International Women's Day 2024: Progress, Challenges, and the Power of Support
While we've seen strides towards a more balanced world, significant disparities remain in pay, leadership positions, and even basic rights.
This International Women's Day, we wanted to acknowledge the journey ahead but also celebrate the progress made with a quick-fire interview with our client services director, Cassy Waugh.
1. Do we still need IWD? Why?
Women on average, earn about 82 cents for every dollar earned by men globally and despite progress, women hold only about 25% of parliamentary seats worldwide. There also remains disparity across education and healthcare, and legal rights as well as violence against women still being a pervasive global issue. We still have a long way to go before we achieve gender equality and gender justice so IWD remains incredibly important.
2. What’s changed in the agency world since you started your career?
A lot has changed for the better in agency world - Covid actually supported a positive change of more flexible working, and less presenteeism for example. I see more women in senior positions, and I also see more men taking parental leave and working flexible hours to support childcare arrangements, which is wonderful to see. Though in my opinion women still shoulder an unfair burden of domestic arrangements - carrying the cognitive as well as physical load.
3. What are some of the unique challenges women face in the workplace and how can agency leaders help with these challenges?
There are biological truths that lead to gender-specific health issues. Pregnancy is one, but periods, endometriosis, and menopause are others. It’s good to see people being more vocal about the unique challenges that women and people with uteruses face. Agency leaders can help by creating policies around these issues, by accessing training but also by opening dialogue with their staff and asking what support they did to still feel confident at work, and able to do their best.
4. What is your experience of female camaraderie in the workplace?
I believe that the support and camaraderie among women in the workplace contribute to a more inclusive, supportive, and empowering work environment, benefiting individual women as well as organisations as a whole.
5. What is your one key piece of advice to help inspire inclusion?
One piece of advice - find a mentor, be a mentor. Women can serve as role models and sources of inspiration for each other, demonstrating resilience, determination, and leadership in their respective fields. By sharing their stories and achievements, women can inspire and empower others to pursue their goals, overcome obstacles, and strive for excellence in their careers.
Achieving true gender equality requires a multi-faceted approach. While flexible work arrangements and open dialogue about women's health are positive steps, there's still work to be done in balancing domestic responsibilities and ensuring equal representation in leadership.
To find out more about what Nucco are doing to support gender equality, visit our about page.