Don’t Just Celebrate, Accelerate: Building Workplace Inclusivity for Women
Women’s contributions to history, innovation, and society have shaped the world we live in today; but too often, their achievements have been ignored, erased, or credited to someone else. From groundbreaking scientists to political leaders, entrepreneurs, and artists, women have made history in every field, yet they have had to fight for recognition at every step.
That’s why Women’s History Month and International Women’s Day exist. They are not just to celebrate women’s achievements, but to acknowledge the systemic barriers they continue to face and take action to change them.
This year’s IWD theme, "Accelerate Action," challenges us to do more than just acknowledge these issues—it calls on us to break down barriers, push for gender equity, and build workplaces where women don’t just participate, but thrive.
In this article we’ll explore:
What is Women’s History Month?
What is International Women’s Day?
Why Celebrating Women’s History Month and IWD is Important
How Can We Stop Discrimination
How Can Workplaces Celebrate IWD and Women’s History Month?
Further Resources to Explore
What is Women’s History Month?
Officially designated in 1987, Women’s History Month was created to highlight women’s contributions across history, many of which have been overlooked, dismissed, or erased.
Take Alice Ball for example, who developed the most effective treatment for leprosy until the 1940s, dubbing it the “Ball Method”. When she became sick and passed away, her research was taken over and eventually published by Arthur L. Dean, who did not credit her and renamed it the “Dean Method”.
Or we could look at Margaret Knight, who invented square-bottomed brown paper bags. However, she was unable to patent her design because it was made of wood and not iron. While she worked on its development, it was stolen by Charles Annan, who patented it and was credited with the paper bag’s invention. Thankfully, Knight fought back and won her patent—but many women weren’t as lucky.
There are countless more examples of this, so many that historians have given the pattern a name: the Matilda Effect. It refers to the systemic way in which women’s accomplishments, especially in STEM fields, are overshadowed, ignored, or attributed to men.
This is exactly why Women’s History Month exists: to ensure that these contributions are acknowledged, celebrated, and remembered.
What is International Women’s Day?
International Women’s Day (IWD) has a much longer history than you may think! It actually goes all the way back to 1911, when Copenhagen officials decided to honor IWD for the first time in Austria, Denmark, Germany, and Switzerland. Slowly but surely, other countries began to adopt IWD, and in 1975 it was recognized by the United Nations.
Early on, IWD was centered around women’s suffrage and labor rights. Over time it evolved to highlight gender equity within leadership and pay structures, workplace inclusion, gender-based violence, and more.
This year’s theme, “Accelerate Action,” challenges individuals and organizations worldwide to move beyond words and empty promises and take concrete, actionable steps to break down barriers, close gender gaps, and create inclusive workplaces where women are able to thrive. And, despite over a century of progress behind us, women still face significant challenges both professionally and personally, which means IWD is as relevant today as it was in 1911.
Why Celebrating Women’s History Month and International Women’s Day Matters
Women’s History Month and International Women’s Day are more than just moments of recognition; they are reminders of the ongoing fight for gender equity, representation, and inclusion.
While much progress has been made, the reality is that women, especially women of color, disabled women, and LGBTQ+ women, continue to battle with systemic barriers both personally and professionally, including:
📉 The Gender Pay Gap Persists
According to Pew Research, in 2002 women earned approximately 80 cents for every dollar earned by men. In 2022 this number has increased to a mere 82 cents for every dollar, with an even larger gap for women of color.
This is a huge slowdown to progress. To put it in perspective, in 1982 women earned 62 cents for every dollar despite more women graduating from college and the expansion of childcare responsibilities to both mothers and fathers via parental leave.
In fact, parenthood in general disproportionately affects women earners. The “motherhood wage penalty”, a phenomenon that describes the lower wages mothers earn when compared to childless women, has decreased. However, the “fatherhood wage premium” has increased as well, ensuring that the gap between pay is still wide.
🚧 Leadership Opportunities Remain Unequal
Despite women making up nearly 50% of the workforce, they only hold around 10.4% of Fortune 500 CEO roles, and far fewer in traditionally male-dominated industries like tech, finance, and manufacturing. While this number is slowly rising, women of color are still underrepresented.
🗣 Everyday Bias Shape Women’s Experiences
Women are more likely to be assigned non-promotable work that are outside the scope of their role, including:
Office “Housework”: Women disproportionately take on administrative and logistical tasks that, while necessary to run a functional business, are not recognized as important work. This includes notetaking, planning, scheduling, administrative work, and even tidying shared spaces.
Emotional Labour: Women are expected to be office peacemakers, taking up the role of mediating conflicts and checking in on the well-being of their colleagues while managing team morale. While these are valuable and necessary contributions, they often are unrecognized and uncompensated, which reinforces the notion that women naturally take on these roles.
These moments of “invisible labor” are rarely acknowledged, but they strengthen systemic biases that hold women back within their roles. Even if these actions are unconscious, they are still deeply critical because the work we take on shapes how we are recognized, promoted, and taken seriously.
Without being given opportunities for skill and leadership development, women miss out on opportunities for career growth. On other hand, men spend more time performing high-visibility, promotable work that helps push them forward within their careers, leading to promotions and growth.
How Can We Break the Cycle?
Shifting these patterns towards true equity means taking intentional steps to disrupt and move beyond the current patterns. This could mean:
✅ Rotate administrative tasks – Notetaking, event planning, and scheduling are shared responsibilities across an organization. Alternatively, these tasks could be a separate role altogether that is recognized, respected, and promoted.
✅ Recognize emotional labor – If employees are expected to support team morale, this work should be formally valued and reflected upon within performance reviews and the organization as a whole.
✅ Review task distribution – Leaders should regularly assess who is assigned non-promotable work and ensure opportunities for leadership and advancement are equitably distributed regardless.
✅ Challenge bias in meetings – When women experience bias (i.e. being interrupted, dismissed, or has her idea repeated by a male colleague), others should stand up for her and disciplinary frameworks should be implemented.
Additionally, organizations can benefit from receiving DEI essentials training to help build their understanding of unconscious biases.
Ways to Celebrate International Women’s Day at Work
Want to go beyond symbolic celebrations? Here’s how companies can make a lasting impact this Women’s History Month:
1️⃣ Elevate Women to Leadership
Set measurable gender diversity goals for leadership positions.
Implement sponsorship programs that actively promote women’s advancement.
2️⃣ Recognize & Celebrate Women’s Achievements
Spotlight women leaders in your organization on social media and internal channels.
Host a panel discussion or guest speaker event featuring women in your industry.
3️⃣Make Efforts Towards Male Allyship Intiatives
Encourage men to amplify women’s voices in meetings and give credit where it’s due.
Train managers on interrupting bias in performance reviews and promotions.
Provide male-focused allyship initiatives that address specific barriers to allyship as well as recognize why allyship is crucial.
4️⃣Support Women Beyond the Workplace
Partner with women-led businesses or nonprofits.
Provide paid family leave and caregiving policies that support work-life balance.
Further Resources to Deepen Your Learning
Looking to take action beyond IWD? Here are some great places to start:
📚 Books:
Invisible Women by Caroline Criado Perez
Lead from the Outside by Stacey Abrams
We Should All Be Feminists by Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie
🔗 Organizations:
Final Thoughts: From Celebration to Action
Women’s History Month and International Women’s Day aren’t just about looking back—they’re about moving forward. The "Accelerate Action" theme reminds us that progress isn’t inevitable; it’s something we must actively create.
Whether it’s advocating for equal pay, amplifying women’s voices, or breaking workplace biases, every action, big or small, moves us closer to a more equitable future.
So, what will you do to accelerate action this year? 💜
