KeyBanc Capital Markets & STA WIF Co-Chair
In case you missed all of the recent social media posts showing photos of individuals, both women and men, with their arms out in a parallel pose, yesterday was International Women’s Day. Or, maybe you saw the posts but you weren’t sure what they meant. Celebrated annually on March 8, International Women’s Day (IWD) is a united movement for women across the globe to come together in hope and action, dedicated to celebrating women’s achievements in social, economic, cultural and political spheres.
The theme for IWD 2020 is I am Generation Equality: Realizing Women’s Rights , with the idea of “bringing together people of every gender, age, ethnicity, race, religion and country, to drive actions that will create the gender-equal world we all deserve.”
When I think about this year’s IWD theme, I think of previous generations, and I am hopeful.
The IWD 2020 social campaign, #EachforEqual, provides a unified direction to incite continuous collective action, and the campaign runs all year long. International Women’s Day didn’t end yesterday, or last for 24 hours. It just started, with activity around #EachforEqual to be reinforced and amplified across the globe throughout the entire year.
Yes, “women and girls continue to be undervalued; they work more and earn less and have fewer choices; and experience multiple forms of violence at home and in public spaces,” noted in a recent IWD article by UNWomen.org. But I am hopeful. We have a long way to go but we have come so far. This is the generation that pushes us fully forward. The expectations and mindset are different. We’ve seen firsthand the progress that has been made in the financial services industry over the past two decades. We’ve been fortunate enough to have mentors, and managers who have recognized us for our work. We believe that progress will continue, making it better for the generations to come.
The IWD 2020 social campaign, #EachforEqual , provides a unified direction to incite continuous collective action, and the campaign runs all year long. International Women’s Day didn’t end yesterday, or last for 24 hours. It just started, with activity around #EachforEqual to be reinforced and amplified across the globe throughout the entire year.
So to all of my fellow female colleagues, friends and family members, Happy International Women’s Day.
“In the future, there will be no female leaders. There will just be leaders.”
Sheryl Sandberg, Chief Operating Officer, Facebook
#IWD2020#EachforEqual
See March STA Women in Finance Newsletter here