International Women’s Day occurs every year celebrating women’s achievements, raising awareness of discrimination and taking action to drive gender parity.
This year, the focus is all about #EmbraceEquity – but what does that mean? It’s important to recognise the difference between equity and equality.
Equity means the quality of being fair and impartial. Equality means being equal in status, rights or opportunities.
The #EmbraceEquity campaign is all about “getting the world talking about why equal opportunities aren’t enough.” This is reinforced by people starting from different places, meaning that to create true inclusion requires equitable action.
To embrace equity means believing, valuing and seeking out a difference. Each one of us can embrace equity within our daily lives with friends, colleagues and peers. No matter how small the impact, it all leads to the benefit of a more inclusive world.
CALLING OUT INEQUALITY IS KEY
Collective activism is what truly brings about change. So together, we can make a positive impact!
We’re proud to have a team of creative, powerful and intelligent women making up over 52% of Team Baxter. This is especially important being in the logistics sector, a largely male-dominated field – Gartner found that in 2021, women made up only 41% of the supply chain workforce.
“I love working in an environment that embraces equity – ever since I joined just over a year ago, I have seen the launch of a gender neutral parental policy, managers trained on mental health in the workplace and the promotion of several women in the team (including me!) to managers and Associate Directors. The world of logistics has traditionally been domineered and led by men and it’s wonderful to work for a company that is actively trying to even the balance, to build the prime working environment to allow every individual to thrive moving beyond equality to create equity for all.”
–Kristina Causer, Marketing Manager
GETTING INVOLVED IN THE WORKPLACE
Equality in the workplace isn’t a leadership issue, but rather an opportunity. As men hold the majority of leadership positions they have an impact to drive change directly.
Individual actions have the power to make a lasting impact, but equally important are organizational policies which support women and the advancement of gender equality.
Whether it be listening to your female colleagues, or changing workplace policies – every action will be felt and noticed.
Although International Women’s Day might only last 24 hours, it’s important to note that the impact lasts all year round. So get involved. Embrace equity. Believe it. Don’t just say it – do it. Be it.
For more information about International Women’s Day check out: IWD: About International Women’s Day (internationalwomensday.com)
