What Is The Theme For International Women's Day 2024?
8 March 2024, 12:56 | Updated: 8 March 2024, 15:12
Here is an explanation of this year's campaign theme 'inspire inclusion'.
Listen to this article
Loading audio...
On March 8th the world celebrates International Women's Day (IWD), a celebration which has taken place since 1911 campaigning to uplift and empower women from every background.
This year the campaign of IWD is exploring this further with the theme 'inspire inclusion'. It's no secret that International Women's Day is a feminist event but with the progression of feminism has come the term 'intersectional feminism'.
- Read more: The BRITs 2024 Was Truly All About The Girls
- Read more: International Women’s Day: 13 Timeless Songs That Will Empower You From Britney Spears & Rihanna To Lizzo
- Read more: Celebrate International Women's Day With These Film & TV Picks
Intersectional feminism refers to the fact that within feminism there are different subcategories which divide women. Things like race, social class, disabilities and sexuality mean that the struggles faced by a woman can be completely different dependant on how those differences relate to them.
Intersectional feminism ensures that all women are included in the feminist movement. So as the feminist movement moves to celebrate diversity so does IWD.
But what does this mean for you? Here's a breakdown of the theme 'inspire inclusion'.
What does inclusion mean?
Inclusion is about not just including but embracing all people irrespective of race, gender, disability, medical or other need. The official International Women's Day website cites 'inclusion' as the need to emphasise 'the importance of diversity and empowerment in all aspects of society'.
This IWD everyone is encouraged to 'challenge stereotypes, and create environments where all women are valued and respected'. In particular the theme of this year's IWD looks to inspire women from all walks of life to get into leadership and decision-making positions.
According to 2022 statistics only 9% of the CEOs in the are women, and less than 20% of the UK's Executive Directors are female. And when you start to look at what percentage of those women come from diverse backgrounds the percentages get smaller and smaller.
How can I 'inspire inclusion'?
The IWD campaign suggest a few ways that you can be a part of this year's theme. These include:
- forging women's economic empowerment - (advocating to close the wage gap)
- recruiting, retaining and developing diverse talent
- supporting women and girls into leadership, decision-making, business and STEM
- 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
Listen live to Capital, and catch up on any shows you missed, on Global Player.
