International Women’s Day

Support YWCA this International Women’s Day

Bring people together this International Women’s Day (Tuesday March 8) to celebrate the achievements of women while recognising how far we have to go to achieve gender equity in Australia. Download our handy International Women’s Day toolkit for tips and ideas to help you get started.

You can even use your get together to raise funds for YWCA Australia and help us support women and their families who are experiencing homelessness or housing insecurity, many because of family and domestic violence. YWCA’s programs and services provide these women with safe and affordable housing and personalised support to help them rebuild their lives and feel positive about the future. We’ll also send you FREE resources like invitations, posters, bunting and more to make it a meaningful success. Plus, you could go in the running to win 2 nights’ accommodation at our boutique Song Hotel.

What is International Women’s Day?

International Women’s Day, celebrated on March 8, has been observed since the 1900s and is a day to acknowledge the contributions, accomplishments and achievements of women in all their diversity. It is also a time to recognise that we have a long way to go in achieving equity for all women, especially First Nations women, women of colour, women with disability and women within the LGBTIQA+ communities.

International Women’s Day is a reminder that if one woman faces inequality, we all do.

International Women’s Day is one of the most important days of the year to:

• Celebrate women’s achievements
• Raise awareness about women’s equality
• Advocate for gender equity
• Support the work of not-for-profit organisations that assist women, like YWCA.

Why does International Women’s Day matter?

While the rights of women have come a long way in the last hundred years or so – we are not there yet. In Australia:

• On average, one woman is murdered by her current or former partner each week.¹
• 1 in 3 women has experienced physical violence since the age of 15.²
• 1 in 5 women has experienced sexual violence since the age of 15.³

These statistics are much worse for First Nations women and women with disability.

But it’s more than just violence.

Women working full-time earn 14.2% less than men⁴, and this is ignoring the fact that women are more likely to be in part-time and casual work.⁵

Women retire with an average of 42% less super than men ⁶, increasing women’s risk of poverty and homelessness in retirement.

Women still spend 21 more hours per week than men doing unpaid labour.⁷

We have got a long way to go in achieving gender equity in Australia

Help change this on International Women’s Day:

1. Join the largest global women’s movement

As a member of YWCA Australia, you are joining a global network of champions for gender equality. YWCA Australia Members have exclusive access to leadership opportunities (like our Board Traineeship and Young Women’s Council), access to events, opportunities to network with intersectional feminists and even a discount to our online store. Already a member? Encourage a friend, relative or fellow feminist to sign up too and help us increase our impact. Join now.

2. Download our toolkit and bring people together

International Women’s Day is the perfect opportunity to get together with your friends, colleagues or community and celebrate the contributions of women, but also recognise how far we have to go to achieve gender equality. We’ve put together a handy International Women’s Day Toolkit you can download with tips and resources to make your event and activities a meaningful success! Fill in your details below and we’ll email it to you.

Download it now:

You can even use this as an opportunity to fundraise for YWCA – a women’s specialist non-profit organisation –– working to achieve gender equality.

3. Shout your values loud and proud