Celebrating International Women’s Day 2024: Embracing Inclusion & Empowerment Every Day

“The beauty of being a feminist is you get to be whatever you want. And that’s the point.”

-Shonda Rhimes

I love this quote because feminism is about women achieving what they want- whatever that want may be! Today is International Women’s Day- a global holiday dedicated to celebrating the social, economic, cultural, and political achievements of women. The theme for IWD 2024 is “Inspire Inclusion.”

You can inspire inclusion for women by taking action that helps break down barriers, goes against stereotypes and fosters environments where women from all walks of life are respected, heard, and feel a sense of belonging. This means not only should we push for equal representation of women in influential spaces, but we also must ensure there is diversity present as well. Women from underrepresented groups face more barriers in reaching leadership positions. When there is not diversity in leadership, groups and communities suffer because they are missing out on valuable experience and perspective.

But how can we do this? Well I’m glad you asked because there are lots of ways that we can support inclusion.

1. Extend an invitation: Whether you are inviting someone new to coffee, or extending an invitation for an Executive Board Membership, you can create inclusion by inviting someone who is different from you. Maybe you grew up in different parts of the world, maybe you have completely different political views, maybe someone is a young adult and you have more life experience. You can directly influence the makeup of a leadership team, or your personal circle, all by asking someone to join you, share their knowledge, and be in community.
2. Foster an inclusive environment: People want to be where they are comfortable. This starts at the very top of any organization with having diversity in leadership. An inclusive environment is also one where there are equal opportunities for advancement for everyone regardless of background. Maybe you are trying to promote inclusion on a smaller scale whether that be a book club or a small gathering. You can start by making sure it is scheduled at a time where working and/or non working people can more easily attend.
3. Ask questions: This can be of others, but also of yourself! If someone has a different opinion than you, be curious and if appropriate, ask them to tell you more. And internally, we should always be reflective of our own perceptions and biases. Are we approaching an issue with assumptions that may be limiting our ability to fully understand the situation? Be curious- not close minded- in everything you do and you will find that you can continue to learn and grow.
4. Give back: If you are a woman in a hard earned leadership position, you would probably be a fantastic mentor for another woman or young lady in your field.  Perhaps you are hiring for a well compensated position. This is a great time to make sure that you are being inclusive with your hiring practices and giving candidates from diverse backgrounds equal opportunity to be hired. If you can afford it, consider finding a scholarship at a local community college. And the easiest way to give support to women and girls in your community is to encourage, uplift, and engage. It costs us nothing to cheer someone on, but it gives them confidence knowing that you believe in them.

Books & brunch and 25 inspirational women

On Monday this past week I attended a Books & Brunch Event hosted by The DealmakeHers to honor 2024’s 25 Most Inspirational Women. A few things I learned from this event:

• Celebrate faults, fixate on the fix.  
• Failure isn’t fatal unless you let it be the last thing you learn. 
• Women are judged by their worst moment, men are judged by their next opportunity. 
• You aren’t guaranteed victory, but you are guaranteed progress.
• Learn your lessons, not your losses.

International women’s day is not about celebrating all women once a year. It’s about actively supporting women that don’t look like you whether that’s attending an event, supporting a book or their restaurant or being a part of their lives in a way that is intentional as often as possible. So, let’s not think about just celebrating a day, let’s remember to be active within our lives daily. International Women’s Day is not just a moment to inspire inclusion, it is an intentional choice to bring people up with you that you notice working hard or encourage someone you notice that needs a warm gesture. It’s a habit that you choose to intentionally create to practice these moments on a daily basis. 

I truly believe you get back what you put into this world and your circle should only want to see you win. It should encourage growth and support. If you look at your circle and you don’t feel inspired, then find a new circle. And when creating a new circle, make sure you leave space for someone like you, who maybe needed just one person to make them feel loved and supported. Happy International Women’s Day!

With Love,

AB