Celebrating the strength of Women 2020

Celebrating Women Scan me Option EWP 2020.jpg

Women's Day

9 August

Women's Day marks the anniversary of the great women's march on 9 August 1956, where women marched to the Union Buildings to protest the carrying of pass books.

Women Leaders in COVID-19: Seen and Unseen

This pandemic illustrates why we need to invest in diverse women’s leadership opportunities and empower girls to reach their potential. Women remain underrepresented in formal leadership roles, but today women leaders yet blaze new trails for women’s leadership tomorrow. Imagine what they could achieve if we supported them to the fullest, whether they are seen or unseen.

Defying stereotypes about leadership

Women and girls often count themselves out as leaders because they do not see themselves fitting the stereotype: perfectly polished, top-down, all-knowing, unfeeling. But we need to broaden our perception of who and what makes a good leader. The women we are seeing on the national stage during the pandemic are being celebrated for both their compassion and their calm under pressure. The multifaceted examples they and other women leaders set will contribute to a more inclusive vision of leadership: one that is collaborative, champions diversity, and is about “power with”, rather than “power over.”

Decision-making with a gender lens

When women are involved in decision-making at the highest levels, they are able to bring a stronger gender lens to the process. Given the many gendered impacts of COVID-19 – including increased unpaid work and childcare, economic stress, risk of gender-based violence, and lack of access to services – it’s important that women leaders play key roles in the management of and recovery from the pandemic.

What’s Challenging Right Now

Diverse women’s hidden and under-compensated leadership

Women are a significant portion of the essential workers we are reliant on. This all includes retail, grocery workers, cleaners, nurses, personal care workers, crisis line responders, shelter workers, and more. Women in these roles are highly diverse.

Their hidden leadership contributions don’t always make the news, but they are essential to our public health response. We need to prioritize their well-being as we weather this storm. We can’t do it without them.

What You Can Do

As we celebrate the efforts of women leaders who make the news, let’s remember the women leaders who rarely do. Let’s make sure we keep supporting them. Not a single individual or family can do without them right now. Their well-being, simply put, translates to everyone’s health and wellness.