It won't have escaped your notice that today is International Women's Day. Perhaps, as you made breakfast this morning, the radio was full of declarations of solidarity and high hopes for progress. Perhaps your colleagues are full of renewed vigour and enthusiasm this week about the importance of gender equality in your organisation. Perhaps you took an extra moment today as you waved your daughters off to their swimming lessons to think about how their lives were going to unfold. Whether you're feeling fired up or concerned about the work still to be undertaken, International Women's Day is a time when we all pause, look back over our shoulders at the breakthroughs we've already made, and look forward at the path stretching out towards the horizon.
This year's theme is #Accelerate Action. And sadly, this acceleration is still very much needed. We congratulate ourselves on the headway we've made - and of course, it is hugely significant - but the truth is that our journey towards gender equality is much slower than we'd assumed it would be. As at April 2024, the gender pay gap among full time employees in the UK still stood at 7% and recent research by FTSE Women Leaders shows that female representation on the boards of the UK's 50 largest companies still only stands at 30.5%. It's a sobering thought.
Some years we at 9-2-3 focus on the collective steps we can take to challenge this inequality. And those are important, of course. But this year, we'd also like to ask our community to think for a moment about the individual changes they might be able to make to #AccelerateAction in their own lives - because sometimes, progress starts with each of us making one small move forwards. Often, our candidates explain that they'd love to go for a promotion or take a role in a new organisation, but that they lack the confidence to do so. It's left us wondering about what could be achieved if every woman who felt as though she weren't able to take the next step on her career path could be empowered to take that leap of faith.
And it's in this spirit that we'd like to invite you to join us at the Heyford Park Innovation Centre on 27 March 2025, from 9 am - 10.30 am, for a dynamic discussion about how to overcome self-doubt and its impact on your career. Spaces can be reserved here. We're very excited to welcome Becky Hogan, a Confidence and Self-Worth Coach, a neuro-linguistic programming Master Practitioner, and the creator of The Enoughness Diagnostic, to talk to us about rediscovering your professional self-belief. Becky specialises in challenging imposter syndrome and giving professional women, and women returning to or changing their career, the confidence to feel certain about their own worth in the workplace. She'll be explaining how to harness your faith in your own professional abilities and embrace all that you have to offer your industry!
This year, in lieu of a ticket price, we're asking all our attendees to consider donating a pack of sanitary protection to their local food and toiletries bank. Even in the UK, in 2025, period poverty affects the educational and therefore professional opportunities available to an astonishing number of girls and women. As part of our collective quest to #Accelerate Action, we'd like to ask you to join with us in helping to fight period poverty. We'll have a box available for donations at our event but please don't be put off if you don't have the opportunity to bring a donation with you. Please just think of us next time you're in your local supermarket, and consider whether you might be in a position to make a donation.
We can't wait to see you. Come as you are—leave feeling capable and ready to show the world your true value! This International Women's Day, #AccelerateAction in your own professional life.