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International Women’s Day

International Women’s Day (IWD) is a global holiday celebrated annually on March 8 as a focal point in the women’s rights movement, bringing attention to issues such as gender equality, reproductive rights, and violence and abuse against women.

The day is commemorated in a variety of ways worldwide; it is a public holiday in several countries, and observed socially or locally in others to celebrate and promote the achievements of women.

The aim of the IWD 2023 Embrace Equity campaign theme is to get the world talking about why equal opportunities are not enough. People start from different places, so true inclusion and belonging require equitable action.

We recently asked our staff members what International Women’s Day means to them and what message they would like to share with our students. Here are their responses:

“International Women’s Day is an opportunity to celebrate the successes of women across the globe. Whilst huge strides have been made to break the glass ceiling there is still capacity to achieve gender parity in a host of careers as well as challenging stereotypes and myths which hold women back.  For our female students it’s an opportunity to see and be it!” – Miss Stephens 

“Women should be able to achieve anything they want and work for. Therefore, we should campaign for every woman to have this right throughout the world.” – Mrs Candler 

“Sadly, the news reveals too often that misogyny still exists in society, sometimes institutionally. I think my message is to boys for that reason: to treat women with respect, to think about how their language and attitudes present their views on women. It’s time to end the culture of toxic masculinity.” – Mr Clarke

”I believe that International Women’s Day is an extremely important day where we celebrate and honour the achievements and hard work of women from across the world; past, present and future. The suffragette movement in the 1910s was a massive step forward for women in Britain and their rights, by campaigning for us to have the right to vote and the right to have a say on important political issues which affect all individuals. It is also important for us to think about those women who are still fighting for equal rights and basic human rights such as the right to be educated, the right to work and the right to independence. Unfortunately, women’s rights are still undervalued and dismissed in some countries across the world. This urgently needs to change. My final message would be to encourage all the amazing females from across the world to never give up on their dreams and if at first you don’t succeed, please keep trying as you will get there in the end – girl power!” – Miss Cooke

“It is always important to show support and embrace an opportunity for shouting out about great successes. Every woman has something they can be proud of and that can then inspire others to take on a new challenge or encourage bravery when called for!” – Mrs Shipley

“International Women’s Day is about celebrating the achievements of women, both in the past and present. It is also about bringing attention to the fact that there is still progress to be made for women across the globe, particularly in terms of gender equality. For me, it’s about coming together as a community, society and world to ensure there are many more achievements to celebrate in the future.” – Miss Leighton