The theme for the month of March is celebrating Women’s History Month and International Women’s Day.

‍

What is International Women’s Day? Learn more here!

‍

The International Women’s Day (IWD) 2022 theme is #BreakTheBias. We can all come together to break our stereotypes, choose to celebrate and value our differences, and choose to challenge the gender bias. This movement on social media encourages everyone to post a photo raising their hand to show that they are in and are ready to #BreakTheBias.

‍

TLDR: International Women’s Day is an important day to celebrate women’s achievements, bring awareness to women’s equality and take action for gender equality. It’s a time for women to join together and empower one another for all the work that still needs to be done as well as celebrate all the fantastic female accomplishments of those around you. There are many ways to support this global movement by running campaigns, providing resources to educate people, and planning engaging events.

‍

Celebrate with a Virtual Event 🌎

• Various organizations are offering virtual events to bring women from around the world to celebrate this day together, including the International Women's Day Global Virtual Summit.
• Here is also a list of International Women's Day events happening in locations all over the globe.

‍

Idea: You can also host an internal event for your team celebrating and highlighting the amazing women and celebrate their achievements.

‍

Women’s Leader Panel 👩🏻‍🤝‍👩🏾

• Host a company-wide women’s panel to start the conversation and inspire others. Have employees nominate incredible women leaders within your company that they would like to hear speak. Jump on a Zoom call, or host a lunch and learn where these women can more formally talk about what it means to be a woman in your company’s business and provide guidance/advice.

‍

Idea: Record the virtual panel event so those who weren’t able to attend the event in real-time can have the opportunity to still watch it and be a part of it. Circulate a copy of the event in the #Women@ Slack channel in your company specifically.

‍

Support Women-Owned Businesses 🛍

• Given the current situation of many small businesses struggling to stay afloat during these challenging times, it’s more important than ever to support local and small! Help celebrate Women’s Month by buying from businesses run by hard-working women to show your support.
• Here is a list of local women-owned businesses to support based on where you live.

‍

Create a Campaign 📲

• Create a campaign on your company’s social media featuring the strong female leaders on your team or turn it into a series of employee spotlights. Interview them on topics like who is their biggest female role model, what inspires them, and how they are celebrating International Women’s Day this year. 

‍

Note: Remember to use the hashtags #ChooseToChallenge and #IWD2021 when posting on social channels and post photos with individuals raising their hand to show they support the movement.

‍

Support Female-Focused Charities 💫

• There are many global female-focused charities that all operate with a common goal; to help forge women’s equality while supporting the women and young girls of today. Donating or volunteering with these charities is the perfect opportunity to give back.
• IWD offers a full list of their Charities of Choice that you and your team can help support all year long.

‍

Idea: create a virtual fundraising event to bring your entire team together to work together and support a female-focused charity.

‍

Female Empowering Podcasts & TED Talks 🎧

• Another way to help inspire and empower the women on your team is by providing them with positive resources. Here is a list of TED Talks and podcasts that you can recommend your team listen to. 
• To solve the world's biggest problems, invest in women and girls
• Radical women, embracing tradition
• Can we all "have it all"?
• Women of Impact Podcast
• The 30 best podcasts for women, by women

‍

Educate 📚

• It is equally important to educate men on the topic of International Women’s Day and the challenges that women face all over the world. It’s important to have this educational discussion with all genders as everyone has a role in being an advocate for women’s rights and gender equality.

• International organizations like UN Women, help to educate the public on the issues that are happening globally and are a champion for gender equality.

‍

Idea: Introducing ourselves to books that are about and written by empowering women is also a great way to educate us on the importance of the challenges women experience. Here is a list of great sources that are worth checking out and could be made into a book club event:

• 50 Best Inspirational Books for Women (To Empower You in 2022)
• 26 Empowering Self-Help Books Every Woman Should Read
• Women Empowerment Books

‍