Ways to Support International Women’s Day 2023

Even if you aren’t aware now, you will be on 8th March when your entire Instagram feed consists of the following:

1. Groups of girlfriends on a night out
2. Celebrity women, probably Beyoncé, perhaps the Kardashians
3. Someone’s mother doing amateur modelling in the 80s

All will be unified by something resembling “my women #IWD”. Once upon a time, International Women’s Day became nothing more than an opportunity to show your otherwise apathetic followers that you too are a girl-power loving, feminist queen. For one day a year, if you don’t post anything with the eponymous IWD hashtag, you are a woman hater and may as well join an Andrew Tate fan club. With the stakes this high, chances are you will come across a post of a girl you know full well to have famously and consistently slandered her friends, now aligning herself with the upper echelons of feminism. Herein lies the fallibility of ‘clicktivism’ and why a hashtag does not make you a supporter of International Women’s Day. Instead, you can show your support all year round and avoid becoming victim to an, albeit annual, micro internet trend.

Despite the above, there is obviously no problem with honouring your friends online, IF you are going to love them on the other 364 days as well. University can be a tricky time for comparison, when others are getting internships and job offers, and you seem to be faced with rejection after rejection. Excitement for them can sometimes be overshadowed by your own disappointment but it is really important, both for them and for the longevity of your friendship, if you can give them the praise they deserve. Equally, when you’re enshrined in success, don’t forget about those that are not having the best luck.

If we consider feminism to be the raising of women to reach an equilibrium with men, then it is essential that women are bolstering one another along the way. Not putting other women down to elevate yourself and being nice to your friends are things we should be doing every day, regardless of whether you are posting about it. The International Women’s Day campaign theme for 2023 is #EmbraceEquity, a hashtag with an impact. This year there is a push towards equity for inclusivity amongst all genders, with an emphasis on the fact that feminism that isn’t intersectional, isn’t feminism.

LGBTQ+ women are subjected to a double burden of sexism and sexual-orientation discrimination. A 2021 University study, conducted by Stonewall, showed that nine out of ten LGBTQ+ students have a positive or neutral Uni experience. As a reader of The Gryphon, the likelihood is that, in one way or another, you contribute to Leeds student culture. Think of your words and actions as the microbiome of the university environment and continue to make a conscious effort to make everyone’s Uni experience the best it can be; be vigilant, call out offensive jokes, challenge stereotypes and confront bias. Although LGBTQ+ experiences tend to be far improved than they once were, there is still a long way to go, so if you are wondering whether we still need International Women’s Day, the answer is YES. And if your annoying male housemate asks, “when’s international men’s day?” you can tell him it is the 19th November.