From Challenge comes Change

Today we celebrate International Women’s Day (IWD) – in a year which has undoubtedly presented us as a collective with some unprecedented challenges. On many levels this backdrop makes this year’s IWD more important than ever and presents us with a chance to recognise the vital role of women in today’s world and try to make positive change happen for them.

It is hard to ignore that while Covid-19 has spared no one from its affects – it has been particularly challenging for women. Women disproportionately make up the majority in professions such as nurses, teachers, and carers – while taking on greater responsibilities at home caring for children, or elderly parents during this pandemic. Arguably this equality imbalance has never been as obvious around the world with implications expected to be felt for women for years to come.

Though this celebration started over 100 years ago there is still a great deal of work needed to achieve genuine equality for women and today serves as a call to action for accelerating women’s equality, and eradicating gender bias.

This year’s theme is #Choose to Challenge, which holds huge relevance for us all regardless of gender. The idea being that when you challenge, real change happens. And while little actions go a long way – taking action as a collective is where real change comes.

As an individual I choose to challenge gender-based stereotypes where I see them. As a collective team at Ding – we are going to continue to work hard to consciously try to raise our awareness of issues of bias or stereotyping in the workplace. And to be an ally to the women we work with, many of whom may have experienced the challenges of bias during their careers. First and foremost, I would like to thank women all around the world for their immense work and bravery they have shown during this crisis.