International Womens Day - what now?

The idealism professed in the Ireland of 1916, when Padraig Pearse read the Proclamation for the Irish Republic was somewhat ahead of its time, it would seem - beginning with the simple words "Irishmen and Irishwomen", in itself was a major statement of equality.

He also referenced universal suffrage of "all her men and women". Britain only granted women the vote in 1918 (and even then, it was restricted to women over 30 who owned property); the United States in 1920; France in 1944.

Over one hundred years have passed, and we have seen some progress.

·???????The Marriage Bar was abolished in 1973 – which prevented any married woman from working in the public sector.

·???????The Employment Equality Act was passed in 1977 prohibiting most gender discrimination at work.

·???????In 1992, contraceptives were allowed for sale without prescription

·???????In 2015, Marriage Equality Referendum passed by 62%

·???????In 2018, the 8th amendment was finally repealed by nearly 67%.

·???????In 2019, Coercive Control became illegal

And in 2023, we will again go to Referendum to amend our Constitution to remove “the women in the home” references. I didn’t know this was even mentioned in our Constitution never mind still there

I have lived my career through the Girl Boss slogans – they led many to think that we were somehow on the precipice of busting through that glass ceiling. I have always hated these cringe-worthy punchlines.?Think about it, what do you call a male CEO? Not a #BoyCEO. Why? ‘Cause when you say it out loud, it sounds so frickin stupid. What does gender have to do with your ability to lead? Nothing. Nada. Not even a little!

We've still got a lot of work to do. We still have a long road ahead

·???????In Ireland only 22% of our government body is female – that’s lower than China & Iraq!

·???????Women are in the minority in the Corporate Suite around the world and make up only 24% of senior leadership roles in Ireland! Female Entrepreneurs receive less funding and investment.

·???????The Gender pay gap exists across multiple industries and countries – e.g. actresses earned only about 35 cents on the dollar compared to their male counterparts in the industry, according to a Forbes report. There are less women in STEM industries.

·???????McKinsey reports that Women spend more time on DEI initiatives than men, and a lot of extra effort is not acknowledged as part of performance.

·???????Women still shoulder more of unpaid domestic work and are three times more likely to be asked to organise the coffee for a meeting. ?

·???????Across the globe, women pay more for items such as deodorant, socks, razors and period poverty is hitting hard in homes where the choice is between putting food on the table or sanitary products.

·???????Many girls and women cannot access education or medical treatments, are more impacted by climate change and poverty & hunger and many do not have bodily autonomy.

·???????Women are burning out faster & are leaving their companies at the highest rate ever seen: For every woman who gets promoted to the next level, two women leave their company, according to multiple reports.

·???????The Motherhood penalty exists and its hurting women in the workplace. In addition, fathers are more likely to be seen as competent when they have children, while mothers are more likely to be seen as nurturing and compassionate.?

·???????A recent HBR article found that women at all levels are also more likely to be mistaken for someone more junior.?

So International Womens Day has passed – and we have all worn purple and hugged ourselves and for that day, it felt good to celebrate how far we have come – WHAT NEXT? The reality is that we are still 300 years to reach gender equality according to the UN.

Every one of us, men and women owe it to future generations and those who came before us to fight for the rights of those in minorities and marginalised communities, for those who are not ready to speak up, for trans women, for those who flee their home country in the hope of a safer life here.

We still have such a long road ahead of us, and days like IWD give us pause to reflect and realise how lucky we are in so many ways but once its over, that harsh reality hits hard. Its one foot in front of the other but we must keep going. Its not equal yet, but we must push for progress.

Inspired by the images of the brilliant Amy Kean and her relentless energy to point out inequality and make sure that women are heard as the experts they are -go follow her (Twitter @keano81)