A week since March 8th, now what?

March 8th, International Women's Day, was last week. My feed, and I guess yours, too, was filled with acknowledgements. People spoke of brave women, of women who have made an impact, of everyday women. Some companies spoke of the initiatives they started on the day or their overall goals for gender equality. Many raised awareness regarding how far they have come, some regarding how much is left to be done.

March 8th is an important day. It is a day when we highlight the inequality and injustice we as women face. It is a day that calls to action. The problem is that it is only one day. What about the remaining 364 days?

The problem is that it is only one day. What about the remaining 364 days?

Since last week the content in my feed has transitioned to business-as-usual. Those I follow who actively work with equality still post content on the matter. The rest of the people and companies I follow have stopped. As if they have done what was required of them. Until next year that is.

I found your lack of quick fixes disturbing

Gender equality does not have a quick fix. It is not something that can be solved by actions taken once a year. What is mind-blowing to me is the staggering number of companies and business leaders who do not have equality as one of their top priorities. Especially when research shows, over and over again, that companies who are more equal perform better. Despite this knowledge, the progress of equality in business is slow.

As I said, there are people and companies who do tremendous things for gender equality, and I believe that they should be looked at as role models. I believe that individuals who work against inequality should be celebrated because what they are doing is making a great impact on our society. When it comes to companies, I am a bit torn. Should we really celebrate them or simply just normalize their actions? Hear me out…

Can celebration ever be counterproductive?

There are a few reasons to why I sometimes feel celebration might not be the best thing to do. First off, by celebrating companies' initiatives we state that what they are doing is extraordinary. In a way, we are telling women to be thankful for what the company is doing for society. What the company is doing for them. This narrative misses a major aspect: businesses benefits from gender equality. When companies should be thanking their female employees for contributing to a more sustainable business, we have switched the focus to the female employees being thankful for the opportunities they are “given”. Opportunities that, in reality, are earned rather than given.

When companies should be thanking their female employees for contributing to a more sustainable business, we have switched the focus to the female employees being thankful for the opportunities they are "given"

I also wonder whether celebration leads to inspiration or inaction. The inaction might come from the thought that other people are doing it well, so we do not need to do it, too. Perhaps it might also be connected to fear or an inability to feel a connection. A kid struggling in school will not find inspiration for better grades in the work performed by the straight A student. Instead, they rather risk feeling less motivated because they ‘can’t do what the smart classmate is doing anyway’. Perhaps celebration is off-putting, because companies only see the big things rather than all the small actions they can take to counteract inequality. By normalizing working for gender equality we show that it is not only for the 'straight A students' of companies, but for all companies.

To celebrate or not to celebrate, that is the question...

Perhaps we cannot normalize the initiatives until we have come further, until we are more equal. Or perhaps we cannot get much further until we realize and communicate that the work for gender equality is not a special project or an initiative worth celebrating, but rather a natural part of business. Unfortunately, I do not have the answer to this. But I promise I will share it if I ever find out. After all, there are many potential routes to gender equality and if the path chosen works, I am all for it. Just as my parents always told me: all ways are good, except the bad ones.