International Women’s Day: inspire inclusion – and boost business

8th March 2024

International Women’s Day is an annual, global celebration of the achievements of women. This year the challenge is to ‘inspire inclusion’. We can reflect on the progress made towards gender equality, as well as the work that still needs to be done.

Inclusion of diverse voices is crucial to breaking down barriers, challenging stereotypes and creating environments where women from all backgrounds are valued and respected. When it comes to inclusion in business, having diverse perspectives of all types in an organisation can lead to greater innovation and better decision making.

Practical steps to inspire inclusion

One way for an organisation to improve its inclusion of women is to work towards removing the barriers that often exclude them. This could be through:

• Implementing infrastructure and working patterns that better meet the needs of women
• Having a recruitment process that actively hires, retains and develops female talent,
• Encouraging staff to undertake equality and diversity awareness training.

Businesses can also take steps to actively support women in the workplace, such as:

• Promoting women into positions of leadership and decision-making
• Celebrating and promoting the creativity and innovation of female team members,
• Creating initiatives such as mentorship programs, educational workshops and advocacy campaigns.

Larger organisations can also take a more international approach to supporting women and girls globally. This could mean supporting programmes and charities that:

• Provide women and girls with access to quality education and training
• Support women and girls in sustainable agriculture and economic empowerment
• Help women and girls make informed decisions about their own health.

Committed to female empowerment

Sandwell Business Ambassadors has long supported International Women’s Day and the movement towards female inclusion in enterprise. In 2023 we wrote about the different meanings of equality and equity, and how to apply this in the workplace. For 2022 we shared thirteen ways to ‘break the bias’ and combat harmful stereotypes.

In 2020 and 2021 we heard from inspirational women business leaders in Sandwell – Chris Hinson from SIPS Education, Sanjeev Gill from Sandwell College and Elaine Bruce from H&R ChemPharm. Elaine also spoke about how the challenges of the coronavirus pandemic helped her achieve a better work / life balance.

We can’t think of a better way to celebrate this year than with this quote from the IWD website:

“Let us reaffirm our commitment to creating a world where all women are empowered, valued, and included. By working together to break down barriers and foster diversity, we can build a more equitable and inclusive society for generations to come.”