Forget the accolades and the pleasantries and pay us

Another year. Another March. Another International Women’s Day full of accolades, with organisations showcasing their talented women executives.

For this International Women’s Day, and for all the days that follow, my message is simple: pay us

So much so that it makes you wonder, why only one day? (And for those of you who wonder out loud, 19 November is International Men’s Day.)

This year’s theme for International Women’s Day is “inspire inclusion”. The official marketing website reads: “When we inspire others to understand and value women’s inclusion, we forge a better world. And when women themselves are inspired to be included, there’s a sense of belonging, relevance, and empowerment.”

Does that feel… inspirational? It’s almost as if it’s telling women that we need to (again) go the extra mile and that we need to inspire others to see our value. It is as if our sense of worth is dependent on how others see us.

Is that empowerment?

Is that the message we want to send to women on this of all days?

The sad truth is, the needle hasn’t moved for quite a while now. Take the persistent gender pay gap as an example. According to Pew Research Center, “In 2022, US women typically earned 82 cents for every dollar men earned. That was about the same as in 2002, when women earned 80 cents to the dollar.”

Among some of the jobs with the largest gender pay gaps according to Forbes Advisor are personal financial advisors and financial managers.

I don’t think for a moment that a lack of ‘inspiring others’ contributed to the pay inequity — nor the persistent funding gap that we have witnessed for female founders, particularly for those from underrepresented demographics. If anything, we’ve bent over backwards to try to fit in — and to “inspire” — in a system where the odds are simply stacked against us. And yet, according to Pitchbook, in 2023, “companies founded solely by women garnered just 2% of the total capital invested in venture-backed start-ups in the US”.

For this International Women’s Day, and for all the days that follow, my message is simple. Pay us. Today, and every day.

Don’t parade pictures of women for one day and ask us to write about how we can inspire others to include us so we feel empowered and get our sense of worth. Don’t change the colour of your company’s logo for one day to show how inclusive you are. Compensate us for our time and contribution, the same way you would for the other half of the workforce.

Show us how much you really care by creating policies that truly value different ways of working and the diverse tapestry of talented individuals. Family leave policies become a ‘check-the-box’ exercise if taking the time off becomes scrutinised; or worse, if it’s something that only women do.

Similarly, as we all know, some of the best conversations and deals happen outside of the office. For social events that aim to promote “networking”, where and when you host them matters, and it sends a signal about who you truly want to include.

I vividly recall the time when a conference organiser reached out to me to invite me to speak at their event for free, adding that “you’re not the typical speaker that we’d reach out to, but we want to give more opportunities for women, and this will be good for you for exposure”. If you wouldn’t work for your company for free, why do you think that someone else would?

So, for this year’s International Women’s Day, save the pink cupcakes and slogans. Just show up with the Benjamins.

Note: “Inspire Inclusion” is the IWD2024 theme from the International Women’s Day marketing website. “Invest in women: Accelerate progress” is the IWD2024 theme from UN Women. 

About the author

Theodora Lau is the founder of Unconventional Ventures, a public speaker, and an advisor. She is the co-author of The Metaverse Economy (2023) and Beyond Good (2021), and host of One Vision, a podcast on fintech and innovation. She was named one of American Banker’s Most Influential Women in FinTech in 2023. She is also a regular contributor and commentator for top industry events and publications, including BBC News and Finovate.