Why I look forward to the day when we won’t need International Women’s Day

Every year at this time, I see LinkedIn posts celebrating smart, powerful women in the workplace. These women contribute to the fortunes of the companies they work for while seizing control of their personal financial destinies. This is something worth celebrating, isn’t it? So, what is it about International Women’s Day that bothers me so much?

Please don’t get me wrong. We, the western society in general, had come a long way since 1847 when women took to the street demanding voting rights in the United States and Europe. Those early suffragettes risked arrest and physical harm to push for change. We owe so much to those early heroines.

And yet, 176 years later, we still need a day to remind society that we matter. We still have work to do. And by “we”, I mean society as a whole, not just women.

Because we matter every single day, not just one single day each year.

Despite all our advances, the inequality numbers are still staggering.

In the Asia-Pacific region, where I live and work, women comprise 50 per cent of the total population but only 35 per cent of the workforce. Women make up only 4 per cent of chief executives, 10 per cent of chief financial officers, and 5 per cent of board members in the region. Only 9 per cent of Asia-Pacific companies publish their pay gap between men and women, and only 1 per cent have closed their pay gap. We’ve seen the literacy rate of women improve in Singapore and Malaysia to well over 90 per cent, but it’s still only 66 per cent in India.

Today, in 2023, we shouldn’t need a day celebrating women. But until we reach the point of true equality, the themes of International Women’s Day should stay with us constantly.

My story

Today, I am the marketing director for a global cyber security company covering the Asia-Pacific region. Only a few of my coworkers know I was born in Brazil, a country where gender inequality is the norm. It was my mother who pushed me and never allowed me to accept anything less for myself. When I wasn’t doing well in school, or when I wanted to drop out of college, it was her voice that pushed me forward. “Not on my watch,” she said, and she meant every syllable.

She pushed my siblings and me to explore new horizons, travel, and eventually pursue a graduate degree in a foreign country. If not for her, I wouldn’t be here in my role today — a brown Brazilian speaking English as a second language running a multimillion-dollar department of a global company in Asia. If not for her, my brother, who owns a medium-sized company in Brazil, wouldn’t spend his evenings on bedtime duty or “agree” to take care of his four daughters while his wife is busy working.

I am fully aware that I stand on the shoulder of giants. My successes are tied to the many women who came before me and refused to take “no” for an answer. I honoured those women through a writing project with my mother, who suggested that we tell the story of 22 women who made history in Brazil.

In 2022, after four years of blood, sweat, and tears, we finally published (independently, by the way) our book series, Brazil, by 22 Women Who made History. Despite the pressures and commitment to working full-time jobs, we took on this project hoping to inspire, guide, and educate the next generation of Brazilian women.

Finding change

In recent years, I felt a strange — and sad — sense of deja vu. This time around, we saw all genders take to the streets and risk their jobs, health, safety, and lives to support the #metoo movement and the women in Iran, who are fighting for basic human rights. These modern heroes are not waiting for 8 March to come around before they demand a voice. They force us all to not only look at them but to question our own way of life and ask where change begins? Will we always have to spend decades risking our lives in protests and marches to trigger societal change? Is this the only effective way to bring these issues forward?

I hope not.

As the author Charles Duhigg once said, “if you make it a habit — the change becomes real.” Change comes when it becomes a habit, not an isolated, once-a-year LinkedIn post.

Furthermore, in my opinion, change starts in the home — with us focusing on keeping open communication and mutual respect with our life partners, demanding mutual support, and sharing household responsibilities, including child raising (yes, this means nappy duties and homework).

Change starts at work — with us celebrating organisations that support equal pay, offer parental leave not only for women but for men as well, and offer open opportunities that are available to all qualified employees.

At SentinelOne, where I have the privilege of working, our company is advocating and investing in women in cyber security. We have a mentorship program focused on women’s inclusion. Thirty per cent of all internal promotions were for women, and our recruiting efforts focus on hiring female executives. The company contributed $15,000 to “Girls Who Code”, and plans to contribute another $2,000 to Black Girls Who Code, Girl Rising, and the Malala Fund. So here I am, openly celebrating this company and advocating for them. Because the more we do it, the more we show them that this matters, the more others will step forward as well.

And most importantly, change starts with us, individuals, changing old habits in our everyday lives. We shouldn’t excuse behaviours by saying “boys will be boys”, or call out other women for “not being ladylike”, or vote for politicians who do not support policies that promote gender equality or continued education for young girls.

We don’t need a day if we celebrate ‘us’ every day

If International Women’s Day comes and goes with nothing more than a few dozen LinkedIn posts rolling through our feed, we’ve missed the point. I look forward to the day when International Women’s Day isn’t needed to remind us all that we are valuable, contributing members of our societies.

We need to continue pushing for more opportunities, destroying glass ceilings, and inviting other women into the clubs we’ve just begun to access. This celebration and support should happen every day, not just once a year.

When I look around at what we’ve accomplished so far, and take stock of where we are and where we are going, I am surprisingly inspired not only by the amazing modern suffragettes, but also by a man, my brother.

My brother, who does bedtime every night and takes care of his four daughters when his wife is busy working, reminds me that men are also part of our fight. The true meaning of “gender equality” includes all genders supporting each other. We cannot do this by ourselves, without our partners, without mutual support at home, at work, and in our society.

As I said before, I feel amazed and touched by the #metoo movement and the people in Iran who are risking their lives for the cause. And yet, my faith in the future is truly restored when I see my brother raising his four daughters to be anything they want, to follow a career, to be better human beings, and to never give up on their education and their dreams. I’m confident those four little girls will go a long way, stand on our shoulders, and become a part of the next generation of giants.

Liz Drysdale is the Asia-Pacific and Japan marketing director at SentinelOne.