Today, March 8th, is an important day on the equality calendar: it is International Women's Day, a global holiday celebrated annually to commemorate the cultural, political, and socio-economic achievements of women. It also focuses attention on the women's rights movement, bringing attention to gender equality, reproductive rights, and violence and abuse against women.
First celebrated in 1909 in New York City as "Women's Day," the holiday was celebrated in 1911 by over a million people in Austria, Denmark, Germany, and Switzerland. The United Nations adopted International Women's Day as a global holiday in 1977.
To celebrate today's significance, I've taken a journey back over the last 16 years on my blog to highlight a variety of memorable comments shared on previous International Women's Day posts and during March to celebrate Women's History Month. I hope these comments and shareable quotes inspire you to celebrate women and women's achievements - and to advocate for equality everyday!
According to Susan Colantuono who has appeared on my blog four times over the years and was featured in last year's March 8th post, "The conversation on women's advancement needs to put greater pressure on managers to end the formal and informal policies, practices, and procedures that create barriers to women's advancement. It needs to shift to put pressure on managers to change their mindsets about women and men, leadership, and careers that disadvantage women and advantage men. We need to continue to prepare women to prepare for, ask for, and accept opportunities. We especially need to foster the acquisition of business, financial, and strategic acumen so more women are seen as partners in the workplace and viable candidates for advancement."
SHARE THIS: Managers (mostly men) create the glass ceiling, and we do women a disservice by calling on us to shatter it. ~Susan Colantuono #InternationalWomensDay #DebbieLaskeysBlog
According to Hortense Le Gentil who appeared in last year's March 1st post, "The most effective human leaders are those who have successfully re-positioned their role from quarterback to coach. Their job is no longer to handle the ball and score points; it is to inspire and support the players to give the best of themselves and make sure they play as a team so together they can score points. In other words, leading requires different attributes and behaviors than managing."
SHARE THIS: As a leader, speak last to ensure everyone's voice is heard. ~@hortenseleg #LeadershipTip #InternationalWomensDay #DebbieLaskeysBlog
I shared three personal branding tips from the 64th person and first female Secretary of State Madeleine Albright in March 2022. A memorable quote of hers was, "There is a special place in hell for women who don't support other women." And you must read "Read My Pins, Stories from a Diplomat's Jewelry Box." Written by Albright, this book is a combination of storytelling, history lessons, and images of wearable art from all over the world.
Albright explained, "A foreign dignitary standing alongside me at a press conference would be happier to see a bright, shining sun attached to my jacket than a menacing wasp. I felt it worthwhile, moreover, to inject an element of humor and spice to the diplomatic routine. The world has had its share of power ties; the time seemed right for the mute elegance of pins with attitude. As my pins became more expressive and drew more comments, I had cause to reflect on the relationship between appearance and identity. To what extent, to adopt the old saying, do pins make the woman or, for that matter, the man? After all, the display of pins has never been confined to one gender. Medieval knights wore elaborate jeweled badges that defined their status and conferred a group identity...George Washington sometimes wore a spectacular diamond eagle that included no fewer than 198 stones...Finally, our armed forces also use pins – in the form of ribbons and medals – to convey messages about accomplishments, stature, and rank."
SHARE THIS: There is a special place in hell for women who don't support other women. ~Madeleine Albright #InternationalWomensDay #DebbieLaskeysBlog
According to Amy Diehl, who has appeared on my blog three times over the years, "The business implications of keeping women out of leadership, technical, and other male-dominated roles are huge. The organization loses out, women lose out, and society loses out. Even if your business is already thriving, think of how much more successful it could be (profits, breakthroughs, and innovations) if women were equally represented and fully supported in all business units."
SHARE THIS: Think of how much more successful your biz could be if women were equally represented and fully supported. ~@amydiehl #EqualityForWomen #InternationalWomensDay #DebbieLaskeysBlog
Shannon Rohrer-Phillips appeared on my blog on January 23rd, 2022, to celebrate the importance of that date. On January 23, 1849, Elizabeth Blackwell became the first woman to graduate from medical school and become a doctor in the United States. Shannon has made it her life's mission to help women improve their leadership skills. According to Shannon, "I've always believed that effective work for women's equality, diversity, equity, and inclusion means we must learn how to compromise, show humility, listen, resist the temptation to be right, and find ways to connect around similarities. We are seeking progress, not perfection, on our path toward equality."
SHARE THIS: We are seeking progress, not perfection, on our path toward equality. ~@srpllc1 #EqualityforWomen #InternationalWomensDay #DebbieLaskeysBlog
Michelle Redfern has appeared on my blog six times over the years. According to Michelle, "Men who are in leadership positions must do the following: (1) Do not assume they understand the lived experience of women in the workplace. THEY DO NOT. (2) Start listening to women. Ask women what works and what doesn't work in the workplace for them. Ask women what must be done more of and what must be done less of to make the workplace a better place for women and to help them advance. (3) Take action on the insights they have gained."
SHARE THIS: All leaders in an organization must consider closing the leadership gender gap as a business priority. ~Michelle Redfern #LeadershipTip #InternationalWomensDay #DebbieLaskeysBlog
Erika Andersen has appeared on my blog 12 times since 2011 (I'm incredibly grateful and always learn from her!), and in her Q&A on August 26th last year to celebrate Women's Equality Day, she wrote, "A lot of what holds us back as women at work is our own self-doubt, second-guessing, and concern about "the rules." A friend of mine, a skilled coach, used to say that the most effective approach was to be "confident but not cocky." And I believe this applies especially to women. Women who believe in themselves, their capabilities, and their ideas without being cocky (i.e., dismissive of others, unrealistically positive without having the facts, etc.) tend, in my experience, to have the most success in corporate environments. At the same time, it must be said that even the most confident, least cocky women will have a hard time succeeding in environments where the deck is stacked against them: where those in power refuse to open their ranks and share authority and responsibility with their female colleagues. So, it's also important for women who do have power, and powerful men who are their allies, to work to make sure their organizations are as fair and open as possible in their policies and culture."
When I asked Erika how Supreme Court Justice Sandra Day O'Connor embodied effective leadership, she explained, "As the first woman on the Supreme Court, she focused on demonstrating that a woman could be as effective as a man in that role, and although she didn't draw attention to herself as a woman on a regular basis, she quietly and firmly stood up for herself when necessary. For example, two years after she joined the Court, The New York Times wrote an editorial that mentioned the "nine men" of the SCOTUS. She wrote a letter to the editor, reminding the newspaper that the Court was no longer composed only of men."
SHARE THIS: What does #WomensEqualityDay mean to me? An affirmation that we will continue to move toward a world where girls and women, no matter their circumstances, their ethnicity or religion, have the freedom to pursue and attain the professional and personal goals they desire. ~@ErikaAndersen #InternationalWomensDay #DebbieLaskeysBlog
In his Proclamation on Women's History Month on March 1st, 2021, former President Joe Biden said, "Each year, Women's History Month offers an important opportunity for us to shine a light on the extraordinary legacy of trailblazing American women and girls who have built, shaped, and improved our Nation. Throughout American history, women and girls have made vital contributions, often in the face of discrimination and undue hardship. Courageous women marched for and won the right to vote, campaigned against injustice, shattered countless barriers, and expanded the possibilities of American life. Our history is also replete with examples of the unfailing bravery and grit of women in America, particularly in times of crisis and emergency...During Women's History Month, let us honor the accomplished and visionary women who have helped build our country, including those whose contributions have not been adequately recognized and celebrated. And let us pay tribute to the trailblazers from the recent and distant past for daring to envision a future for which no past precedent existed, and for building a Nation of endless possibilities for all of its women and girls."
In his Proclamation on Women's Equality Day on August 25th, 2022, former President Joe Biden said, "All Americans should have the opportunity to fully participate in society — no one's rights should be denied because of their gender...My Administration is committed to ensuring women are treated fairly in the workplace and have economic security. We will fight for pay equity, to end discrimination in the workplace, and to promote equitable access to good-paying jobs, particularly in sectors where women are underrepresented."
SHARE THIS: We stand on the shoulders of the women who came before us, women who had to fight for the rights that we now take for granted. ~Sheryl Sandberg #InternationalWomensDay #DebbieLaskeysBlog
Lastly, I wish to recognize my great-grandmother, Bertie Green, a civic leader and philanthropist in New York. She was married for 47 years, raised two children, and enjoyed the antics of her four granddaughters during her lifetime. But what stands out as inspiring today is that she was an active member of the women's suffrage movement in the years leading up to the passage of the 19th Amendment in 1920. She was also a member of the American Legion Auxiliary, the world's largest women's patriotic service organization.
Many people are afraid to speak up and take a stand - especially in today's polarized political climate - so this type of bold action more than a century ago is incredibly impressive. Therefore, today, on International Women's Day, I applaud my great-grandmother and thank her for making it easier for women to stand up and make our voices heard.
SHARE THIS: If they don't give you a seat at the table, bring a folding chair. ~Shirley Chisholm #InternationalWomensDay #DebbieLaskeysBlog
Image Credit: Tania Cecconi via LinkedIn.
Read my post "2020 Was the Year of Women" (December 2020):
https://www.debbielaskeysblog.com/2020/12/2020-was-year-of-women.html
Read my post "Inspiring Reading for Women's Equality Day" (August 2022):
https://www.debbielaskeysblog.com/2023/08/inspiring-reading-as-we-approach-womens.html
Read President Joe Biden's 3/2/2021 Proclamation in full:
Read President Joe Biden's 8/25/2022 Proclamation in full:
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