Honoured every year on March 8th, International Women’s Day (IWD) is a globally-recognised movement that shines a light on women’s rights. It aims to bring attention to gender equality, reproductive rights, and violence and abuse against women.
IWD is a day to recognise how far gender equality has come and reflect on how far there is still to go. Many also use the day to understand the social, economic, political, and cultural achievements of women and girls. While it’s observed worldwide, 27 countries have now also adopted IWD as a national holiday.
Every year a new theme is picked for the day, with previous ones including #BreaktheBias, #EachforEqual, and #ChoosetoChallenge. This year, there are two themes: #EmbraceEquality and ‘Cracking the Code: Innovation for a gender-equal future’.
History Of International Women’s Day
The origins of IWD can be traced back to 1908 when 15,000 women took to the streets of New York and protested for shorter working hours, voting rights, and better pay.
In 1909, the Socialist Party of America announced a National Women’s Day to honour the strikers, and a year later, it went global. 1911 marked the first IWD, with more than one million men and women attending rallies across Europe.
More than 60 years later, in 1975 — International Women’s Year — the United Nations adopted IWD on March 8th.
United Nations International Women’s Day
The United Nations International Women’s Day theme for 2023 is ‘Cracking the Code: Innovation for a gender-equal future’; it’s based on the priority theme for the United Nations 67th Commission on the Status of Women.
‘Cracking the Code’ highlights the role that bold, transformative ideas, accessible education, and inclusive technologies play in combating the discrimination and marginalisation of women.
Innovation helps drive change, and by embracing new technologies and championing the skills and knowledge of women in science, technology, engineering, and mathematics (STEM), progress towards a gender-equal future can accelerate.
Ensuring equal access to education for women and girls and creating pathways and inclusive workplaces for women in STEM can leverage the evolving power of inclusive innovation.
internationalwomensday.com
This year, internationalwomensday.com will celebrate women making change, build workplaces where women thrive, enable women’s choices in health, applaud equality for women in sports, and improve equality for women in technology.
Using the hashtag #EmbraceEquality, you, too, can help forge an inclusive world. Share your empowering and educational images, videos, resources, and articles on social media using the tags #EmbraceEquality and #IWD2023. It’s not just women who can make a change; allies are essential for women’s social, cultural, political, and economic advancement.
International Women’s Day Events In Perth
On March 8th, many events will be taking place across Perth to pay homage to the day and its messages, from networking breakfasts to talks chaired by notable women.
She’s on the Money – International Women’s Day
Following on from their successful inaugural IWD event, She’s on the Money will this year be highlighting the theme of #crackingthecode and championing women in STEM to accelerate progress towards a gender-equal future.
The events begin on March 1st with breakfast canapés, unlimited coffee, and a gift bag with some of She’s on the Money’s favourite brands. You’ll also be hearing from Michelle Cowan, Australia’s first professional female AFL coach, and Brooklyn, a Perth-based content creator and part-time content strategist, on recognising what it means to be a woman.
UN Women Australia
On March 3rd, UN Women Australia will host a fundraising lunch at Optus Stadium’s River View Room. Can’t make it in person? Anyone in Australia can tune into the live stream to join the event.
Hear from leaders and change-makers who redefine innovation and create new social, cultural, and economic codes for a gender-equal future. The line-up is yet to be confirmed, with new presenters still being added. Follow the UN Women Australia social media pages for any new announcements.
Registrations open at 11:00 am, with the event running from noon to 3:00 pm.
AusIMM’s International Women’s Day Perth
Join the Australasian Institute of Mining and Metallurgy (AusIMM) on March 3rd for a two-course lunch, drinks, and a presentation from keynote speaker Dr Kylie Moore-Gilbert.
In 2018, Dr Moore-Gilbert was falsely imprisoned in an Iranian prison for espionage. After serving more than two years of her ten-year sentence, Gilbert returned to Australia in a prisoner exchange deal. She now advocates for other unjustly detained individuals in foreign prisons and shines a light on how international governments can better handle their detention.
Before the lunch, AusIMM will offer a ‘Diversity and Inclusion’ workshop focusing on psychological safety. Experts will up-skill attendees by providing the tools needed to inspire an inclusive culture and achieve diversity.
Breakfast by the Bay: International Women’s Day 2023
Hear from a panel of UWA alumni at the University Club of Western Australia as they discuss how they embrace equity for women’s cultural, social, political, and economic advancement.
Learn from Professor Samina Yasmeen, Director of UWA’s Centre for Muslim States and Societies and Head of the Department of International Relations, Asian Studies and Politics. Dr Megan Clark, inaugural Head of the Australian Space Agency and current Chair of the agency’s Advisory Board, will join her.
The panel will also include Dr Diane-Smith Gander, former President of Chief Executive Women, Rhiannon Compton, People and Culture Manager for a global mining consulting firm, and Professor Amit Chakma, UWA Vice-Chancellor.
The event runs from 7:00 am to 9:00 am, with breakfast included.
Engineers Australia
Engineers Australia is celebrating its 10th IWD event this year, with a speech from keynote speaker, Michelle Payne, streamed live from Melbourne. As the first and only female to win the Melbourne Cup, Payne will deliver an inspiring and impassioned discussion about women in sports and overcoming adversity.
CEO of Engineers Australia, Romilly Madew, said the jockey was a perfect choice to headline the series. “IWD is both a celebration and reminder that there is still much work to be done in the name of gender equality. Since 2013 these events have enabled groups and individuals to come together to foster inspiration, celebrate IWD, and network with like-minded professionals,” she said.
International Women’s Day 2023 – SMARTwomen Perth
Celebrate IWD with SMARTwomen Perth, delighting in a ladies’ lunch headlined by empowering speeches from Lizelle Hartley, founder of SMARTwomen, and Mariana Logan. Hartley is also a business mentor, speaker, and podcast host. Logan is a SMARTwoman Perth Partner with over 30 years of business experience in the for-profit and not-for-profit sectors, focussing on social housing and infrastructure.
The event will run from 10:00 am to 2:00 pm on March 8th at the South of Perth Yacht Club.
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Lead image: UN Women
