What is International Women’s Day?
International Women’s Day (IWD) is a global celebration of women’s social, economic, cultural, and political achievements, marked annually on March 8th. It is a day that not only celebrates women’s accomplishments but also serves as a call to action for accelerating gender parity. Across the world, significant activity is witnessed as groups come together to celebrate women’s achievements, rally for women’s equality, and advocate for positive change.
What makes International Women’s Day important?
IWD is one of the most important days of the year for several reasons. It’s a day to celebrate women’s achievements, raise awareness about women’s equality, call for positive change in advancing women’s rights, lobby for accelerated gender parity, and fundraise for women-focused charities. It’s a day when everyone, regardless of gender or background, can play a part in helping forge gender equality and inspire inclusion.
How did Harriman Material Handling celebrate International Women’s Day?
2024 was our first year celebrating International Women’s Day at Harriman Material Handling. The women on our team gathered together to celebrate one another and learn about Women’s History. We started out hearing about the role women have in manufacturing from National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST), we learned about creating a collaborative culture from Mary Barra, Chair and Chief Executive Officer at General Motors, and listened to how International Women’s Day is celebrated at Toyota Motor Corporation. We closed with a trivia game learning about women’s history and the winning team was awarded with copies of You are a Badass: How to Stop Doubting Your Greatness and Start Living an Awesome Life by Jen Sincero.
Together, we are working to inspire inclusion, creating a better world for women and we are grateful to those who preceded us on this mission.
Inspire Inclusion
The theme for IWD 2024 is “Inspire Inclusion.” This theme emphasizes the importance of understanding and valuing women’s inclusion in all aspects of society. When we inspire others to embrace inclusion, we contribute to creating a better world where everyone feels a sense of belonging, relevance, and empowerment.
What it means to Inspire Inclusion
The Inspire Inclusion campaign for IWD 2024 aims to forge a more inclusive world for women. Through a wide range of campaigns, events, rallies, lobbying efforts, and celebrations, IWD encourages individuals and organizations to take action in their own way to promote gender equality and inspire inclusion.
“When we inspire others to understand and value women’s inclusion, we forge a better world. And when when themselves are inspired to be included, there’s a sense of belonging, relevance, and empowerment.”
So, let’s make International Women’s Day our day and do what we can to help forge a gender-equal world. Together, we can inspire inclusion and create a better future for all.
