We must embrace equity as business leaders

Today marks International Women's Day (IWD). It is a day in the calendar that I have always cared deeply about for many reasons. I have experienced gender discrimination first-hand often, and many times it has bruised me and left deep wounds.

When I was told that I couldn’t have my corporate job when becoming a new mother as apparently, I wouldn’t be able to handle it (“How could a new mother manage a demanding career as well?”), the devastation at the injustice ran deep and didn’t leave me for years. The silver lining is that I went on to start my own business and I celebrate 15 years of being in business this month.

Experiencing gender inequality lit a fire in my belly. Starting the Manning & Co group has in many ways given me a platform through our brands to make a positive difference and create a level playing field. But at a macro level, there is still so much to do.

This year’s IWD theme is “Embrace Equity” and it is a theme that is very near and dear to me. It speaks of building a world free of bias, stereotypes and discrimination. A world that's diverse, equitable, and inclusive.

When we speak about gender equality, we also must recognise that as women, we come in different shapes and sizes, and we want to make sure that achieving equality extends to all women – regardless of race, religion or other differences.

This is particularly important to me as only last month my youngest daughter was diagnosed with a rare genetic bone condition that has affected her growth; as a result, she is of short stature. Her growth plates have closed and she will remain 4ft 7 for her adult years.

Witnessing her worries and concerns is heart breaking. She is worried about all sorts of things, including not being able to pursue her dream job as she already feels people treat her differently and not fairly because of her size. ?????

Creating a more equitable world means driving gender parity for all women. It needs to be inclusive. We need to work harder at this moving forward as I hear too many stories where inequality is still very real and present, including from my daughters.

A recent hire of mine told me about her experience of going for job interviews in Australia and how a ‘very Australian’ PR company made comments about her ethnicity and said that she wasn’t "white" enough to work with them. She also experienced a prospective male employer trying to repeatedly hit on her through the interview process. I was shocked to hear about these experiences. Maybe I shouldn’t be, but 16 years on from my own upsetting experiences, clearly, the needle hasn’t moved enough. ???

As business leaders, now more than ever we must commit to taking action to promote equality and inclusion in our workplace and beyond. I will continue to do all I can to create an environment that promotes inclusion and gives everyone a fair go. But we need to not just talk about. Actions speak louder than words.

So this International Women's Day and beyond, let's embrace equity and work towards a more equitable world for all.