International Women's Day - what can we do?
/Sometimes International Women’s Day can be a bit depressing. There’s still so much to do, so many ways for our society to treat women better. So I asked myself, what can we do, in simple ways each day, to advance equality? Here are some things I try to do at work and at home. It’s a struggle sometimes (particularly for me, refuting sexist comments and fighting against the glass ceiling at work) but some days I can see progress and that’s what matters.
At work
“What do you think?”
Whether you’re a woman or a man (or identify as male/female), you can always encourage other women to speak up and get across their expertise at work. Too often, women get less air time than men in meetings or let men claim their ideas. Also, don’t assume that because a young woman is fresh out of university they have nothing to contribute. They may have a perspective that the old dogs in the workplace haven’t been exposed to or thought about before. It’s really important to stand up for our female colleagues and encourage each other.
Don’t say condescending things like “why isn’t there a ministry for men?!” Just don’t.
If you hear phrases like the above and feel like refuting them, please do. It takes courage and some days it comes more easily than others.
Compliment a woman on the quality of her work, not just the colour of her skirt.
If you think white women sometimes have it hard in the workplace, be supportive of Maori, Pacifika and other cultures, who have to work even harder to get into management positions and get their work noticed.
At home
It’s not just about who does the household cleaning (although stats show women do more, and that’s a pattern worth breaking). Be aware of the burden of emotional labour too, and how tasks fall on women.
Women are used to holding a lot in their heads: mental shopping lists, itineraries for the next family holiday, when the dog needs defleaing… many people don’t realise the extent to which women take on this extra thinking and how taxing it can be. And that’s without even carrying out these domestic tasks!
I reckon if men and women talked more about these tasks and splitting them evenly, and if women were better at not taking responsibility/thinking about everything — this could change. It will take practice, it’s so engrained. But so important.
What are you thinking about this International Women’s Day? Is there something you want to change or do differently this year?
