Marked annually on 8 March, International Women's Day (IWD) is a global day celebrating the social, economic, cultural and political achievements of women. The day also marks a call to action for accelerating gender parity.
The campaign theme for International Women's Day 2022 is #BreakTheBias. Whether deliberate or unconscious, bias makes it difficult for women to move ahead. Knowing that bias exists is not enough. Action is needed to level the playing field.
Empowering women and girls, and preventing violence against them, must and should be an absolute priority. Women and girls not only experience inequality and discrimination because of their gender. This can also be compounded by intersecting factors – such as age, ethnicity, sexuality, religion or belief, disability and many others. To ensure that all women and girls are free from discrimination and violence, and are able to reach their full potential, it is essential to build intersectional approaches into gender equality.
While more women than ever before are choosing to become councillors, there is still more work to do. We are committed to helping members improve their diversity and inclusion across all areas and we are working with central government to encourage more women to enter politics. The LGA has launched a toolkit to help councils create underlying policies, procedures, ethos and environment that encourages and empowers women, parents and carers to become local councillors and take on leadership positions, alongside information and guidance on running online and hybrid meetings.
You can find further resources and information on the International Women’s Day website, as well as a series of IWD events.