Supporting equality and the next generation

Time to support younger girls to challenge gendered stereotypes.

Time’s flown since the last International Women’s Day and you may ask yourself: what’s changed in terms of gender equality over the past year? Personally, it feels as if progress has stalled or is being significantly eroded for many women worldwide. To quote the International Women’s Day website: “At the current rate of progress, it will take until 2158, which is roughly five generations from now, to reach full gender parity, according to data from the World Economic Forum.”

In more recent years, we’ve become used to things happening instantly and as a result, we can sometimes forget the bigger picture. It takes generations for a culture to develop and change. It takes time for attitudes to change. It will take time for gender equality to become so second nature that we won’t remember a time when it didn’t exist. I think we also need to have the confidence that it will change, and remember we are part of the journey.

Emmeline Pankhurst formed the suffragette’s movement in October 1903, but it took until 1918 before some women in the UK got the vote and 1928 until all women aged over 21 could vote. Without the determination of suffragettes worldwide, this wouldn’t have happened, and it reminds us that although it may take time, change does happen.

Taking action for change

We should focus on what we can do to help change attitudes and perceptions throughout our journey through life. The theme for this year’s International Women’s Day is #AccelerateAction highlighting:

• Forging women’s economic empowerment
• Recruiting, retaining and developing diverse talent
• Supporting women and girls into leadership, decision-making, business and STEM
• Designing and building infrastructure meeting the needs of women and girls
• Helping women and girls make informed decisions about their health
• Involving women and girls in sustainable agriculture and food security
• Providing women and girls with access to quality education and training
• Elevating women and girl’s participation and achievement in sport 
• Promoting creative and artistic talent of women and girls 
• Addressing further areas supporting the advancement of women and girls

We may not be able to influence all these areas but as women in business, we can ensure that we are supporting our female colleagues, from encouraging their development through sufficient training to ensuring that policies are in place for equal hiring and promotion opportunities.

We also need to be thinking outside of work and mentoring the next generation, both boys and girls to ensure that gendered equality becomes part of their DNA.

Supporting the next generation

One of this year’s initiatives by Lean in Girls and IWD aims to equip girls aged 11-15 to be self-assured, resilient and inclusive everyday leaders, by providing engaged adults with actionable tips and tools to support the girls in their life or community. These sessions break down the stereotypes and biased assumptions about what girls are like or should be like by reducing their power and countering them with accurate information. Gendered stereotypes can damage girls’ confidence and limit their leadership opportunities at an early age. We all need to change attitudes to gendered roles, improve girls’ self-esteem and help them see themselves as future leaders.

I wish my generation had this opportunity to challenge gendered stereotypes from such an early age. It’s something we should encourage and facilitate. It will be fascinating to see this generation of women growing up.

Probably like many parents, I can’t help thinking that in many cases, social media is having a detrimental effect on how all women are perceived, with some well-known influencers encouraging men to rethink their views on women. Men and women need to work together on this and to challenge these gendered stereotypes.

The power of role models

Real role models are important to everyone in life, myself and colleagues here at Kreston Reeves have been involved with the Dare to Dream programme which encourages all young people to change the way they think about themselves, their future and their place in the world.

The business community needs to open itself up to support initiatives like this at a local level, whatever the size of the business. Just one encounter with a positive role model could change the life and direction of a young person.

Keeping equality on the agenda

Although International Women’s Day is just one day of the year, it should be at the forefront of all our minds throughout the year. #AccelerateAction is aiming to speed up the process for women and we can help to keep it on the agenda. We need politicians around the world to hear all our voices and realise that they need to act.

So, we mustn’t be disheartened if progress feels slower in recent years and instead continue to use our voices to promote women’s rights worldwide. It may take longer than we’d like, but if we work together and continue to push for gender equality then this will be achieved.

Take courage from the achievements of the original suffragettes and eventually International Women’s Day will be a day for celebration rather than an annual call to action for equality.

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