Like many women, I’m reflecting today on the great progress that has been made towards creating a better working world for women. Just half a century ago, most women in the developed economies were primarily homemakers or juggling home responsibilities and lower paid roles to help support their families. That they had any rights at all was in part due to the campaigning carried out over the previous 50 years or so, gradually gathering momentum following the very first International Women’s’ Day in 1911.
Glancing through the summary of press coverage I receive every day, I am struck today by the number of articles about IWD appearing in local newspapers across the UK and in professional publications (especially those in what have traditionally been considered male ‘enclaves’). Twitter is awash with facts and comments. This stuff is mainstream now, it seems.
There’s much to celebrate. An increasing number of women are highly educated, pursuing rewarding careers and many are balancing the opportunity to bring up a family alongside their work life. Equal pay, improved maternity and paternity rights, shared family responsibilities and fair career progression are hard won rights that benefit many of us. Happily, it’s been a very long time since I heard anyone mutter ‘women‘s lib’ disparagingly – those who campaigned for equality in my mum’s generation were often pitied, joked about or reviled, by all but the liberal elite.
Of course, the picture is much more varied and challenging for the many millions of women living outside the developed economies. One of the best aspects of International Women‘s Day is the focus on global empowerment – this year‘s call to action of ‘Planet 50/50 by 2030’is the latest example, campaigning for equal rights and representation everywhere within the next 15 years.
I am fortunate to meet many inspiring women in my work as a coach and I am very aware of the high expectations women have of themselves. My job is to help these women realise their potential, and achieve that elusive, fulfilling balance in their lives. Working within an organisation that has coached over 10,000 women over the past decade, I am proud of our contribution, but there is so much more to do. We are nowhere near 50/50 political representation even here in the UK, men still occupy the majority of business leadership roles, and the statistics about who controls wealth emphasise the ongoing gender imbalance.
Achieving that IWD 50/50 goal will be hugely difficult, but it is possible. And the economics are on our side – companies with a balance of female and male leaders perform better, and more sustainably.
Considering the progress made since 1911 I am optimistic that the determination of women to be treated fairly, succeed in all areas of their lives, and their great strengths and talents will mean we can reflect in 2030 on a 50/50 world, where women’s’ lives and possibilities are transformed.
