What if women's issues were everyone's issues?

As you probably already know, Tuesday, March 8th is International Women’s Day. While some debate whether this day should or should not be singled out, what is not questionable are women's economic, political, social and cultural achievements around the world, and most especially, the ongoing quest to gender equality. 

Around the world, there is still much progress to be made in terms of women's rights. But there is also a room for improvement in the workplace. Clichés, prejudice, gender bias and inequality are still current, and yet, do we really hear these issues? Since I work in the advertising industry, I wrote an editorial last year about women's role and image in ads. This year, TBWA\, the group I have worked with for over twenty years, launched "Take The Lead," a worldwide campaign in which men from around the network read actual quotes by their female peers.

The idea is to underscore the fact that the issues women face cannot, and should not, be challenged or changed by women alone. Much like the #HeForShe initiative, the #TakeTheLead2020 campaign invites everyone to stand together in the battle for women's rights, because women's issues are everyone's issues. 

This campaign is part of Project 20/20, an initiative launched by TBWA\'s CEO and President Troy Ruhanen (pictured below), which aims to make fostering female leadership and talent a top priority around the worldwide network. I hope to see it flourish.