My reservation with this year’s IWD theme…

The first time I heard about the International Women's Day(IWD) theme for this year, I was excited, curious and eager to hear the different opinions in celebration of IWD 2023.

Yeah, the day came and several programs were held on and after that day to celebrate it. After putting different views together, I felt something is still missing. Like I get this idea of embracing equity and I am for it but it still looked imbalanced to me.

Fast forward to LIVE Awake Conference(LAC) 2023 which was held by IMMERSE Coaching Company in celebration of IWD 2023. We had women define what equity meant to them, and we also had Kitan Deji-Kurunmi present a spoken word while Lead Coach DDK( Debola Deji - Kurunmi ) gave the Keynote.

So yeah, thanks to Kitan who helped me put to words what had been in mind since this year's celebration.

According to VC4A, “equity aims to ensure fair treatment, access, equality of opportunity and advancement for everyone while also attempting to identify and remove the barriers that have prevented some groups from fully participating.”?

BellaRose Okojie - Duruji (TechCity) further explained the IWD 2023 Theme: in her words, equity recognises that each person has different circumstances and allocates (specific) resources and opportunities needed to reach an outcome.?

She furthered that equity recognises that people may have different needs, experiences, and opportunities based on their identities/circumstances, and seeks to ensure that everyone has equal access to opportunities and resources.

Just look at that! So good! In summary, I can say equity has fairness and inclusiveness at its core.

So, why did I feel some of the opinions shared were still imbalanced if I agree this much with the idea of embracing equity, right?

It is more because of how the emphasis was laid on one aspect but the other was neglected

I hope you know that embracing equity is not talking about pitying women. No! It's also not condoling excesses, mediocrity and nonsense in the name of inclusivity and fairness. I also hope you can remember that justice and fairness walk hand-in-hand.

See what Kitan said at LAC 2023:

“I deserve a place at the table, not as a recipient of pity party but because I have the capacity…?Don't just look at me and think I am only a fine face, wait until you see what is on my inside. Don't just look at me and think I can only try a bit, wait until you see what I am capable of.”?

Whether you are a man or woman reading this, we are saying that as women, we have an enormous capacity in us and it is high time society started to harness these potentials.

We are asking for a place at the table because we deserve it. We've earned it! We've worked for it!?

As Lead Coach DDK told us in her Keynote Session (which by the way was the Blockbuster for me at LAC 2023), it also means that as a woman, what have you done to deserve a place at the table? You're not just asking for a place at the table because you have ovaries. Are you up to the task??

What are you bringing to the table that stands you out??

These are some of the questions she told us to ask ourselves:

• Who must I become to position myself as a worthy leader in my sphere of influence??
• What expertise do I need to acquire to actually be so good people will not be able to ignore me??
• How do I build myself up in a way that when platforms open up for me, no one is thinking I merely got it because of who I know or because they're trying to be politically correct and they need a certain quota to meet??
• What kind of woman do I need to become to make a difference and how do I position myself to qualify for this God-movement??

In conclusion, she encouraged us not to just pay lip service to equality and equity. We have to elevate craftsmanship over packaging.?

Don't forget, “we are not saying women deserve a place at the table if they don't deserve it. We deserve a place at the table if we can solve global issues and real problems ailing institutions.” DDK, 2023.

Happy International Women's Celebration!

The first time I heard about the International Women's Day(IWD) theme for this year, I was excited, curious and eager to hear the different opinions in celebration of IWD 2023


The day came and several programs were held on and after that day to celebrate it. After putting different views together, I felt something was still missing. Like I get this idea of embracing #equity and I am for it but it still looked imbalanced to me...