Elevate Women This March

Elevate Women This March

“WOMEN WILL HAVE ACHIEVED TRUE EQUALITY WHEN MEN SHARE WITH THEM, THE RESPONSIBILITY OF BRINGING UP THE NEXT GENERATION.” – RUTH BADER GINSBURG

The first International Women’s Day was celebrated on March 8th,1911. Over a century later, according to the World  Economic Forum (WEF), we will achieve gender parity in another 100 years. Let us take this moment to actively and consciously pursue the empowerment and elevation of women, by each other and our allies.

This year’s theme for International Women’s Day is – Women in Leadership: Achieving an equal future in a COVID-19 world. Women have been instrumental in shaping businesses and the workforce while keeping their families safe and healthy during this once-in-a-lifetime pandemic.

I would like to take a moment to celebrate the economic, political, and social achievements of women in the recovery and rebuilding of our world, and also to generate awareness around the struggles of women worldwide.

It has been a year since most of us went into lockdown and experienced several emotions including disbelief, paranoia, stress, grief, and worry for our families’ well-being. There were many who did not have the luxury of Netflix nor the comfort of instant delivery (think war zones, natural calamities, mental health). 2020 certainly made every mother’s journey hard, juggling work and life and some far more than others. Overall, existing gender inequalities regressed women’s progress in the world (Report).

In the midst of all this chaos, women rose up to the challenge at the workplace, at home, and in some cases for their country. A few highlights were Jacinda Arden and Angela Merkel who proved what a woman at the helm can help a country achieve in this calamity. Dr. Kizzmekia Corbett was instrumental in leading her team to create the Moderna vaccine. Swati Mohan landed the Perseverance rover in Mars, marking a historic win for humanity. There are several women in your own home, workplace and organizations you belong to that you can recognize, celebrate and elevate.

Here are nine simple actions I want to leave you with to elevate women around you in March.

  1. Celebrate 3 women around you and reinforce their impact on your life.
  2. Recognize your female and queer women in the workplace for their contributions to your teams.
  3. Purchase from women-owned businesses in March.
  4. Provide your time or donate to organizations for the betterment of women.
  5. Mentor/Coach at least 1 woman in 2021
  6. If you have a technologist at home, have them take advantage of ASEI’s offer on FREE mentoring for women in March!
  7. Host virtual events for your community and your organization. Several events below can use allies to increase awareness.
  8. Remember, house chores are not gender-specific. They are life skills for everyone!
  9. Last but not least, say THANK YOU to the wonderful women around you, starting with your mom.

 It takes a village to complete a project successfully. It is going to take all of us, taking meaningful action, to elevate and accelerate our progress towards gender equality.

LIST OF EVENTS:

Arjun Parth