
âïžđ„č As a female, have you ever been in a situation where you were excluded from a larger group of women, or you sensed you couldnât fully be yourself around them, or that you just werenât enough?
Â
Many women, unfortunately, experience this at work. They feel like they donât have support, arenât safe to be themselves, or are unable to navigate, on-going, negative social dynamics.
Â
Itâs tragic that anyone experiences this type of behavior from one woman to another but especially, at work. Women can and should be each otherâs greatest allies but frequently, that just isnât the case.
International Womenâs Day (IWD), this Saturday March 8th, is near and dear to my heart. â„ïž Itâs a special day for women to commemorate each other. A day for women to celebrate the social, economic, cultural and political achievements of other women. In the current chaotic climate of today, however, it seems weâre regressing instead of making progress.
Â
I feel this deep in my core. đ„č
Â
Despite the chaos, I have to believe weâre making progress. Thatâs why this yearâs 2025 International Womenâs Day campaign theme, âAccelerate Action,â really resonates with me. This quote sums up this yearâs theme:
Â
âImagine a gender equal world. A world free of bias, stereotypes, and discrimination. A world that's diverse, equitable, and inclusive. A world where difference is valued and celebrated. Together we can forge gender equality.âInternationalwomensday.com
Â
âAccelerating Actionâ is about female empowerment.
Female empowerment has many connotations. For me personally, as it pertains to my book, âBehind Frenemy Lines,â and the organizational work I do around psychological safety, it means:
Â
âEmpowering self and others, to become agents of change. Itâs women uplifting each other, to be better, together.â -Dr. Amber Tichenor, PhD
Â
Itâs about being vulnerable and wanting to collaborate, instead of compete or tear down. Itâs being mindful and motivating others to be better. Itâs inspiring inclusion for all girls and women to find a place where they belong. Itâs the foundational belief, thatâs then put into action, that all women deserve to have rights, equality, empowerment and acceptance.
Â
Sadly, many women are not empowered to achieve their full potential. A 2023 statistic taken from the Womenâs Empowerment Index (WEI) states, Â
âGlobally, women are empowered to achieve 60 percent of their full potential.â Unwomen.org
Â
In this day and age, that statistic should be so much higher!đ©
âïžSo, how can we accelerate action for women?
Collaboration is crucial for advancing gender equality for women. (đžđ»Yes, Queen, we ARE stronger together!) An important aspect of female empowerment is, the process by which women gain power and control over their own lives and have the ability to make their own choices. This means having,
Access to opportunities, resources, education and training
Power to control their own lives, in and outside, the home
The right to influence the direction of social change, and
The opportunity to develop a sense of self-worth (European Institute for Gender Equality).
Â
Itâs fantastic to have a special day for women to celebrate each other thatâs dedicated to the social, economic, cultural and political achievements of women. But, it also takes more than that. Itâs a constant work in progress.đĄ
Â
We need more safe spaces for women to reach out to other women, to seek social and emotional support. We need safer working environments. We need more role models, positive mentors and allies to overcome gender imbalances, together. We need more diversity of thought and an arena to amplify voices. We need more networking, collaboration, and the ability to celebrate achievements.
Â
We need to do all of this, not only for ourselves, but to motivate future generations. When women come together and create a sense of belonging, it inspires inclusion, for other women and for all girls. Connection with the right people matters and itâs truly my belief, that women CAN be otherâs greatest allies.
Â
As we celebrate International Womenâs Day on March 8th, remember, your voice matters, you can accelerate action and ultimately, we ARE stronger, together.
Â
Stay tuned for my next update out in two weeks about reclaiming your voice.
â„ïžToday I will be fearless. Today I am grateful.
Â
P.S. Are you trying to better understand and improve the female dynamics on your team, follow me on LinkedIn to learn more!
#IWD2025, #AccelerateAction, #inspireinclusion, #PsychologicalSafety, #frenemies, #behindfrenemylines, #changethebehavior, #squadgoals, #empoweringwomen, #sisterhood, #connection
I say that itâs time to be different. Itâs time to talk about what female rivalry is, to know how to break it down one action at a time.
âïžInterested in learning how âfemale rivalryâ impacts the workplace? đDOWNLOAD my FREE .pdf guide, â5 Reasons WHY Good Women Walkâto learn more!
Comments