International Women’s Day (IWD), held every year on 8 March, is a day to recognise and celebrate women all over the world. It is a global day celebrating the social, economic, cultural and political achievements of women, while also marking a call to action for accelerating gender equality.
The IWD 2020 theme is #EachForEqual – An equal world is an enabled world, which recognises the impact and power that individuals have to help create a gender equal world, by challenging stereotypes, fighting bias and celebrating women’s achievements.
The theme is drawn from the notion of ‘collective individualism’, as each individual’s actions, behaviours and mindset can have an impact on the community. Much like chiropractic, despite the individual nature of practice, together we help to shape the perception and positive representation of the profession at large. Applying this notion to the idea of #EachForEqual is key in understanding the power that each person has and how collectively change can occur.
In leading up to the day, Chair of the Women in Chiropractic (WIC) Committee Dr Paula Stacey-Thomas would like the profession to consider how they help forge a gender equal world and the actions they take help achieve equality.
“Have a think about the various interactions in your daily clinic life. What are the subtle or not so subtle gender inequalities that you may observe or inadvertently be a part of? Sometimes we can be so entrenched in certain cultural behaviours, we don’t recognise when something could be done better,” Dr Stacey-Thomas said.
The IWD 2020 campaign runs all year long and is a great opportunity to put in place practises that create an equal environment for all, whether in practice, at home or in your community.
To celebrate this day, the WIC group have organised events around the country, bringing practitioners together to discuss the theme of the day and recognise the achievements of women in the profession.
“I look forward to attending and hearing feedback from the upcoming WIC International Women’s Day events, celebrating this special day and recognising the incredible work of women in our communities.”