Your Official Guide to International Women’s Day 2019 ♀ 💪

Here at The Women’s Organisation one of our favorite days of the year is just around the corner, International Women’s Day!

Friday the 8th of March is the day, make room in your diary.

International Women’s Day is a time to reflect on progress made, to call for change and to celebrate acts of courage and determination by all women who have played an extraordinary role in the history of their countries and communities.

This year’s theme is #BalanceForBetter because if you better the balance, you better the world as balance drives a better working world for all.

The future is exciting, lets aim to build a gender-balanced world where everyone can make a difference. We all have a part to play - all the time, everywhere. From individuals to communities, we are entering a new and exciting time in history where people can expect balance. We need to be noticing its absence and celebrating its presence.

How will you celebrate women's achievements on Friday March 8, while calling for a more gender-balanced world?

If you need some ideas here are some amazing events going on in and around the city which are celebrating International Women’s Day.

Morning Events

Business Club- “Women Can”

10am-12pm, 54 St James Street, Liverpool, L1 0AB

Joining us are two inspirational women who have broken glass ceilings and made their way to the top. Hear their journey and their tips on growing your business and be inspired as we explore the International Women's Day theme for this year #BalanceforBetter.

The first panelist is Chief Executive of Royal Albert Dock Liverpool Sue Grindrod, who is responsible for the strategic development and management of this iconic waterfront destination and is leading its next phase of evolution. The second panelist is Marnie Millard who is Group Chief Executive for Nichols PLC. She joined the company in 2012 and was appointed to her current role in May 2013. Marnie was awarded an OBE in the Queen’s Birthday Honours List for her services to International Trade and Businesses in North West England.

This event is in partnership with NatWest.

All Day Events

The Female Gaze: Women Depicting Women, dot-art.

10am-6pm, 14 Queen Avenue, Castle Street, Liverpool, L2 4TX

The new exhibition at dot-art showcases the work of three women artists, Liz Jeary, Mia Cathcart and Rebecca Atherton. Each artist depicts women in their work, capturing and exploring identity and the complex representations of women in art through diverse art forms.

This exhibition starts on Friday 8th March and runs until Saturday 4th May. Entry is free and all are welcome.

Evening Events

Petticoat Rebellion? Women and Resistance to Slavery

6-7pm, Central Library, William Brown St, Liverpool L3 8EW

They are celebrating International Women's Day by remembering women's resistance to plantation slavery. If resistance to slavery in general was concealed by slaveholders, the resistance of women was underplayed and trivialised. This lecture puts women's resistance at the heart of the fight for freedom and tells the story of Nanny of the Maroons, Nanny Grig, Harriet Jacobs, Harriet Tubman and others whose often individual acts of resistance have gone unrecorded.

Sisbis presents: International Women's Day

6pm - til late, 24 Kitchen St, Baltic Triangle, Liverpool L1 0AN

Liverpool women have been busy: making art, making music and making noise about things they care about. To celebrate, SisBis presents a social for creative and active women in Liverpool. Expect live music, food and things-to-do run by the many exciting female and queer creative collectives from across the city.

An evening with Inspirational Women

5-8pm, Liverpool Hope University, Creative Campus, Shaw Street , Liverpool, L6 1HL

Celebrate International Women’s Day with a panel of inspirational women. They will be holding a Q&A session with women working in areas such as; Art, Education, Business and Science. The event will also provide a series of short talks showing the lived experiences of the women from this array of areas, highlighting the barriers challenged within their progression.

The panel includes-

Zara Khalique – Founder of Keep It Bright’, a positivity movement and lifestyle brand with customers such as Arianna Grande and Miley Cyrus.

Dr Ella Houston – Lecuruer in Disability and Education, focusing in the area of Feminism and Disability Studies.

Lauren Tucker – Dance artist and founder of Tuck Shop Dance Theatre.

Dr Nicola Jones - BSc (Hons) MSc PhD FHEA CPsychol – Lecturer in Psychology.

✊ The Suffragettes and Us…#100Years ✊

Today, February 6^th marks 100 years since some (but not all) British women were given the right to vote.

The Representation of the People Act was passed on this day in 1918 which enabled selected women to vote in the elections…So what were the requirements?

• Were you a woman over 30?

• Or did you own a property?

• Or were you a graduate voting in a University constituency?

If you ticked any one of these boxes, today was your lucky day. You were given a voice and now had the power to vote. As a result, over eight and a half million women were added to the electoral roll. But that still left a huge percentage of the population powerless to use their voices and vote…

Now 100 years on from this landmark occasion, a lot has changed, and we have a lot to be thankful for to the women who changed the world before us…The Suffragettes.

Three Mancunian women; Emmeline, Christabel and Sylvia Pankhurst changed the landscape of the world forever and they did it through…’Deeds not words’

Emmeline, Christabel & Sylvia Pankhurst

Their determination, tenacity and focus to always act upon what they knew was right in their hearts and continue to stand up, march and fight for women’s rights led to these massive changes and shifts in history. They stood up and took action. They didn’t watch from afar. They were in the mix, pushing for progress.

Now 100 years on, women are still marching and still fighting. With cultural landslides like the #MeToo movement, #TimesUp, gender pay gap related scandals and so much more, it feels like we are at another tipping point. Another moment in history where things are going to change, for the better.  

So, today on this landmark day, we are asking YOU...Where are you going to stand in the history books?

Will you go down as someone who marched, who fought, who made a change and pushed for gender equality?

We know that we will…

A 2018 march

To celebrate this important day, here’s a few of our favourite quotes from some incredible women…

Our friend and great granddaughter of Suffragette, Emmeline Pankhurst, Helen Pankhurst has said; 

“Let’s keep up the feminist pressure throughout 2018 – not just because it’s a centenary year but because it has the markings of being a remarkable year in its own right. What we are seeking is a world in which the voice of everybody counts, irrespective of sex, gender, sexuality, colour, ethnicity, creed, disability, class, age, political persuasion and whatever other category is introduced to demean those who are not like us. What we are demanding of society is dignity within a rich tapestry of differences.”

Helen Pankhurst who launches her book ‘Deeds Not Words, The Story of Women’s Rights, Then and Now’ this Thursday and you can read her full blog here

And If you remember Helen visiting us back in 2016, check out the blog we wrote about this amazing day here!

“As we celebrate #100years since some women got to vote, let’s honour those who went before us and paved the way; look forward to where we want to be in the future; and most importantly, be mindful about the role we all play today” – Kate Richardson-Walsh, Olympic gold & bronze medallist. OBE. Former GB & ENG hockey player

“100 years since women got the vote, fewer than 1/3 of MPs are female, all chancellors to date have been men, more than 90% of PLC executive direcots are men, and women are yet to serve in close combat roles (though some are in training). History still needs to be made – Cathy Newman, Channel 4 Presenter

Join in the conversation today on Twitter by following the hashtags #100Years #Votes100 #Suffragette100