agonizingly slow for the majority of women and girls in the world. Today, not a single country can claim to have achieved gender parity. Multiple obstacles remain in business, law and culture. Women and girls continue to be undervalued: they work more and earn less; despite being better educated, they have fewer choices, and still experience humiliation and even violence at home and in public spaces, including the office.

What has changed, however, is the prevalence and tone of the conversation. In 1995, Hilary Clinton gave the speech “Women’s Rights are Human Rights.” From that time forward, we have experienced marches, movements, and global bravery that give us hope. Many of us have dedicated time to mentoring, public speaking, and even book writing, among other things, to urge us faster along the journey of gender inclusion and subsequently parity.

Now 35 years after the end of the Decade of Women, why aren’t we further along on this journey? I believe we need to walk the talk: Turn words into actions and results. Both men and women around the world need to use our influence where we have power. For those who know me, you know how passionate I am as a global business leader to pursue three initiatives:

1. Help other women. Not only will I lead by example, but I strive to always make time to help other women. Margaret Thatcher’s words “There’s a special place in hell for women that don’t help other women,” ring in my ears.
2. Teach well-intentioned men how to help women. Most men want to help advance gender parity in the workplace and in the broader community, but many men don’t know how.
3. Be intentional. Leverage my platform as a business leader to be visible and take a stance to show that not only does having more women in senior leadership roles make good business sense, a more equal world with a balanced approach to inclusion is a richer world for everyone.

As Gloria Steinem once explained, “The story of women’s struggle for equality belongs to no single feminist nor to any one organization but to the collective efforts of all who care about human rights.” Let’s not let another decade go by before we advance further our right to gender parity. #IWD2020; #EachforEqual; #bestTeam