Whatever you choose, however many roads you travel, I hope that you choose not to be a lady. I hope that you will find some way to break the rules and make a little trouble out there. And I also hope that you will choose to make that trouble on behalf of woman.
Nora Ephron.
At WIA we are proud to be supporting #internationalwomensday. We are fully aware that Gender Equality is an ongoing challenge not only in our society but also globally, and that work remains to be done regarding women’s rights.
We are committed to real actions to deliver real results to support those around us, empower our people, eliminate the gender pay gap and set a positive example today and always. To support these aims WIA have implemented a range of measures; having an accountable Diversity Working Group, the voluntary submission of our gender pay gap, signed up to the RIBA Inclusion Charter, EDI training, reviewing and revising policies, flexible working, shared parental leave, blind recruitment, sharing experiences, mentoring, transparent and fair processes for all. We monitor, evaluate, report and adapt as we are conscious, we must learn from experience.
Today we celebrate the accomplishments of woman in all areas of life as well as the diversity of our team and the women in WIA. Some of our colleagues have shared their thoughts:
It’s fantastic to be part of the practice where women make up 50% of all employees. It is incredibly important and inspiring to me seeing women not only equally represented, but also having equal rights and opportunities for career progression.
However having recently become a mum, I realised that women face so many challenges I was completely unaware of, starting from postnatal depression, maternity discrimination, physical and mental household load that predominantly falls on women’s shoulders, the childcare affordability crisis that pushes qualified women out of workforce, women being seen as primary care givers as opposed to their male partners – are all the things that stop women from being able to progress their careers and to widening gender pay gap.
So as much as this day is our chance to explain our kids and celebrate together all the great women and men that fought for women’s rights, it’s also a reminder of all the struggles women are continuing to face and the long way we still have to go.
Tatjana Geta
I would be nowhere without the strong resilient women in my family! Their passion for life, constant support, care and relentless encouragement has and will always be there for all of us through the good, the bad and the ugly. This day is the perfect opportunity to express our love and immense gratitude towards them! Let’s ensure we all acknowledge and celebrate the heroines of our lives – we all have one, if not more!
Stalo Pitta
I’d like to give a shout out to widows… statistically women live longer than men, and very often there is a lot of life to be lived after a really sad loss. I heard Harriet Harmen speak really movingly about losing her husband Jack Dromey last year. I thought International Women’s Day was a good opportunity for people to talk about it, it will happen to a lot of us, today is a platform for us to raise the profile…
Paula Willmore
International Women’s Day is a global day celebrating the social, economic, cultural, and political achievements of women. The day also marks a call to action for accelerating women’s equality.
International Women’s Day has occurred for well over a century, with the first International Women’s Day gathering in 1911 supported by over a million people. Today, International Women’s Day belongs to all groups collectively everywhere. International Women’s Day is not country, group or organisation specific.
#IWD2024, #investinwomen, #Equality, #ClosetheGap, #InspireInclusion