INTERNATIONAL WOMEN’S DAY 2023: FIVE INITIATIVES TO SUPPORT GENDER EQUALITY, EQUITY & EMPOWERMENT IN YOUR ORGANIZATION BY THE CANADIAN CONGRESS

TO JOIN OUR IWD EMPOWERMENT SERIES FOR INCLUSIVE LEADERSHIP & EQUITABLE MANAGEMENT, CLICK HERE

Today is the official day for International Women’s Day Celebrations!

It is a day of unity, celebration, reflection, advocacy, and action and is celebrated in many countries worldwide.

How do you intend to celebrate IWD with the women in your household, schools, organizations, communities, and indeed your nation?

Everyone is worth celebrating, especially those who continue to be shortchanged by a chauvinistic system, hindered by longstanding policies to pay some workers less strictly because of their gender.

Like racism, this is an unfortunate global catastrophe, with some countries and organizations bluntly refusing to achieve equity for marginalized, minoritized, and racialized.

To create a workplace culture that is inclusive and cohesive, we must become international about celebrating everyone, about ensuring everyone is valued, appreciated, and have access to equal opportunities.

Therefore, let us make every effort to achieve the following objectives of International Women’s Day:

• celebrate women's achievements.
• educate and awareness raise for women's equality.
• call for positive change advancing women.
• lobby for accelerated gender parity.
• fundraise for female-focused charities.

The theme for International Women's Day 2023 is DigitALL: Innovation and technology for gender equality. Multiple and intersecting forms of discrimination against women and girls, rooted in gender inequality, harm their health and well-being.

What is your plan for this critical leadership initiative?

To register for our IWD Empowerment Series for Inclusive Leadership & Equitable Management, visit www.canadiancongressondiversity.ca/events.

Far too many researches indicate that the progress toward gender equality is extremely slow, if not retrogressive.

This is the unfortunate reality, especially in corporations, communities, and nations that are still quite oblivious to the obvious fact that the role of women in the household, corporate leadership, and government and the transformation of nations is as critical as that of men.

At the Canadian Congress, we recognize that gender equality and equity for everyone should be a critical aspect of the corporate strategy of any organization, a standing topic in the development of national policies.

Not making reasonable and remarkable efforts to achieve gender equality and equity for everyone hurts everything else, including the bottom line which executives are so concerned with.

In a recent message by the United Nations Secretary-General, António Guterres, he indicated that the “progress toward gender equality is vanishing before our eyes and may take up to 300 years to achieve.

In addition to the increasing rates of maternal mortality, forcing girls into early marriage, and the kidnapping and assaulting of girls for attending school in some parts of the world, there is still a significant salary gap between men and women in workplaces, coupled with systemic barriers against their career advancement.

While we continue to work together towards a generation that wouldn’t require special days and months to value, respect, appreciate, and celebrate groups of people, this is the unfortunate reality of today.

We must become intentional about not subjecting women to abuses of all sorts simply because of their gender.

We must become intentional about protecting women from structural and systemic discrimination, thus enhancing their opportunities to grow and contribute to the advancement of humanity.

We must continue to advocate against cultures and religious banning that are hindering women from participating in education, politics, business, and other aspects of society – simply because of their gender.

At the Canadian Congress on Inclusive Diversity & Workplace Equity, we strongly believed that women are the greatest assets in humanity, for, through them, literarily, the world continues.

Therefore, this month and thereafter, we must come together and become intentional about gender equality, to foster a corporate culture of Equity, Diversity, and Inclusion.

Policies, projects, and programs should be enhanced to maximize or even leverage the purpose, power, and potential of women in our workplaces, communities, and nation.

What is your plan for this critical leadership initiative?

To register for our IWD Empowerment Series for Inclusive Leadership & Equitable Management, visit www.canadiancongressondiversity.ca/events.

“The program demonstrated the impact of gender diversity in Canada and by extension the world. The freedom within which the presenters shared and the valuable interaction. It was well thought-out and very well executed. I thoroughly enjoyed and was inspired by the speakers. The story of Parminder was especially motivating and admirable and the declaration of blessing from Dr. Pat Morgan brought me almost to tears as it touched me spiritually and emotionally.” – Dianne Adair, North York Family Health Team, Toronto, Canada

FIVE INITIATIVES TO SUPPORT GENDER EQUALITY, EQUITY & EMPOWERMENT

1.  Organize events to identify, recognize and celebrate the progress of women thus far in the longstanding quest for gender equity and equality.
2. Enlighten hundreds of female & male delegates on the most significant challenges women continue to face in their workplace and communities.
3. Facilitate transformational training programs to educate and empower your employees with the mindset, skillset, and toolset to break through prejudices and biases for gender equality and equity.
4. Develop a corporate strategy and roadmap to achieve and sustain gender equity & equality in the workplace and facilitate the personal success and socioeconomic and political impact of women.
5. Inspire your stakeholder (clients, vendors, partners, staff, board, etc.) to rise above their individualistic concerns and join the global movement that is committed to eradicating despicable acts of violence, abuse, and oppression against women and girls, especially in countries that lack law and order.

What is your plan for this critical leadership initiative?

“There is no limit to what we, as women, can achieve.” (Michelle Obama)

For a complimentary EDI strategy session, book one of our 250+ speakers and discuss your training, consulting, and coaching requirements, click here.

ABOUT ALEX IHAMA

Alex Ihama is the Executive Director of the Canadian Congress on Inclusive Diversity & Workplace Equity, where he works with and through many consultants to prepare EDI Gap Analysis Reports for organizations, highlighting opportunities to make management more inclusive, policies more equitable, staff more valued, and culture more cohesive.

He strongly believes that eliminating systemic racism from a corporate, community, religious, or institutional culture requires a well-thought-out strategy than sporadic training and activities to celebrate diversity. It requires that all hands are on deck, from the leadership to the staff, to ensure the cues and clues of discrimination and inequities are identified and dealt with – swiftly, strategically, successfully, and sustainably. This, he said, is his life’s work, the foundation of his contagious passion for social justice.

Alex is the author of two globally acclaimed books, has been featured as an EDI expert on major newspapers and TV networks in Canada, and his opinions are sought after at both the Senate and the Parliament of Canada. He is also the President/CEO of the International School of Greatness which impacts a million people annually globally.

For more information, email alex@canadiancongressondiversity.ca or visit www.canadiancongressondiversity.ca.