I’m a diversity and inclusion expert. Here’s why I’m feeling IWD fatigue

As a diversity, equity and inclusion (DEI) expert and consultant, I support corporate teams in curating, planning and running meaningful International Women’s Day (IWD) events with intention, as part of our broader organisational inclusion strategy. I also get asked to speak at or sit on panels for IWD events and get invited to more.

The truth is, I have a mixed relationship with the diversity and inclusion days and weeks in my calendar. International Women’s Day is one of those days. As it gets closer to IWD, I start to feel a little queasy. 

In my debriefs with DEI colleagues and friends, it has become all too clear that there are some inherent issues in the way the corporate world celebrates IWD. After attending and speaking at an exhausting number of IWD events in 2022, I decided this year to say no to the majority of them.

And here’s why

1. The purple cupcakes and the unconscious bias. Is it some patriarchal or colonialist assumption that women only gather and talk over morning tea and cupcakes? So many events aim low and achieve little. Let’s encourage people to show up as their authentic selves over a pizza or biryani, by attending a workshop for allies or a march/rally. 

2. The lack of intersectionality in the speaker line up. The speakers and the audiences tend to look a bit ‘same same’, like a hangover from early feminism’s failure to acknowledge and integrate intersectional identities beyond white, cis, hetero and enabled women. How many corporate events are demonstrating their understanding of inclusion (representation) by featuring Trans, Indigenous, Black, Brown, Queer or Disabled women? The majority of IWD events lack new perspectives and deep, value-adding conversations because of the lack of intersectionality in their speakers (and, therefore, audiences). Equality and equity are complex, nuanced and intersectional and IWD should offer inclusion, representation and access for all women. 

3. The failure to pay women speakers equitably – if at all. Yes, I have been asked by large corporations to speak for free. When I ask why they didn’t have resources to cover the commercial speaking rate, they blame an internal policy. It’s ironic that these inclusion events are touted to be about dismantling systemic barriers, yet corporations don’t recognise the inequity in such internal policies. Every time someone with lived experience of discrimination and exclusion speaks and shares, there is an emotional tax that we pay. Paying your speakers and paying them equitably is the right thing to do.

4. The events are held and run by organisations with often non-existent and/or deficient and fragile diversity, equity and inclusion strategies. If you aren’t committing to doing the deep work, then don’t run an event. Businesses risk reputational brand damage by doing the external inclusion work – the D&I events and product collaborations with artists with lived and historical experiences of marginalisation – but ignoring the deep internal work (such as reforming people and store policies, developing a reconciliation action plan and engaging the senior leadership team in inclusive leadership training). 

What IWD is really about

Organisations and leaders that are serious about inclusion understand that the deep work is what matters the most, not some grand lavish IWD event or a morning tea littered with cupcakes and purple decorations where we talk about the ‘theme’ for the year. 

IWD is a time to remind us of the deep work that needs to be done consistently all throughout the year. Such events are a launching pad to inclusion, they are not meant as a singular checkbox activity. Inclusion is not a single day in the year activity but something that requires consistent, focused attention – an all day, every day, all-year round activity.

How to go beyond purple cupcakes

This International Women’s Day, give yourself the time to authentically pause, acknowledge, reflect, celebrate, discuss – and maybe even do some of the work required to create greater equity and equality for all women. Here are some ideas: 

1. Reflect, acknowledge and celebrate those who came before us and fought for our equity and equality, as well as those that continue the fight. 
2. Pause and brief your people on where the organisation is at (data) and the steps that have been taken to create greater equity and equality for all women. Outline what’s next in your strategy, action plan or roadmap. The work we do is always iterative, so take the organisation with you on the inclusion journey. 
3. Be consistent and use IWD as one of many steps you take throughout each year to understand the intersectional lived experience of the women in your organisation, and then the steps that we as leaders and organisations need to take to create a truly inclusive culture and business.
4. Bring allies together to learn and share with others the steps they can and need to take to show up for all women’s equity and equality. 
5. Run a workshop on how to be an effective and proactive ally for all women
6. Challenge yourself to hold deep, critical, value-adding conversations about the practical steps necessary to create greater equity and equality for all women. We know the why of this work and the barriers; we need solutions and discussions on what to do and how to do it to actually move forward, not stay stagnant or, worse, go backwards.

As we journey through 2023 and other diversity and inclusion events appear on your calendar, remember that they are but a single moment in the year. The real work of inclusion is in leaders taking the time, energy and investment of the right resources to unravel the decades of discrimination that exists in our campaigns, customer experience design, strategies, systems, processes, policies, cultures, product designs, marketing, in-store design and experience, beliefs, behaviours, attitudes, people management – the list goes on. These are the factors that prevent our people and consumers from experiencing the basic human right of equity and equality – freedom.

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