International Women’s Day Join the discussion
Men, we need to be active and involved.
March 8th is International Womenโs Day, in case you hadnโt noticed.
There is a plethora of female voices championing for equality, celebrating successes and inspiring more work to be achieved.
In case you are yet to realise, they arenโt just talking to themselves.
๐ Being silent is not the answer.
โ๏ธ We need to engage.
Let’s do more than simply show our support.
Let’s demonstrate that we are listening to female voices. We are recognising that we need to take action. We are taking action. We are trying to be the change.
Here are some suggestions:
๐ก Go beyond ‘Liking’ a post. Instead, share in the comments why you liked the post; what you took away from the post; what you agree with; or where it has challenged your thinking. Or share the post with your network โ this gives the author the opportunity to reach a larger audience.
๐ก Share Examplesย of the work that you have been doing personally to #breakthebias. Be vulnerable. Itโs not easy to retrain our biases โ and we all have them. Share your experiences in order to inspire other men, and give the women in your network encouragement that we are listening, we are starting to understand, and we are trying to do better.
๐ก @Mention women that have inspired you, developed you and challenged you to be better. Celebrate them and thank them. You can do this publicly in a post or privately through DM.
๐ก Post about what your organisation is achieving towards gender equality, and what this progress means to you personally. Too often these posts only come from other genders.
As for actions to do outside ofย social media platforms:
โก๏ธ Ask questions, be curious, and listen.ย Every woman has a story to share. Literally, every woman.
โก๏ธ Educate Yourselfย โ listen to podcasts, ted talks, or read articles, and prompt a discussion. Google terms and issues that you donโt completely understand yet.
โก๏ธ Talk to other men about IWD, and gender inequality. Chat about what you struggle with, what equality would mean โ for all genders, and what youโve observed about your own male privilege.
โก๏ธ Contact me if you want to have a chat or would like some learning recommendations.ย I always reply, and as an executive coach, confidentiality is assured.
International Womenโs Day is a day to profile women and the issues they face, but it shouldnโt be a day that men aren’t involved in.
Let’s demonstrate our desire to be part of the solution.
And MOST IMPORTANTLY, our commitment to keep that desire going all year!
