International Women’s Day 2023: Best practices to #EmbraceEquity in the workplace

International Women’s Day is Wednesday, March 8. 

The holiday is focused on celebrating the achievements of women and pushing for advancements in women’s rights across the world. This year’s International Women’s Day theme is “Embrace Equity” to raise awareness and promote discussion about why equal opportunities aren’t enough. 

International Women’s Day: Past, present and future of women in the workplace

National Women’s History Month and International Women’s Day have strong ties to the workplace and workers’ rights. On March 8, 1857, female textile workers marched to protest unfair working conditions and women’s rights, calling for a shorter workday and decent wages.

On March 8, 1908, another march was held to protest child labor, as well as advocate for better sweatshop working conditions and women’s suffrage. In 1910, March 8 was officially declared International Women’s Day.

Although women have many of the rights that these protests fought for, there are still inequities in the workplace for women, such as:

• More than 60% of Black women have experienced racial trauma in the workplace in the past year, per McKinsey & Company
• Women only hold 26% of C-suite positions and only 5% are women of color, per McKinsey & Company
• Almost 60% of women who work in hybrid workplaces say they are excluded from meetings, discussions and interactions, per Deloitte
• Out of the 23.9% of parents with children under 19 who have part-time jobs, 80.4% are women, per NWLC, and
• It would take 63 years to narrow the gender pay gap, 30 years to narrow the participation gap and 67 years for full-time female employees’ share to be equal with the male share, per PWC.

Women have been disproportionately affected by the pandemic, due to factors such as a lack of childcare during the pandemic and balancing work and childcare duties for those who work from home. 

Despite that, things are still trending in the right direction. More than one-quarter (30%) of S&P 500 board directors are women, according to Spencer Stuart, a record high for 2020. “With more women taking up leadership roles, we have more opportunities to think differently and bring unique ideas to the table,” says Nidhi Alexander, Chief Marketing Officer at Hexaware Technologies. “The truth is diverse teams produce more innovative outcomes.”

Best practices to support equity in the workplace

With International Women’s Day’s focus on embracing equity, it’s important for HR to support women in the workplace by battling burnout and encouraging women to strive for leadership roles.

Workplace equity is about making sure that women have the same opportunities and can make the same career advancements. “The truth is that women do not wish to be treated differently or in a special manner,” says Alexander. “They simply want to be respected for their work and acknowledged for their efforts.”

For International Women’s Day, consider some of these best practices to support women for this month and beyond.

Bring female employees into leadership discussions and opportunities. “By encouraging more young women to set their sights on top positions, we are sending a positive message to the next generation to pursue their interests and dreams fearlessly,” says Alexander. However, just bringing them into the room isn’t enough. True equity also includes helping women develop the necessary skills to advance their careers. “Developing and encouraging the skills and career progression of female professionals is integral in empowering women to take on leadership roles,” says Meredith Graham, CPO at Ensono.

Make decisions based on raw skills and talent. There’s a misconception that equity means promoting women as a diversity initiative rather than for her skills. “One of the biggest mistakes we can make in supporting female candidates is promoting them only as a diversity candidate,” says Alexander. “We empower high-performing women not just because of their gender, but because of their qualifications and results that they have delivered.” 

Involve women in policy-making decisions. “When [policies] are created only by men, it will not reflect the needs of women or even other genders,” says Alexander. “A diverse workforce allows us to understand employee requirements better and build inclusive policies which allow everyone to thrive.” When white men or other majority groups are the decision-makers, policies mainly benefit those who are making the decisions. By including those in marginalized groups, you can be sure that policies will benefit everyone. 

Encourage a healthy work-life balance. The onus of household upkeep and childcare typically falls on women more than men, meaning that work-life balance isn’t as simple as ensuring free time after work. For many women, the “second shift” after work means they are more likely to get burnt out between work and home. Consider instituting benefits that will help ease these burdens, like PTO days for child obligations and flexible scheduling to accommodate childcare needs. 

Gather feedback and implement changes based on results. You may want to send out a survey for International Women’s Day to get a pulse check on how your employees feel. “Companies can utilize anonymous employee feedback channels,” suggests Graham, which may encourage transparency and help find the root issues that are affecting employees.