By Adam Bloodworth
International Women’s Day marks a pause point where we can stop to reflect on the successes and achievements of women around the world, but also the challenges faced by females today.
To earmark the day we’ve spoken to 14 women from different walks of life to hear what feminism, and International Women’s Day, means to them.
Whether you’re a female or an ally, these messages should inspire thought.
‘Hustling is exhausting – sometimes I just want to relax’
“One feminist thought for International Women’s Day? It’s time to put the girl boss to rest. She was well-meaning, but boy is she tired – and women can’t hustle their way out of misogyny. This International Women’s Day, I’m embracing that and kicking back and doing no work to assert my rights. Sorry boss.” Anna Maloney, Features Writer, City A.M.
‘Self-care can help beat the rise in female stress’
“My Kenyan mother always taught me to ‘believe in yourself’, to be brave and create the life you want, no matter what. I’ve carried that with me, and although sometimes it is challenging running my own business, it means that I can work flexibly around my family. I’m also a believer that self-care isn’t frivolous, it’s essential. Looking after your physical and mental health has to be a priority, especially given the huge increase in stress related illnesses among women. My passion for this arose from personal circumstances, my dad died prematurely from stress related cancer when I was 13 and he was only 52, and my mother – a business woman – suffered from various stress related illnesses such as a stomach ulcer, high blood pressure and thyroid cancer. There’s been an increase in functional illnesses over the last 100 years – illnesses for which there is no obvious physiological cause and which are often put down to stress. I believe that women are far more likely to have stress related illnesses from working around the clock – not just in business but also from taking care of their home and nurturing the family, which is a full-time job. We are constantly working with very little downtime, which is why I believe so strongly in taking time for self-care.” Sama Tinder, wellbeing facilitator, yoga therapist, founder of bhuti and co-founder of Bingham Riverhouse
‘Let’s recognise all women – not just career achievers’
“International Women’s Day is for all women. Not just the ones who are in the top 1% of their industry, or the ones reaching heights of achievement that any average person can only dream of. Ultimately, my hope is that we are creating spaces where all women can feel welcome and appreciated, and not feel like they have to perform perfection or insane levels of achievement to feel valued.” Jendella Benson ‘Self-belief is everything’ “There’s never been a more important time in history for women to believe in themselves and take action. ‘Faith + Action = Miracles’ is an affirmation I have been using for the last thirteen years, but we have to remember that a person will only ever take action intentionally in their life – particularly when it comes to changing things – if they believe what they are looking at creating is not just possible, but actually possible for them to create. Every change starts with the conscious belief in yourself that you can be an agent of change, whether you are responsible for the whole thing or the seed that started it. Right now, the world requires many changes at all levels and we, as women, get to play an active role, and for us to do that we have to choose to know that our voices matter and our perspectives are important. This all starts with self-belief.” Suzy Ashworth, author, success coach
‘Fintech needs to catch up, fast’
“Awareness days like today help accelerate a fairer future. But we need more. Representation is sorely lacking in fintech. We are proud to have 50% of roles in our executive strategy team held by women, but across the sector less than 30% of the UK’s fintech workforce is female and only 17% of senior fintech roles are held by women. Increasing female representation is vital, not just to show younger generations that women can be role models too, but to also give them the chance to fulfil their potential.” Monika Liikamaa, co-CEO & co-founder of Enfuce
‘We must break intergenerational cycles of poverty’
“If current trends continue, more than 340 million women and girls will still live in extreme poverty by 2030. But I want to urge you to be part of the solution. There is plenty of data on how we can end extreme poverty—one proven solution is the poverty graduation approach, which gives women the training, mentorship, and startup cash to launch sustainable businesses. I’ve witnessed firsthand when women become business owners. They gain the ability to break intergenerational cycles of poverty. Let’s work together to create a world free of extreme poverty, where all women and girls can thrive.” Winnie Auma, Chief Program Officer at Village Enterprise
‘There’s more support for entrepreneurs now – take the leap’
“I want to extend words of encouragement to women contemplating the entrepreneurship journey. Take that bold step—I did in 2023, securing investment through UCL Business, and it has been a thrilling journey ever since. I am now the CEO of Stanhope AI, employing 10 people. While a professor at King’s College London, I recognised the potential to bridge the gap between neuroscience and artificial intelligence, creating a new generation of AI systems that can think and decide like humans. The landscape is now rich with support for translating scientific ideas into high-growth businesses. Spinouts are gaining momentum, so if you have an idea, talk to the tech transfer teams, and watch it come to life.” Professor Rosalyn Moran, CEO of Stanhope AI and Professor of Computational Neuroscience
‘Allies, think about your biases more’
“To be honest, I don’t think things are changing much for women in business. We still only receive 2% of venture funding, and I regularly hear horror stories from other women in business about inappropriate behaviour. For women in business, the bar for everything is just higher than it is for men. I would have hoped that more men in the investment community would have realized by now that a more equitable and inclusive industry will yield higher returns and more successful companies. Men don’t, and often can’t, understand the experiences of women. They therefore can’t create effective products for half of all potential consumers. The sheer amount of opportunity being left on the table because of pervasive gender issues in business should be enough to galvanize everyone, and particularly investors, to be more thoughtful about their biases, behaviour, and funding decisions.” Olivia DeRamus, founder of Communia, the social network for women
‘We must celebrate imperfection’
“Social media at times feels like a window into perfection on earth. Full of flawless moments and good times. But reality isn’t an Instagram feed, there are no filters for bad days or heartbreak and sometimes in life the egg yolk breaks. We need to celebrate our imperfections and character-building moments as much as our victories. Reality should be showcased not swept under the carpet in place of glossy, airbrushed and ultra-wealth images. Let’s teach young women that they are perfectly unique and no-one can better them at being themselves. My daughter may not yet understand the difference between a hashtag and a hash brown, but I’ll guide her through this new world. I’ll remind her that the most important ‘likes’ are the ones she gives herself.” Natalie Sykes, CFO, Camm & Hooper
‘Supporting working mothers is essential’
“I didn’t particularly think of myself as a feminist until I had a daughter and realised the enormous penalty women pay for motherhood. Britain has the most expensive childcare in the developed world. For many families that means it simply doesn’t make economic sense for both parents to work – and whatever progress we think we’ve made, more often than not it’s mothers who stay at home. That’s a huge loss of talent from the workforce, but more importantly it’s a huge barrier to women’s choices and ambitions.” Alys Denby, Opinion Editor, City A.M.
‘Let’s level the field for female founders’
“Given that in 2023, women-led businesses secured just 3.5% of equity funding, this International Women’s Day we should reflect on the obstacles female entrepreneurs face and commit to clearing the path to accessible capital. We must demand an equitable tech ecosystem that enables women-led startups to flourish through alternative fundraising models that don’t solely rely on the traditional VC pathway. To do this, governments, investors and corporate leaders must get behind initiatives that empower female founders to gain access to a wide array of funding opportunities that help them achieve their goals, whether that’s bootstrapping, crowdfunding, angel investment and grants. It’s more important than ever to level out the playing field for female founders.” Emma Obanye, CEO of OneTech
‘Diversity in the boardroom is key’
“In my experience, both as a founding member of European Women in VC and a mentor to young women in investment, it’s clear that there’s a vicious cycle at work that hampers women’s opportunities to lead and scale high-growth enterprises. Female general partners (GPs) manage only 9% of total assets under management (AUM), and this lack of female GPs leads to a shortage of investment in female founders, which then becomes a self-perpetuating issue. The gap in funding reflects systemic biases rather than a lack of talent or ambition among women. However, we must avoid the issue of ‘gender washing,’ ensuring that diversity is just as present in the boardrooms as in the entry levels of startups and VCs. By actively seeking out and supporting female founders, we can begin to dismantle the capital ceiling that has for too long limited not only women entrepreneurs but the broader economy as well.” Ekaterina Almasque, general partner at OpenOcean
‘Some women communicate differently’
“There are definitely more women in tech, and in higher positions, but we still have some way to go. Less than 15% of Tech 100 corporate directors are female, and it’s still fairly common to be the only woman at a cybersecurity event, or see all-male panels – or “manels” – throughout the agenda. I think part of the continuing mismatch is how men and women are socialised to communicate. Early on in my career, both in academia and later in cybersecurity, I’d really struggle to get my point across in meetings. Instead, they were dominated by men whose communication style often involved cutting in or talking over people. I felt very uncomfortable mimicking their style, as I had been socialised to believe that was rude. But then I learned I’d need to interrupt to get ahead. Looking back, I know this isn’t an ideal way to communicate, and people shouldn’t have to behave in a certain way just to be heard. Yes, we should look critically at socialisation, but companies must make changes to be more inclusive of different communication styles, and enable everyone to contribute.” Dr Leila Powell, Lead Data Scientist at Panaseer
‘More female perspectives are needed’
“I’d say to any woman considering going into tech: Don’t be overwhelmed and think that it’s really complicated. Lots of people avoid a career in tech due to the perception of it being too complicated, but most of it is problem-solving, which females are proven to be really good at. If you’ve got an inquisitive, problem-solving brain, you can do anything! Now more than ever we need more diversity in tech, specifically within AI. This is an area that’s growing quickly and is incredibly influential, so not only is it a highly prized skillset for employers, it’s beneficial for everyone to have more female perspectives involved in the development of it.” Lyndsey Charlton, COO at Daisy Corporate Services
‘Male dominated spaces alienate women’
“Apart from external challenges, male-dominated environment also often triggers internal, mental barriers for women, creating moments and situations where they are afraid to speak their mind, feeling overwhelmed and alienated. These biases not only create barriers for women seeking to succeed in tech roles or participate in gaming communities but also contribute to a broader culture of exclusion and inequality within the industry. A significant strategy for combating this issue is through education, targeting both gamers who perpetuate these prejudices and companies that have historically favoured male employees.” Dorota Wróbel, chief R&D officer of g2a.com
More International Women’s Day: ‘Men stop behaving like children when women are around’ – 16 women in hospitality on International Women’s Day
Read more: The Debate: Is International Women’s Day patronising?
