International Women’s Day

Happy International Women’s Day to the readers of theglasshammer.com!

While Sunday is not generally a publishing day for us, we could not let this day pass without acknowledgement as career advancement can only happen once basic rights are in place for women.

I must admit that I personally had not paid much attention to the events of International Women’s Day in before launching The Glass Hammer. But here are some things I’ve since learned: the first International Women’s Day was established in 1910 to honor the movement for women’s rights and to assist in achieving universal suffrage for women. It was actually marked for the first time on March 19th of the following year, in Austria, Denmark, Germany and Switzerland. In recent years, International Women’s Day has become a day on which we focus on the advancements that have been made and acknowledge the acts of ordinary women who have played an extraordinary role in the history of women’s rights. If you want to know more, then have a quick look at this short video with three young women explaining what the day means.

The theme for International Women’s Day this year is “Women and Men United to End Violence Against Women and Girls.” Visit the official site to read up on various global news on the subject ranging from harrowing tales of the struggle to more upbeat coverage of evolved people doing good things. Laurie Curry from Right to Play writes one of those inspiring pieces when she asks two simple questions: “Have women made enough change?” and “Are things as good as they are going to get?”

“I think that by definition, there will always be change; this will never stop. But what I find compelling is the amount of progress that women have made and that those who’ve had the opportunity to progress, continue to lead the charge and champion this chance for others. Some women pursue this quietly and discreetly and others, in a more vociferous way. Some speak out and others take action. Some spend time with women or girls who need support and others perhaps educate boys on the role that they can play. It’s inspiring to see so many people working in their own personal way to further social and economic prospects for women.”

I met one of those inspiring people last week when my friend and fellow blogger Cleo Thompson of PwC invited us to PwC’s event marking International Women’s Day. I had the pleasure of hearing Gita Patel of Stargate Capital speak about her Trapezia Fund for women. I won’t say anything more as we will be publishing something on this later this week and I don’t want to spoil the surprise. Keep reading this week for full event coverage!