An International Women’s Day reflection
International Women’s Day is easy to celebrate. The real work though, is building a world where women don’t have to be strong, or resilient. A world where we can just to be safe, stable, and seen.
This year, the UN is framing IWD around rights, justice, and action. A reminder that rights do not mean much if we cannot defend those rights in real everyday life. I agree. And I want to add that: we don’t just need more celebration. We need systems that work.
The reality is while yes there has been progress, but there are still gaps. Big, stubborn gaps between what the world says it believes and what women actually experience.
We can’t talk about dignity when violence remains normalised. The WHO estimates that nearly 1 in 3 women globally have experienced physical and/or sexual violence in their lifetime. That number is not “a women’s issue.” It’s a global systems failure.
So yes. Today is a celebration. But it’s also a mirror.
What I Honour Today
I want to honour the women who keep going—quietly, consistently, without applause. The women who carry families, teams, communities, and visions, while still having to fight for basic respect. May we be protected, paid fairly, listened to, and left with room to thrive—not just survive.
I want to honour the women in rooms that were not built with them in mind. The women who are “included” but still interrupted, overlooked, second-guessed, or punished for having boundaries. May your voice be heard. May your work be rewarded. May you not have to shrink to be tolerated.
I also want to honour the women who have held me, stretched me, taught me, and reminded me who I am. The women who have been mentors, mirrors, friends, and lifelines. May we keep building lives that feel like freedom.
We Can Do Better
We tell women to be confident, to lean in, to self-advocate, to be resilient. Meanwhile, many of the systems around them are still designed in ways that drain our power—economically, socially, politically etc.
As I reflect on this 2020’s IWD, it is for me, not just about empowering women. Women are already powerful. It is about redesigning the conditions and environments around women so that dignity is not something they have to negotiate for every day.
You know, systems that work look. Where safety is reliable, not lucky. Workplaces where harassment has consequences and pay is transparent. Laws that don’t just exist on paper but can be accessed without humiliation. Digital spaces that don’t amplify abuse faster than they protect people. Healthcare that doesn’t require women to beg for seriousness.
As Leaders Here’s How We Can Do Better
Whether you run a household, a team, an organisation, a fund, a community, this IWD is a good time to ask yourself a very practical question:
Are the women around you having to work twice as hard for half the space? Are they “performing strength” because the environment is not safe enough for honesty? Are they being praised in public but unsupported in practice?
I’m not asking this to shame anyone. I’m asking because change doesn’t start from slogans. It starts from noticing, then redesigning. Not emotional, but structural redesign within our budgets, policies and enforcement mechanisms.
It takes accountability and it will take time, but if we are intentional, we can achieve it!
Looking Forward
So my IWD message is simple:
Not promises.
Not panels.
Results.
If we say we care about women, the world should look and feel different in measurable ways—especially for the women who have the least protection and the least access to power.
Today, I celebrate women. Tomorrow, I stay committed to the work.
Still Listening. Still Learning.
Yop Rwang Pam
Project by Projects 