Take Action This International Women's Day

I say the same thing every International Women’s Day: Brands, the government, and the general public should highlight issues that affect women year-round, not just on a single day. 

This year, while I still stand by that statement, to be honest, we NEED the spotlight on IWD right now, more than ever. It’s no secret that women have been more adversely affected by the economic downturn than men: Four times more women have left the workforce due to COVID-19, and the pay gap is set to widen another five percent. As we enter the second quarter of 2021, the SHEcession rages on, with another 275,000 women dropping out of the workforce in January. According to CNBC, women’s participation in the labor force is now at a 33-year low.

The situation is so dire that we’re seeing more brands than ever participating in IWD efforts. Many big corporations are finding new ways to highlight women-owned brands, such as Google’s new fund empowering women and girls globally, Amazon Prime’s Women’s History Month lineup, Grubhub’s promotion of female chefs, and Spotify’s Top Female Voices playlist. Some have even changed their names (Shell to She’ll, Hersheys to herSHEys). I’ve opened my inbox to see countless emails from women-forward brands celebrating IWD (Birchbox, Paige, Gilt, New Balance). But as I’ve said in the past, these temporary spotlights are great, but we need more action in order to turn the SHEcession around.