The ladies in my life.
This day is special to me. I grew up being surrounded by women, my mother, two sisters and many inspirational women friends.
In recent years these wonderful ladies have helped me through every bit of my business journey and I cannot thank them enough for the love and support they have given me.
This is not a flex but 90% of the marketing, design, sales, accounting, photography, you name it, I do myself, late at night and early morning. I lean on these amazing women to bounce my ideas off, to support me when I want to give up and remind me that I need to rid myself of imposter syndrome. Something we all struggle with in one way of another.
This year the theme is #EmbraceEquity and IWD is a global day to celebrate the social, economic, cultural, and political achievements of women. It also serves as a call to action for gender equality and women's rights. ♀
The first observance of International Women's Day took place on February 28, 1909, in New York City. It was organized by the Socialist Party of America to honour a 1908 garment workers' strike in New York, where women protested against working conditions and low wages.
The idea to make the day international came from Clara Zetkin, a German activist, and leader of the Women's Office for the Social Democratic Party in Germany. At the International Conference of Working Women in 1910, she proposed that every year in every country, there should be a celebration on the same day to raise awareness of women's issues and rights.
The first International Women's Day was celebrated in Austria, Denmark, Germany, and Switzerland on March 19, 1911. More than one million people attended rallies and demonstrations on that day.
Over the years, International Women's Day has been used as a platform to address various women's issues, such as women's suffrage, reproductive rights, and equal pay. Today, it is celebrated in countries all over the world and serves as an important reminder of the ongoing struggle for gender equality and women's rights.
Women in business.
Being a women in business I support other women in business where I can. Since starting my business I have had the pleasure of getting excellent advice and services from women all over Australia.
Many of them have two jobs and juggling everyday life while delivering excellent work.
The benefits of supporting women owned business are:
♀ Women-owned businesses contribute to the growth of the economy by creating jobs and generating revenue.
♀ Diversity: Women-owned businesses bring diversity to the marketplace, which can lead to a wider range of products and services being available.
♀ Social impact: Women-owned businesses often prioritise social impact and are more likely to invest in their communities, which can lead to positive change.
♀ Inspiration: Women-owned businesses serve as role models for future generations of female entrepreneurs and can inspire other women to start their own businesses.
♀ Innovation: Women-owned businesses bring new and innovative ideas to the marketplace, which can lead to the development of new products and services.
Australia and IWD.
Australia has consistently ranked highly on global indexes measuring gender equity. The Global Gender Gap Report, published annually by the World Economic Forum (WEF), measures gender equality across various indicators, such as economic participation and opportunity, educational attainment, health and survival, and political empowerment.
In the 2021 report, Australia ranked 50th out of 156 countries, which represents a slight decline from its ranking of 44th in 2020. While Australia scores well on economic participation and opportunity, it has room for improvement in the areas of political empowerment and health and survival. In particular, women's representation in parliament remains relatively low, with women holding just over a third of seats in the federal parliament.
Despite these challenges, Australia has made progress in promoting gender equality in recent years. For example, the country has introduced policies and initiatives aimed at reducing the gender pay gap, increasing women's participation in male-dominated industries, and addressing domestic and family violence.
Never ends.
To all my beautiful and amazing women reading this. Never give up. Follow your dreams and be you without being sorry.
As always, much love:
Tam @ETL x