Don’t just give me a cupcake!

As International Women’s Day approaches, many institutions gear up for their annual celebrations of their female workforces. In the aftermath of last year’s celebrations, the glossy press releases and social media posts painted a picture of companies showering their female workforces with tokens of appreciation, ranging from flowers to cupcakes, and motivational speeches from accomplished women. All these are, undoubtedly, well-intended and wonderful initiatives, BUT how are these actions addressing the root causes of workplace issues, including gender inequality? What tangible changes await women in the workplace after these celebrations are over?

The purpose of International Women’s Day (IWD), according to UNESCO, is to assess the progress women have made in the social, economic, cultural, and political arenas so that we know where we stand compared to other countries. In other words, the progress made towards achieving gender equality and women’s empowerment.

Let’s take, for example, the introduction of paternity or parental leave policies. While on paper these initiatives appear progressive, how many men take advantage of such initiatives? Are they truly involved in the caregiving responsibilities? And more importantly, are companies actively encouraging their male employees to do so? Are men made aware of why taking this leave is important? The reality is, according to published data, the uptake of paternity or parental leave is very low, worldwide. Men are often hesitant to take leave as they fear career implications. It’s not just about introducing policies; it is also about the effective implementation and monitoring of it.

In addition, some companies boast that they have a high percentage of women and that their recruitment is based on ‘merit’. This is highly questionable in a society where gender biases persist. In a society where women have traditionally been disadvantaged or not preferred for certain job categories or positions, how are organizations ensuring that biases don’t come into play? How are they ensuring equity? Merit-based recruitment is ideal if organizations also ensure that their recruitment panels are representative of both genders and other diverse groups, and the panel members have received training and are aware of unconscious bias.

Furthermore, some organizations report the representation of women in certain roles, especially higher management and board positions, to demonstrate improved diversity. However, the question of ‘inclusion’ remains paramount. Are these women truly empowered to influence decision-making? Are they listened to? Or are they mere tokens of diversity? The 2024 International Women’s Day theme is “Inspire Inclusion.” Diversity and inclusion are two different things. As the famous saying by Verna Myers goes, “Diversity is being invited to the party; inclusion is being asked to dance!” It’s true that during the last two or three decades the number of women in key positions in companies has marginally increased but in most instances their voices are unheard.

This Women’s Day calls for a shift in focus from symbolic gestures to systemic change. Awareness training for men on supporting women to thrive at work, coupled with zero-tolerance policies for discrimination and harassment, are steps in the right direction. Again, having training and policies will not change the system; it will, however, create awareness. Effective monitoring of how things have progressed and taking corrective measures is equally important.

Other things that companies can do include exploring reasons for women’s well-being problems and addressing the root causes; this does not mean, offering yoga as a fix for well-being issues, but identifying ways in which companies can reduce burdens and provide the required resources for women to address the root causes.

At the heart of enabling women to thrive is the implementation of flexible work arrangements. Research shows that flexible work arrangements benefit women (and people with disabilities) to a significant extent by enabling them to effectively manage their work-life balance, which leads to greater productivity and heightened engagement with the organization. Whilst challenges exist in certain sectors, a willingness to challenge the traditional ways of working can pave the way for meaningful change.

As we approach another International Women’s Day, let’s start to think differently. It’s time to move beyond flowers and cupcakes – it’s time to design a future where every woman can thrive.

Dr. Vindhya Weeratunga is a Lecturer and a member of the Public Service Research Group at the School of Business, University of New South Wales, Canberra, Australia.

She can be reached at vindhya.weeratunga@unsw.edu.au

The purpose of

International Women’s Day (IWD), according to UNESCO, is to assess the progress women have made in the social, economic, cultural, and political arenas so that we know where we stand compared to other countries. In other words, the progress made towards achieving gender equality and women’s empowerment