‘Local achievements are part of the international story’
MARCH 8 is International Woman’s Day, a day that gives us a brief window of opportunity to reflect on the many achievements and ongoing struggles of women all over the world.
But while the focus is very much on the international dimension, it’s also a time when we should focus on the wealth of positives that occur at local level. It gives me great pleasure to once again be able to give the women of Cork an opportunity to showcase their business achievements and the limitless scope of talent they have in the pages of The Corkman.
This newspaper believes strongly in the concept of equality, irrespective of gender which is very much reflected in the gender formation of our staff. As in life itself, opportunities for women in business first need a strong platform on which to build.
This is something that has taken many decades and many women from all over the world time to achieve. International Women’s Day is, therefore, an occasion for women to transfer the concept of a ‘global goal’ into a local reality and in order to fully assess and appreciate this journey we must start at a local level in order to understand the global achievements which link together.
I’ve said it many times before that Cork is a county where woman have much to be proud of given the successful progress made in recent decades. Business has reaped the benefits of this transformation in gender equality and you only have to see the number of women in self-employed or company led positions to know this is true.
But it’s also important to mention that International Women’s Day is not just about the celebration of women who find themselves in a successful position in life. This is too narrow a focus and misses the wider point of inclusion that helps identify, address and solve instances where gender inequality still exists.
It’s also important to point out that gender inequality doesn’t just happen in a place of business, it also extends to the home, the local sports club, and society in general. This makes it the responsibility of all of us to address.
Providing the sort of working environment where women at the top lend a helping hand to those on the ascent is another way of showing solidarity.
In Cork, women make major contributions to society: they work hard and are successful in all kinds of business, often while rearing families. This effort must not only be respected, but must also be acknowledged as part of the wider and positive impact women have in society.