#IWD2025 #AccelerateAction

Visualise a gender equal world. A world free of stereotypes, limiting beliefs, bias, and discrimination. A world that’s diverse, equitable and inclusive. A world where difference is valued and celebrated. Together we can forge gender equality, collectively we can all #AccelerateAction.

More than 100 years ago, back in 1911, only eight countries allowed women to vote, equal pay for equal work was unheard of – if women were allowed to work at all. International Women’s Day (IWD) serves as a platform to recognise how far we’ve come towards gender equality, and also how far we have left to go, highlighting challenges faced by women worldwide. This day recognises progress while emphasising the need for continuous efforts to create an inclusive, fair, and empowering society for women.

The 2025 theme, #AccelerateAction, focuses on recognising strategies and tools that drive women’s progress in education, employment and leadership. This theme encourages collective efforts from governments, organisations, communities and individuals to remove barriers and foster an environment of equal opportunities for women and emphasises the importance of taking swift and decisive steps to address gender inequality, both in personal and professional spheres. It calls for increased momentum and urgency in addressing the systemic barriers and biases that prevent women from reaching their full potential.

How can you help #AccelerateAction?

As individuals, we can all take steps in our daily lives to positively impact women’s advancement. We can call out stereotypes, challenge discrimination, question bias, celebrate success of women, and so much more. Additionally, sharing our knowledge and encouragement with others is key. 

Impactful organisations and communities can offer an array of effective strategies including: 

• Providing access to quality education and training
• Forging women’s economic empowerment
• Recruiting, retaining and developing diverse talent
• Supporting women’s participation in sports
• Promoting creative and artistic talent of women
• Encouraging women into leadership, decision-making, business and STEM
• Addressing further areas supporting the advancement of women 

#AccelerateAction is a compelling theme for IWD 2025 because it emphasises the urgency of making faster, more effective strides toward gender equality since the progress is too slow despite decades of effort in areas such as economic participation, political representation, and combating gender-based violence. To #AccelerateAction means to move beyond ineffective practices and implement meaningful changes for bold, decisive action that positively impact gender equality.

#AccelerateAction means recognising that gender inequality affects different women in different ways—whether due to race, ethnicity, disability, socioeconomic status or other aspects. The campaign focus emphasises the need for an inclusive approach, ensuring that all women, particularly those marginalised, benefit from the progress made. In essence it’s a call for urgency, inclusion, and transformative change. It signals that equality cannot wait, and that all sectors of society must work together to accelerate the pace of progress for empowerment of women. 

The progress made thus far is encouraging with 89% of governments consider ending violence against women is a top priority today, and 193 countries have legal measures against it. 32% of countries globally now promote better pay and safe working conditions for care workers. There are 112 countries with a national plan to engage women in peace and security processes – a significant increase from 19 countries in 2010. In knowing and pushing forward for progress, there is hope. 

On this day we celebrate the potential of women to transform our economies and societies. When women have the opportunity to fully contribute their talents, they create jobs, drive innovation, and fuel economic growth. Investing in women means investing in solutions for peace and progress. Ensuring more and better jobs for women is ensuring a more prosperous world for all.

Here are ways to encourage participation of women in the economy:

• Empowering women-owned businesses and growing women-led businesses with financial inclusion and access to finance
• Skilling and supporting women entrepreneurs in rural areas, start-up and micro sectors
• Opening up employment opportunities for women across male dominated industries
• Empowering women tech entrepreneurs
• Bridging the gap: Increase female labour force participation

Let us step up for gender equality in our own lives – where we work, in our communities, and in our own families and relationships. Make a conscious decision about it next time you vote, or hire someone, or decide who does household tasks, or champion the immense possibilities of the women in your life. 

“One individual cannot possibly make a difference, alone. It is individual efforts, collectively, that make a visible difference in the world!”

(The writer is a senior banking professional, and a Board Member of the Women’s Chamber of Industry and Commerce (WCIC).)