Drawing also by Shauna.
Today, Wednesday 8 March, marks a very significant day for all women across the globe - International Women’s Day.
For 103 years, International Women’s Day has been a day to acknowledge and celebrate the achievements of women internationally. It is a day to raise awareness of the challenges women face and to review how far women have come in their battle for equality and peace.
International Women’s Day began on the 8 March 1857 when female textile workers in New York City organised a strike due to the unfair working conditions and the lack of equal rights for women. This was one of the first protest strikes which had been organised by working women.
There are a wide range of topics that relate to International Women’s Day, so it is only appropriate that we highlight a relevant theme each year. For 2023, the theme is Embrace Equity. It is vital to understand the difference between equity and equality because although they may sound similar, they do have different meanings.
Equity is all about ensuring that people have access to the same opportunities but we need to make adjustments to our imbalances to achieve an equity. Equality however is all about promoting fairness by giving everyone the same thing however, equality can only work if everybody starts in the same place. This year’s theme Embrace Equity aims to help people understand why equal opportunities are no longer enough.
To help demonstrate, the left half of the picture we've drawn above shows equality. Both flowers are given the same amount of water, even though one of the flowers is dying. This shows that equality can only work if everybody starts in the same place. However, the image on the right is showing equity. The dying flower is given more water because it needs more to survive. The other flower is given less water because it is healthy.
As twin sisters writing this article together we talked a lot about what the theme means to us. My name is Shauna and to me, equity means making sure that we are living in an inclusive society. I think that equity isn’t just fairness or diversity, but that it is something much more deep. I believe that lots of different people have different opinions on what equity is to them which makes the term ‘equity’ even more complex.
My name is Naina and to me, equity means making sure that everyone has the same opportunities and outcomes as everyone else so that our world is more fair and equal.
We also wanted to ask others in our school community what Embrace Equity means to them too. Our friend Emily says that, "Equity means instead of giving out equal things, we need to adjust what we give out to meet certain people’s needs."
Isla told us, "Equity means making sure that shorter people get the same opportunities as taller people. For example, ensuring that shorter people get onto sports teams instead of just the taller people." And to our friend Georgie, equity refers to the fact that "people need extra support or assistance to achieve a true equity".
We also spoke to our Head of Year Mrs Hinks who told us, "Embracing equity is about ensuring that our society promotes and supports women is all aspects of their life; be that school, work or home. However, gender is intersectional, so what might benefit one group of women may not help another. Embracing equity is making sure that this support is tailored for each individual."
By demonstrating equity, we can all work towards a positive, gender-equal world.
For more about how we are celebrating International Women's Day head to our Instagram Stories to see our Sixth Form takeover!