International Women's Day 2023

Today (8 March) is International Women's Day, an annual event that celebrates and recognises the achievements of women.

Heather has also spoken with some of the trailblazing women working in private security. Heather Baily, our Chair, has written an article reflecting on the amazing women working in the private security industry she has met over the past year. Today (8 March) is International Women's Day, an annual event that celebrates and recognises the achievements of women.

It also focuses on how gender equity needs to be part of every society's DNA and driving a worldwide understanding on why equal opportunities aren't enough.

Activities have included a breakfast for staff members to celebrate IWD and to learn about the Women's Equality Network which has just been set up at the club. The club have held a number of activities throughout the week to recognise the importance of coming together to celebrate International Women’s Day and show our support to #EmbraceEquity theme. Albion players, coaches and staff have once again come together on International Women’s Day to show their support for this year’s theme to #EmbraceEquity.

This International Women's Day, we're taking the time to remember the pioneering Professor Dorothy Hodgkin, whose research on insulin unlocked treatments ...

She achieved this in 1945, helping researchers to understand how penicillin could be used to overcome bacterial infections. Knowing what a protein looks like is essential to unlock how it works inside our bodies and to develop new treatments that mimic or target the protein. Born in 1910, Dorothy grew up with a passion for science.

The focus of the day is to raise awareness and bring attention to issues such as gender equality, reproductive rights, and violence and abuse against women.

On average, women still earn 24% less than men, and at the current rate of progress it will take 170 years to close this gap. Councillor Steph Powell, Co-chair of the Tourism, Equalities, Communities & Culture Committee, said: “As a woman, I’m proud to support International Women’s Day. A world where difference is valued and celebrated. A world that's diverse, equitable, and inclusive. A world free of bias, stereotypes, and discrimination. Equity is a long-term and sustainable solution to address imbalanced social systems.

Vice-Chancellor of AECC UC, Professor Lesley Haig, reflects on International Women's Day 2023. With the World Economic Forum predicting that gender parity ...

We still have a lot of work to do but we can achieve positive change for women. [Brooke Ironside](/news/archive/meet-the-student-and-gb-athlete-brooke-ironside/) – a Team GB 100m, 200m and long jump athlete. We are currently running the second iteration of this scheme and hope to build further on this success in the future. Professor Lesley Haig is Vice-Chancellor of AECC University College. Brooke is the fastest female in her age category in the South of England and ranks third in her age category in the UK for 200metres and long jump. [International Women's Day](https://www.internationalwomensday.com/) took place in March 1911, the World Economic Forum has stated that gender parity is about a century away. [25% of the world’s top universities are run by women](https://www.timeshighereducation.com/world-university-rankings/women-lead-quarter-top-200-universities). This service provides support for mothers at a time which can be extremely challenging. Six members of staff received mentoring by female mentors, which saw four of them promoted into new roles. We are particularly fortunate therefore to have so many women in positive and prominent positions across Dorset, including our own Board Chair, [Jeni Bremner](https://www.southernhealth.nhs.uk/about-us/our-board); the Board Chair at Arts University Bournemouth, [Dorothy Mackenzie](https://webdocs.aub.ac.uk/Governing%20Body%20Member%20Profiles.pdf); and Principal of Weymouth College, [Julia Howe](https://www.weymouth.ac.uk/about-us/meet-the-senior-leadership-team-at-weymouth-college/). [NHS Dorset](https://nhsdorset.nhs.uk/); and its CEO, Patricia Miller; Chair of the [Dorset LEP](https://www.dorsetlep.co.uk/), Cecilia Bufton; and their Executive Director Vinita Nawathe. “In my role as the first female Principal and then Vice-Chancellor at AECC University College, the theme for International Women’s Day 2023, #EmbraceEquity, feels a particularly poignant and powerful one.

The Morning Advertiser has put together a round-up of how businesses across the sector are celebrating International Women's Day (IWD) 2023.

There’s plenty of space and opportunity for everyone.” [International Women’s Day](https://www.morningadvertiser.co.uk/Article/2023/03/08/why-does-the-hospitality-sector-need-to-embrace-equity) as the perfect opportunity to get our latest vehicle on the road, emblazoned with photographs of women in a range of roles across the business.” “It’s also great to be raising money for Refuge as a result. Aicha Lahsen, who will be the first to take control of the new vehicle, said: “I love my career as a driver at Brakes, so it’ll be nice to encourage other women to follow in my footsteps. Looking to the wholesale side of the sector, foodservice wholesaler Brakes has launched a new vehicle livery to encourage women to consider a career in the industry. Black Sheep Brewery CEO Charlene Lyons said: “It was great to collaborate and build relationships across different departments, highlighting the team’s hard work and success, and to build on our efforts to support women in other ways as a business. The campaign will highlight 50 women driving the drinks industry forward with a multi-platform video as well as launch the third of its Female Bartending Scholarship Programme and the roll out of a press campaign celebrating women in the industry. A strong cherry stout, Blossom has been brewed from start to finish by the female members of the Black Sheep Brewery team and will be available on cask at Black Sheep pubs and at the brewery from today 8th March. “Along with this, beer companies are more aware of the importance of female beer drinkers and women now feel more comfortable to drink beer, attend pubs and contribute to the growth of the industry. In the drinks industry, award-winning and female-founded mixer brand Double Dutch has launched Trailblazer, a multi-channel campaign to celebrate pioneering women in the drinks industry. [IWD ](https://www.morningadvertiser.co.uk/Article/2023/03/08/embracing-equity-in-the-drinks-industry-international-women-s-day-2023)across it’s brewpubs with the launch of its sixth annual FemALE Brewery Experience Day. [chefs](https://www.morningadvertiser.co.uk/Article/2023/03/08/International-Women-s-Day-2023-Female-chefs-celebrated) can be used to help give a better life to women who are suffering abuse.”

We wanted to take this opportunity to highlight some amazing curling personalities who strive to create equity in sport. We created a small magazine for this ...

Equity recognizes that each person has different circumstances, and allocates the exact resources and opportunities needed to reach an equal outcome. Equality means each individual or group of people is given the same resources or opportunities. It’s critical to understand the difference between equity and equality.

I am the UK and Ireland customer engineering south maintenance technician manager for Air Products, an industrial gases company. This means that I manage a wide ...

While we need to address the gender balance, I am living proof that there is already space for women to take a seat at the table, especially in sectors that have traditionally been male dominated. We’re collaborating with CATCH – an industry-led partnership supporting the process, energy, engineering and renewable industries in the Humber – as we look to choose the cohort for September 2023 and I’m hopeful that we’ll see a greater balance of applications. While it can feel like a challenge to be the only woman in the room to start, we also need to remember that manufacturing and industry, like every other sector, benefits from diversity of thought and approach. It comes back to my mantra; the right person for the job should be successful in that role, regardless of gender or background. We’re already beginning to see more applications from women on our apprenticeship scheme and my hope is this number will continue to grow. A fundamental part of my job is to make sure people are trained to the right level with the right documentation. It takes a huge amount of confidence in your own capabilities to do this role, and as women are more prone to self-doubt – a KPMG study found that 75% of women have personally experienced imposter syndrome – this might be one reason why we’re under-represented here. The unique perspectives and experiences our employees bring to their work are essential to meeting our customers’ needs and bringing innovation to the wide range of markets we serve, from food processing to metals processing and transportation. In my experience, the importance of safety cannot be overemphasised. I’m proud to oversee a team of 14 engineers and one apprentice, and every day is different – there’s no typical day, no typical week. It feels good to know that my perspective is supported by the wider business too. It is a mantra I’ve taken throughout my career, and something that is very much supported here at Air Products but it’s worth saying again in light of International Women’s Day.