SINGAPORE: Every year on Mar 8, International Women’s Day (IWD) heralds a slew of speeches, panel discussions and social media tributes. Companies put out statements, celebrate the achievements of their female staff past or present and reaffirm their commitment to gender equality.
But here’s the truth: If we were doing IWD right, we wouldn’t need it.
The purpose of IWD was never just to celebrate past achievements; it was also about paving the way for progress. Yet, decades on from the United Nations’ 1977 designation of IWD as an international day of recognition, we are still commemorating it by having the same conversations and pointing out the same disparities.
If gender equity were truly embedded in our workplaces and societies, we would not need a designated day to remind us to act.
If the progress made in a year only gets talked about on Mar 8, then we certainly are not moving fast enough.
Too often, companies and leaders wait for IWD to make grand gestures - a panel, a social post, a pledge - then move on the next day. If we are lucky, sometimes the work of IWD lasts for the whole week instead - maybe even a month. But once that’s done, it’s back to business as usual.
Whether it’s a day, a week or a month, gender parity is still a temporary focus rather than an ongoing priority.
Imagine if we treated gender equality the way we treat financial performance - tracked, measured and reported on regularly, not just when it is convenient. Companies set quarterly revenue goals, conduct employee performance reviews and adjust strategies in real time.
Why is gender equity not held to the same standard?
Decades on from the United Nations’ 1977 recognition of International Women's Day, we are still commemorating it by having the same conversations and pointing out the same disparities. (Photo: iStock)
Over time, IWD has become a day of surface-level awareness rather than deep systemic change. Pink-washed campaigns and LinkedIn posts do not reflect any real change.
How many companies celebrate IWD publicly but still have gender pay gaps, a lack of women in leadership, or workplace cultures that allow bias to persist?
Some companies have faced backlash for performative activism by launching IWD activities, without addressing concerns such as low wages and workplace treatment of women.
In Asia, companies have come under fire after female employees alleged sexual harassment by senior managers, exposing how workplace protections for women remain inadequate. Others have been criticised for their lack of female representation in leadership, with women making up less than 5 per cent of executives despite public statements advocating gender equality.
Just as bad, many organisations treat IWD as a marketing opportunity rather than a call to reflect on cold hard realities and commit to change. The stories of successful women are shared, but the barriers they had to break to get there are often ignored.
Without real action, IWD campaigns can do more harm than good.
Real change does not happen because of one day of applause - it happens when companies actively remove barriers, question biases and make structural adjustments. If IWD is the only day an organisation is talking about gender equity, it is already failing.
Is it possible to create a world where gender equity becomes more than an agenda item? The short answer is yes - but making it the default way of operating would mean changes on several levels.
It means leadership teams that reflect the actual workforce, not just a handful of women in symbolic roles.
It means equal pay across the board, where salary transparency is the norm and not a battle.
It means parental leave policies that apply equally to men and women, so caregiving is seen as a responsibility for both males and females.
It means bias-free workplaces where women do not have to advocate for fair treatment because fairness is already built into company policies and culture.
It means a hiring and promotion process that assesses competence not based on gender, ensuring that women are not passed over for leadership roles and opportunities because of unconscious biases.
The biggest challenge with IWD is that it allows people to feel like they have done enough just by acknowledging the day. But gender equity is more than a one-day event; it is an ongoing process.
If we want to reach a point where IWD is no longer necessary, we need to shift accountability from individual women to the systems that govern us all.
Companies should strive to have hiring and promotion processes that assess competence not based on gender, ensuring that women are not passed over for leadership roles and opportunities because of unconscious biases. (Photo: iStock)
Gender equity should not be women’s work - it should be a business priority, a leadership commitment and a measurable outcome.
Some companies have made strong strides in this area - consumer goods giant Unilever, for example, leads in breaking gender stereotypes in marketing, while foods corporation Danone has publicly committed to achieving gender balance in management globally by 2030 and closing the gender pay gap by 2025.
Citi in 2018 became the first major US bank to release detailed gender pay gap analyses and take action to close them, demonstrating that real transparency can drive change.
Others like Microsoft and Salesforce have embedded diversity, equity and inclusion (DEI) into their core operations, incorporating pay equity audits and mentorship programmes to advance women in leadership roles year-round.
IKEA and Patagonia lead in workplace policies by offering robust parental leave and flexible work arrangements that actively support work-life balance for both men and women. IKEA was the first company in Singapore to increase its paternity leave from two to four weeks in 2017.
However, failing to walk the talk can have damaging consequences.
Some companies have publicly promoted diversity while facing lawsuits from former female executives alleging gender discrimination and retaliation for raising DEI concerns. Others have attracted public criticism for offering parental leave on paper but discouraging male employees from taking it, either explicitly or implicitly.
Women’s representation in the workforce has increased, which is encouraging, but a 2024 report by McKinsey finds that much of this progress comes from companies expanding support function roles such as HR, legal and IT and hiring women into them. Since the creation of new roles isn’t a sustainable long-term strategy, this approach alone won’t lead to true gender parity.
Gender equity requires consistent, meaningful action, not marketing campaigns.
For companies: If you are hosting an IWD panel, what actual policy changes are you committing to alongside it? For individuals: How are you advocating for women in meetings, in hiring decisions, in pay negotiations - not just on Mar 8, but every day?
Until we see gender equity as something that needs daily attention - just like growth, innovation and any other core element of business - IWD will remain a day of conversation rather than a milestone of progress.
And if we get it right, one day we will not need it at all.
Deborah Giam is the managing director at Penta Group, Singapore.
Continue reading...
But here’s the truth: If we were doing IWD right, we wouldn’t need it.
The purpose of IWD was never just to celebrate past achievements; it was also about paving the way for progress. Yet, decades on from the United Nations’ 1977 designation of IWD as an international day of recognition, we are still commemorating it by having the same conversations and pointing out the same disparities.
If gender equity were truly embedded in our workplaces and societies, we would not need a designated day to remind us to act.
ONE DAY IS NOT ENOUGH
If the progress made in a year only gets talked about on Mar 8, then we certainly are not moving fast enough.
Too often, companies and leaders wait for IWD to make grand gestures - a panel, a social post, a pledge - then move on the next day. If we are lucky, sometimes the work of IWD lasts for the whole week instead - maybe even a month. But once that’s done, it’s back to business as usual.
Whether it’s a day, a week or a month, gender parity is still a temporary focus rather than an ongoing priority.
Imagine if we treated gender equality the way we treat financial performance - tracked, measured and reported on regularly, not just when it is convenient. Companies set quarterly revenue goals, conduct employee performance reviews and adjust strategies in real time.
Why is gender equity not held to the same standard?
Decades on from the United Nations’ 1977 recognition of International Women's Day, we are still commemorating it by having the same conversations and pointing out the same disparities. (Photo: iStock)
THE PROBLEM WITH “FEEL-GOOD” IWD
Over time, IWD has become a day of surface-level awareness rather than deep systemic change. Pink-washed campaigns and LinkedIn posts do not reflect any real change.
How many companies celebrate IWD publicly but still have gender pay gaps, a lack of women in leadership, or workplace cultures that allow bias to persist?
Some companies have faced backlash for performative activism by launching IWD activities, without addressing concerns such as low wages and workplace treatment of women.
In Asia, companies have come under fire after female employees alleged sexual harassment by senior managers, exposing how workplace protections for women remain inadequate. Others have been criticised for their lack of female representation in leadership, with women making up less than 5 per cent of executives despite public statements advocating gender equality.
Just as bad, many organisations treat IWD as a marketing opportunity rather than a call to reflect on cold hard realities and commit to change. The stories of successful women are shared, but the barriers they had to break to get there are often ignored.
Without real action, IWD campaigns can do more harm than good.
Real change does not happen because of one day of applause - it happens when companies actively remove barriers, question biases and make structural adjustments. If IWD is the only day an organisation is talking about gender equity, it is already failing.
Related:
WHAT WOULD A POST-IWD WORLD LOOK LIKE?
Is it possible to create a world where gender equity becomes more than an agenda item? The short answer is yes - but making it the default way of operating would mean changes on several levels.
It means leadership teams that reflect the actual workforce, not just a handful of women in symbolic roles.
It means equal pay across the board, where salary transparency is the norm and not a battle.
It means parental leave policies that apply equally to men and women, so caregiving is seen as a responsibility for both males and females.
It means bias-free workplaces where women do not have to advocate for fair treatment because fairness is already built into company policies and culture.
It means a hiring and promotion process that assesses competence not based on gender, ensuring that women are not passed over for leadership roles and opportunities because of unconscious biases.
STOP TREATING IWD LIKE A ONE-DAY FIX
The biggest challenge with IWD is that it allows people to feel like they have done enough just by acknowledging the day. But gender equity is more than a one-day event; it is an ongoing process.
If we want to reach a point where IWD is no longer necessary, we need to shift accountability from individual women to the systems that govern us all.
Companies should strive to have hiring and promotion processes that assess competence not based on gender, ensuring that women are not passed over for leadership roles and opportunities because of unconscious biases. (Photo: iStock)
Gender equity should not be women’s work - it should be a business priority, a leadership commitment and a measurable outcome.
Some companies have made strong strides in this area - consumer goods giant Unilever, for example, leads in breaking gender stereotypes in marketing, while foods corporation Danone has publicly committed to achieving gender balance in management globally by 2030 and closing the gender pay gap by 2025.
Citi in 2018 became the first major US bank to release detailed gender pay gap analyses and take action to close them, demonstrating that real transparency can drive change.
Others like Microsoft and Salesforce have embedded diversity, equity and inclusion (DEI) into their core operations, incorporating pay equity audits and mentorship programmes to advance women in leadership roles year-round.
IKEA and Patagonia lead in workplace policies by offering robust parental leave and flexible work arrangements that actively support work-life balance for both men and women. IKEA was the first company in Singapore to increase its paternity leave from two to four weeks in 2017.
Related:
However, failing to walk the talk can have damaging consequences.
Some companies have publicly promoted diversity while facing lawsuits from former female executives alleging gender discrimination and retaliation for raising DEI concerns. Others have attracted public criticism for offering parental leave on paper but discouraging male employees from taking it, either explicitly or implicitly.
Women’s representation in the workforce has increased, which is encouraging, but a 2024 report by McKinsey finds that much of this progress comes from companies expanding support function roles such as HR, legal and IT and hiring women into them. Since the creation of new roles isn’t a sustainable long-term strategy, this approach alone won’t lead to true gender parity.
Gender equity requires consistent, meaningful action, not marketing campaigns.
For companies: If you are hosting an IWD panel, what actual policy changes are you committing to alongside it? For individuals: How are you advocating for women in meetings, in hiring decisions, in pay negotiations - not just on Mar 8, but every day?
Until we see gender equity as something that needs daily attention - just like growth, innovation and any other core element of business - IWD will remain a day of conversation rather than a milestone of progress.
And if we get it right, one day we will not need it at all.
Deborah Giam is the managing director at Penta Group, Singapore.
Continue reading...