[{"@context":"https:\/\/schema.org\/","@type":"BlogPosting","@id":"https:\/\/www.the-future-of-commerce.com\/2019\/03\/08\/international-womens-day-2019\/#BlogPosting","mainEntityOfPage":"https:\/\/www.the-future-of-commerce.com\/2019\/03\/08\/international-womens-day-2019\/","headline":"International Women\u2019s Day: Put up or shut up","name":"International Women\u2019s Day: Put up or shut up","description":"If you\u2019ve no proof of how you\u2019re advocating for workplace equality beyond an annual post on International Women\u2019s Day, stop talking. It\u2019s time for action.","datePublished":"2019-03-08","dateModified":"2021-08-29","author":{"@type":"Person","@id":"https:\/\/www.the-future-of-commerce.com\/contributor\/jenn-vande-zande\/#Person","name":"Jenn Vande Zande","url":"https:\/\/www.the-future-of-commerce.com\/contributor\/jenn-vande-zande\/","identifier":229,"image":{"@type":"ImageObject","@id":"https:\/\/secure.gravatar.com\/avatar\/ef76ed873963201b65acc65a3cb353caa294225a4e9a8427f011077842dd955c?s=96&d=mm&r=g","url":"https:\/\/secure.gravatar.com\/avatar\/ef76ed873963201b65acc65a3cb353caa294225a4e9a8427f011077842dd955c?s=96&d=mm&r=g","height":96,"width":96}},"publisher":{"@type":"Organization","name":"The Future of Commerce","logo":{"@type":"ImageObject","@id":"https:\/\/www.the-future-of-commerce.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/01\/logo-foc-schema-app-1.png","url":"https:\/\/www.the-future-of-commerce.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/01\/logo-foc-schema-app-1.png","width":172,"height":60}},"image":{"@type":"ImageObject","@id":"https:\/\/www.the-future-of-commerce.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/03\/thumbnail-56180e3621906b3138002d57ee1085f0.jpeg","url":"https:\/\/www.the-future-of-commerce.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/03\/thumbnail-56180e3621906b3138002d57ee1085f0.jpeg","height":375,"width":1200},"url":"https:\/\/www.the-future-of-commerce.com\/2019\/03\/08\/international-womens-day-2019\/","about":[{"@type":"Thing","@id":"https:\/\/www.the-future-of-commerce.com\/purpose\/gender-equality\/","name":"Gender Equality","sameAs":["https:\/\/en.wikipedia.org\/wiki\/Gender_equality","http:\/\/www.wikidata.org\/entity\/Q113453"]},{"@type":"Thing","@id":"https:\/\/www.the-future-of-commerce.com\/purpose\/","name":"Purpose","sameAs":["https:\/\/en.wikipedia.org\/wiki\/Purpose"]}],"wordCount":1140,"keywords":["Diversity","Diversity and Inclusion","Gender Diversity","Gender Equality","International Women's Day","Purpose"],"articleBody":"\u201cInternational Women\u2019s Day is celebrated annually on March 8. The day has occurred for well over a century, with the first IWD gathering in 1911.\u201dLet that opening line and this fact sink in: International Women\u2019s Day has been happening for over 100 years, and yet the US is not even in the top SIXTY nations when it comes to equality for working women.The theme for IWD this year is #BalanceforBetter, with a push toward forging a \u201cmore gender-balanced world.\u201d While hashtags and social media campaigns and world-wide days of unification can raise awareness, it\u2019s temporary.The real work of battling inequality is done in the trenches, day in and day out by individuals who recognize the challenges and inconsistencies, and who aren\u2019t afraid to speak out against them.Of course, angrily demanding equality isn\u2019t going to be the catalyst that drives change \u2013 you must be committed to difficult conversations, and become comfortable with being uncomfortable. You must be willing to work with others, be open to different viewpoints, and accept the fact that change is slow.None of this is easy.If you\u2019d have told me twenty years ago that equality would not be mainstream today, I never would have believed you. A reality that consistently causes me to experience a gamut of emotions – from rage to exhaustion to hope \u2013 is that the fruition of the work of so many women before me, and so many people today will likely not be seen by me, or my generation. Rather, we must work toward a future that we will not see, trusting that the right thing will eventually become the standard for the world we live in.So, how can we drive actionable change for equality beyond a hashtag?Stop talking. Start acting: HIRE. WOMEN.\u201cTry this a fun, eye-opening exercise: take any photo of a corporate team, panel discussion, or org chart and recreate it by switching the ratio of men to women in it. It really puts things into perspective.\u201d \u2013 Angela Dunn, VP, CommunicationsI wanted to cheer when I read the above words in a recent post on International Women\u2019s Day. The simple, maddening truth is that it is largely men who control the fate of women in the workplace, because they are so disproportionately in charge.There must be a commitment beyond platitudes to advance change. Execs should establish a relationship with individuals beyond their traditional ecosystem of managers and leaders who can speak honestly and openly with them about the state of equality within their organization.Soliciting the genuine feedback of individuals throughout the organization fosters trust, and following up by taking active steps to drive change fosters solutions.Lead by exampleWhile discussing diversity and equality with someone recently, he told me about a CEO who opened his keynote by stressing the importance of the topics. To drive home his belief, he actually turned over his keynote time to a speaker who talked exclusively on the subject. There is something very powerful to be said about the act of doing, not just speaking.When women speak honestly to one another, we discuss the fact that we\u2019re still seeing far too many discussions about the advancement of women, and far too little progress.If the signs you pose in front of to take photos for social media are about about gender equality and diversity, but the faces on your exec panel and leadership team are white men, it\u2019s time to make a choice about who you are, and what values you\u2019re espousing.Authenticity and trust can only be achieved by being authentic and making good on your promises. There is simply no other way forward.Hold the door openI\u2019ll never forget the moment when a woman who is the head of digital for an international medical company said to me, \u201cThe thing is, when we make it \u2018to the table\u2019, there isn\u2019t enough representation to drive change. Women who get there should hold the door open for other women, but in reality I\u2019ve found that they close the door behind them instead.\u201dBecause women are conditioned from a young age to see other women as competitors, and because women are often pigeon-holed into particular job titles, there has been little reward for women to advance other women, for historically it has been to the detriment of themselves.But the real test of power is how much you give to other people, and as women are beginning to attain positions of leadership, they are recognizing what a tremendous opportunity they have to advance others.Kasey Holman, VP and Head of Global Brand Marketing for SAP Customer Experience notes, \u201cWomen who have achieved leadership positions must serve as role models and sponsors for other women. Women must advocate, support, and encourage each other, not compete against one another…It\u2019s time for men and women alike to come together and commit to holding the door open for women.\u201dThe \u201cfeminist agenda\u201d is equalityThere\u2019s no question that despite so many advances in communicative technology, today true communication feels more difficult than previously. In a world where responses are whittled down to fit into 280 characters, it is incredibly easy to believe that there are two sides an issue, and you\u2019re either on the correct or incorrect side.Even in college, many of the people I associated with were hesitant to call themselves feminists, because we\u2019d been raised to believe that feminism was some radical ideal espoused by bitter women.In reality, the feminist agenda is equality: If men in leadership really want to drive change outside of International Women\u2019s Day, show up at speaking engagements or in the office wearing a shirt that reads, \u201cI\u2019m a Feminist\u201d, or \u201cThe Future is Female\u201d. Then hire women to lead so that they are on stage, providing a living example to all the kids watching that women are equal, and equally capable.I\u2019ve no greater wish than to see International Women\u2019s Day come to an end because there isn\u2019t a need for it any longer. Until then, it is up to each of us to hold one another accountable, and to use our positions and privilege to empower others so that they, too, can lead.This is about far more than talking about leadership. It\u2019s about living your life so that when others think of you, the first thing they\u2019ll remember is your humanity, and how you used it to make the world better for others.If you\u2019ve no proof of how you\u2019re advocating for workplace equality beyond an annual post on International Women\u2019s Day, please stop talking. It\u2019s time for action.  Equality for ALL:Go from messaging about inclusion to making it a reality."},{"@context":"https:\/\/schema.org\/","@type":"BreadcrumbList","itemListElement":[{"@type":"ListItem","position":1,"name":"2019","item":"https:\/\/www.the-future-of-commerce.com\/2019\/#breadcrumbitem"},{"@type":"ListItem","position":2,"name":"03","item":"https:\/\/www.the-future-of-commerce.com\/2019\/\/03\/#breadcrumbitem"},{"@type":"ListItem","position":3,"name":"08","item":"https:\/\/www.the-future-of-commerce.com\/2019\/\/03\/\/08\/#breadcrumbitem"},{"@type":"ListItem","position":4,"name":"International Women\u2019s Day: Put up or shut up","item":"https:\/\/www.the-future-of-commerce.com\/2019\/03\/08\/international-womens-day-2019\/#breadcrumbitem"}]}]