IWD 2021: Women empowering women

As we celebrate International Women’s Day, it feels especially important this year to recognize the significance of the impact of women. The world has been through so much in the past 365 days since the start of the Covid-19 pandemic and the rise in social justice issues awareness in 2020.  For women, the past year has been particularly impactful in our lives. Fortune recently reported that in the US in December all 140,000 of the net job losses were women and in January another 275,000 women left the workforce, accounting for losing the past three decades of progress made.

The late Supreme Court Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg once said,

“Women belong in all places where decisions are being made… It shouldn’t be that women are the exception.” 

With the loss of women in the workforce we lose the ability to have the woman’s voice in the room to not only offer a perspective but also to be present on behalf of other women. The advocacy does not stop just because there may be less of us; now more than ever we as women must be present as allies and empower each other, not just today but every day. 

The importance of a strong network of women has been incredibly impactful for me and has been instrumental in my personal and professional growth. Connecting with and leaning on the amazing, inspiring, resilient women in my life helped me get through the challenging times and I have no doubt will continue to do so. Women supporting and respecting other women is key to creating an equitable environment and building a world in which we can thrive. 

This year, I #ChoosetoChallenge by celebrating our achievements, raise awareness against bias and take action by being there for the women in my life.