#IWD will always be important to us. This year's theme is #BreakTheBias and to me that means speaking up more in social settings when a woman is called too sensitive, not asking a woman her plans for marriage + children but instead her plans for happiness, equal responsibility with caregiving and, overall, challenging someone when they put a woman in a box because of her gender.
The gender pay gap still exists, in fact according to a recent report via abc news - men are *twice* as likely to be more highly paid than women. Women on average earn $26,000 less than men a year and managers are almost twice as likely to be men. Women face ongoing debate over reproductive rights. Women must navigate juggling a career + motherhood and be judged when applying for jobs on their circumstances relating to motherhood. Women are told they musn’t walk home alone after dusk and if they run into trouble, they shouldn’t have been so careless to be wandering in the dark.
Special shoutout to our contributors in this journal #TeamSageXClare & their thought-provoking words. We’ve included men in our discussion this year as they are as critical to breaking the bias as women. We’re all responsible for seeing and making changes... and men very much need to be part of the conversation too!
There’s still things we can work on. But the good news is we are working on it. And I’m grateful to be a woman in 2022 when positive change is happening. Here’s to all the strong women out there, I’m surrounded by them every single day. You bloody rock.
ERIN
Team Sage x Clare striking the #BreakThrBias pose!
What women inspire you for their strength, determination, leadership, intelligence and why?
My sister is someone that I have always admired and looked up to, she is an amazing leader both in our family and in her professional community. She has achieved something only 1% in her field of work do - the rank of Colonel in the Air Force. And I am beyond proud of her! She has achieved this rank despite being in a field of work (nursing/medical) that doesn’t have the same promotion rate & timeline as other fields so it is pretty incredible. It is a testament to her determination, dedication, leadership & work ethic that she has achieved this incredible milestone - I am in awe of my sis.
What’s a memory or lesson that’s stuck with you from an influential woman in your life?
I am really fortunate to have so many strong women around me, that helped me develop into who I am. I think about my Mimi (grandmother), my mom, my aunt, my sister, all my managers over the years (all women!), my team…they have each given me something that has helped me on my journey to where I am today. Whether it was standing up for myself, always having a perspective & voicing it, working hard & doing my best or the importance of being kind & considerate, I have learned something from all of them. But I have to say that what jumped into my mind first was one of my Mimi’s favourite sayings as she got older (we were lucky to have her with us until she was 94, still living independently and causing trouble!) - “Age is just a number and mine is unlisted!” So as I know she would agree...it’s never too late to try something new, to learn something, to have some fun and to raise a little hell.
This years theme is #BreakTheBias. What bias are you breaking for a gender equal world?
I talk with our nieces about their strength, their intelligence, their capabilities - instead of their beauty. We talk about how we treat each other and how to be kind to others. We intentionally present non-gender specific toys & ideas to our nieces & our nephew so they know they can do whatever & be whoever they are and do what makes them happy, not to approach things from a gender point of view.
And I feel fortunate to work with and learn from so many amazing women everyday, in a female-led business. I hope that I am able to use my own leadership role to develop others and ensure we maintain gender equality in our business into the future.
AUS
What women inspire you for their strength, determination, leadership, intelligence and why?
At the risk of seeming like a suck, I need to talk about my wife, Laura, here. What a powerful woman she is. Loving, compassionate, resilient, smart and, yes, sexy too. I marvel at her every day.
Not only has she been successful in her career, but she has also helped guide our three beautiful children to be rad and brave human beings, AND she is a small business owner (world's greatest wedding celebrant, even if I do say so myself).
I have also suffered from mental health issues for much of my life, and Laura has shown me nothing but love and patience throughout and has been the bedrock of why I can now say I am the healthiest mentally I have been for more than two decades.
Laura is my best friend, my true love, and inspires me daily to strive to be better and to do better. Laura believed in me even when I had lost all belief in myself, and her strength, determination, leadership, and intelligence have served as light posts to becoming the person I wish to be. She's the best (but not at Uno, I'm way better at it than she is!).
What's a memory or lesson that's stuck with you from an influential woman in your life?
That the greatest blessing is life itself. My mother, who I love dearly (although, I need to start telling her more), has been dealt two lifetimes' worth of health challenges. Yet, through it all, she has shown great strength and courage, always put others before herself. Mum has shown me that we can't always control the hand we are dealt in life, but we can control how we respond to that hand. If we respond with love and selflessness, we can not only ease our own ills, but we can make the world a better place also.
This year's theme is #BreaktheBias. What bias are you breaking for a gender equal world?
I have the great privilege of being a youth basketball coach. Since the beginning of my coaching career, I have coached my daughter and the team's she has played on. As a result, championing female sports is now one of my life's missions.
Other than the completely antiquated and illogical notion that male sports is superior to female sports (come on people, pull your heads out of your a***s!), I am working to break the idea that female athletes aren't strong. Because let me tell you, they are tenacious and resilient and inspiring. I work to help the girls on the teams I coach to find their inner strength, both mentally and physically, and bring that to bear in all they do, unapologetically and whole-heartedly.
In basketball, winning on the scoreboard isn't the only way to win nor the most important. Seeing the girls develop and grow both on and off the court is the real victory. I look forward to a world where we no longer belittle female sports, and we embrace it fully. Plus, be nice for female athletes to get paid what they are worth also!
KATE
What women inspire you for their strength, determination, leadership, intelligence and why?
This IWD I’d like to reflect on some incredibly brave & resilient women I’ve had the privilege of working with and mentoring at Family Drug Help which is a peer lead lived experience organisation in the drug & alcohol addiction field.
#BreakingTheBias is a crucial message to women who are often dealing with the chaos & trauma that come with loving someone with an addiction. Teaching that you are enough, you can not only survive but thrive, is going against everything we have learnt from society and previous generations. Standing up to views placed on us from family and friends can shake us to the core.
Stigma and shame are loaded words that keep us stuck in certain “expectations”. To open our mind to something different I love to use a quote from Brene Brown:
"If you put shame in a Petri dish, it needs three things to grow exponentially: secrecy, silence and judgment. If you put the same amount of shame in a Petri dish and douse it with empathy, it can’t survive,"
What's a memory or lesson that's stuck with you from an influential woman in your life?
The power of sharing ones lived experience with a group of women in a similar situation can be so moving and inspiring. Seeing women come from the depths of despair, to encourage and support each other in believing we can do more than just survive.
This year's theme is #BreaktheBias. What bias are you breaking for a gender equal world?
We are enough. We don’t need to justify our role in the world to anyone. We don’t need to explain our decisions and we certainly don’t need to put up with any trauma or chaos just because we are taught otherwise.
RAJ
What women inspire you for their strength, determination, leadership, intelligence and why?
Before I tell you what women inspire me? I would love to share an incident which I came across. This was a time when Covid-19 was spreading in large numbers all over the world. My housemate had been talking to his aunt over the phone and he told me that his aunt and her family had all tested positive for Covid-19. She is a doctor in the U.S and the Covid situation at this point in time was really bad there. Her family had to quarantine in the same house. In fact, when they finished their quarantine period, on the 15th day - his Aunt was straight back in the hospital treating Covid-19 patients. Long story short, this is a true inspiration for me. As women are more courageous, they are true fighters, they know how to deal with things in critical situations. Happy IWD!
What women inspire you for their strength, determination, leadership, intelligence and why?
It’s been 12 years now, that my Aunt and Mum having been running a grocery business. I have seen them working hard for it and striving to improve each and every day. The lesson which I learned from them is that they handled all aspects of their lives. Whether it was family, friends, health and more importantly - their passion + the journey they’re still on.
What bias are you breaking for a gender equal world?
The Indian culture in which I belong still believes that it’s the job of the women to cook the food. I feel it’s time to break the bias by taking equal responsibility and to carry out all the household chores together.
CHRIS
What women inspire you for their strength, determination, leadership, intelligence and why?
Right now, it’s my wife Phoebe. On top of the ordinary day-to-day plus work-life balance which is always a juggle, she’s undergoing IVF as we try for our third baby. On top of this, like most women, she has many legitimate anxieties about the future pregnancy and birth. I’m inspired by her commitment to our growing family and just how far she’s willing to push her body and her mind for the cause. I really am very grateful.
What’s a memory or lesson that’s stuck with you from an influential woman in your life?
Just a simple message, that when a women is really empowered and supported, to stand back and watch them fly.
What bias are you breaking for a gender equal world?
I worked for many years, full time, in the property development industry which is largely dominated by men. I applied for and was granted a 3 day work-week to be home more with the kids and to help Pheebs who was struggling with hip pain. It may not sound like much, but it was (sadly) progressive in a small way.
With a whole lotta love x