Do we really need an International Women’s Day in 2021 ?

It is March 8th again. Another International Women’s Day is upon us. My work as a coach, facilitator and co-founder of GLOW- Growing Leadership of women is all about supporting women. Yet, I often find myself having mixed feelings about the need for such a day and the best way to spend it.

A part of me wonders why we need a separate day to celebrate women. It reeks of tokenism. Let us hand out some awards to deserving women, make some speeches glorifying women’s contribution to the world, harp on the need for more empowerment and go back to life as usual. Let the nice ladies dress up in pink and get together for a nice lunch and head to the spa. for a nice massage. We will feel good about ourselves that day and go back to life as usual.

If women are 50% of the population, why should we single them out of some kind of special treatment just for a day? Surely, in the 21st year of the 21st century, we believe that women are equally capable and talented. Why do we need a day that makes them feel that they are a special needs group? Many enlightened, intelligent women have told me that they don’t believe in this Women’s Day business. They have done well for themselves and have never faced any discrimination of any sort because they are really good at what they do. It is a meritocracy, we don’t need to be pandered to, we don’t see ourselves as any different from the men. Let us have a Men’s Day too, they say.

The other part of me realizes that Women’s Day is not just about one gender. If we go beyond the word Women, the underlying issues are parity, justice and equality. Every human being, irrespective of class, race, religion or gender is entitled to certain basic rights and deserves to be treated justly and equitably. The sad truth is that a majority of women do not have certain fundamental rights and are treated like second class citizens of the world. Those whom we recognize as successful women have their own set of challenges. You can find a whole slew of facts and articles to support this argument. Yes, many boys and men are treated unfairly and unjustly due to several factors but gender is not one of them. So, while we live in an imbalanced inequitable world, Women’s Day becomes a marker, a milestone and an opportunity.

Celebrate achievements

During this Pandemic year, the participation of women in the workforce declined to new lows- 20.3% in 2020 (Catalyst Report- Women in the workforce) from 27% in 2015. The Oxfam India report- The Inequality Virus shows that more women have lost jobs as compared to men and more women have taken on unpaid care work.

The World Economic Forum predicted in 2014 that it would take until 2095 to achieve global gender parity. The story of gender parity and women’s rights reminds me of a math problem — that of a frog climbing 3 feet up a greased pole and slipping down 2 feet, again and again. A year later in 2015, they estimated that a slowdown in the glacial pace of progress meant the gender gap wouldn’t close entirely till 2133. When the journey is long, slow and arduous, we need to see the milestones we have covered just to give us energy to move ahead.

We know from our experiences, that this year had been hard on women. Therefore, it becomes even more important to celebrate some successes that women have enjoyed. Recognition creates positive role models. Hearing about a woman who has been successful in a particular field opens up possibilities for others. The election of Kamala Harris as Vice President has shown that what was once a distant dream can become a reality.. So, write and share achievements of women and underserved minorities on this day. This is vital for the morale and confidence of a group that is trying to claim its rightful place in the world

Include people without privilege

I do know that for many successful women, this day may not be personally relevant. I have had the benefit of a supportive family, the freedom to make my choices and the opportunities to do the work I wish to. But many others don’t. A true leader helps others rise. All of us in power have an obligation to pull others up, said Indra Nooyi , in a speech at an award ceremony when she was honored as one of India’s greatest global living legends (only 3 out of the 25 awardees were women). This is an occasion to create an awareness about this obligation and an opportunity to do something meaningful to help others who may not be so advantaged.

Spark Conversations that ignite transformation

Most conversations that take place on a daily basis are mundane, necessary dialogues on work and the business of making a living. Women’s Day with the myriad webinars, programs and talks and articles is an opportunity to spark conversations around inclusion, balance and equality. A powerful conversation can ignite a change. An idea can spark a revolution. A space and an occasion for discussions can provoke a valuable insight. Women’s Day provides this opportunity and a platform.

Occasion to start an initiative

We pick 1st January as the start of a New Year which comes with New year resolutions and additional hopes and promises. Every festival that we celebrate — whether it is Christmas or Diwali or Valentine’s Day is an occasion with a purpose. Human civilization thrives on rituals and symbols. March 8th, which can be just another day, can also be seen as a good day to start something positive, to make powerful declarations and take a meaningful action. I am excited about being a part of an initiative by my alma mater XLRI which has just announced the setting up of a Center of Gender Equality and Inclusive Leadership. GLOW is launching a new program- The PowerfuLife Retreat for women on the occasion. Many of my client organizations are announcing Development programs for women leaders and Inclusion. We need a nudge to do something which we have wanted for a long time and a specific day with constant messaging can be the lever we need to lift us out of the comfort zone.

The question we really need to ask ourselves is not ‘Do we need to celebrate Women’s Day?’ but

‘Do we want to be passive, ignorant, indifferent and continue to live in a violent, unjust, inequitable world?’

If the answer is No, then Women’s Day can be a starting point for our efforts for a more peaceful, just and sustainable way of life. It is an occasion when we can #Choose to Challenge discrimination and biases that don’t serve us any longer.