Every year, International Women’s Day (IWD) is celebrated around the world on March 8.
The day has deep roots which hook onto history during the turn of the 20th Century, galvanising global momentum off the back of New Zealand’s universal female suffrage movement in 1893. It was at this time, that New Zealand became the first country in the world where women finally had the right to vote come election time. Incredible to think that this was only around one hundred years ago.
If we look insofar at our own immediate echo chamber, to our friends, our family, our colleagues, our feeds and even people we look up to, it can be difficult at times to pull ourselves away from their successes and think that more work needs to be done for women all over the world.
Nobody wants to be reminded that the world has indeed endured an unprecedented two year global pandemic but for women, who were hit the hardest, its impact go ignored. The United Nations states that during COVID-19 lockdowns, 18 per cent of women and girls have experienced physical and/or sexual violence by an intimate partner. Women still hold only around 28 per cent of managerial positions globally, the same proportion as it did in 1995. More alarmingly, despite women’s participation in education being on the rise, less than half who are of working age ever enter the labour market.
While these are the numbers that will get tossed around come International Women’s Day (and for good reason too), let’s not forget that March 8 is a day to enable an equal world for all, a world that is diverse, equitable and inclusive— "a world where difference is valued and celebrated”. Australia’s National Research Organisation for Women’s Safety revealed that there are very few places where trans women feel safe, even more so for trans women of colour. Stats show that trans women who are from culturally and linguistically diverse backgrounds are almost 20 per cent more likely to experience sexual assualt than other women.
And up until recently, there were still some restrictions around female same-sex couples and single women when accessing IVF procedures in Australia, with some fertility clinics deeming these dynamics to be infertility from a ‘social choice’ as opposed to ‘medical’ infertility.
If there’s any takeaway from the above, it’s that to make true strides to social justice for all women, we need to be receptive to all types of lived experiences for women. We need to actively challenge stereotypes around dated perceptions of how women should "be".
Which begs the question—how can we really strive for such inclusivity this International Women’s Day?
To bring you some answers, we spoke to Reid Gunter, co-founder of Mix Haus—a local not-for-profit organisation which aims to educate, train and support womxn (not a typo, it's a term that's inclusive of trans and nonbinary women) working in the hospitality industry based in Perth; and Korra Ivy, a youth peer leader at (in)Visible The Drum, a community driven program that connects queer and trans people from diverse cultural and religious backgrounds (QTPOC) in Melbourne.
What Questions Should People Ask Themselves In Order To Be More Inclusive This International Women’s Day?
Reid:
“Too often people don’t take the time to see trans women as equal or deserving of opportunities as cisgendered women, its time to change that, this international women’s day ask yourself ‘Do I believe that transgender women should be included in celebrations around women?’, ‘What can I do to include transgender women in days like these in our calendar year?’.”
“Time after time I see and personally live experiences myself where transgender women are excluded and left out, we can’t change this exclusionary behaviour without asking ourselves if we feel that transgender women are seen as equal to cisgendered women.”
“This day is of importance. We need to make sure that every woman feels included and that starts with being inclusive yourself. “
Korra:
“Reflecting on my own experience with gender and sexual diversity and as a QTIPoC Peer Youth Leader in Naarm, the most impactful conversations around gender in our communities are around decolonising a tightly bound heterosexual stereotype of what it means to be a woman in Australia. Curate your social newsfeed to include the voices of incredible Blak, Indigenous, disabled, fat Queer women— consume the content we produce, uplift our voices and art.”
How Can We Help LGBTQI+ Folk Feel Accepted, Included And Appreciated?
Reid:
“To make transgender people feel accepted, included, and appreciated we need to do so every day of the year. We cannot continually celebrate International Women’s Day without implementing positive change to include transgender folk— we have been having this conversation for far too long, it’s time to act on it and support the transgender community.”
“With an emphasis on a day based on celebrating women internationally we need to start by including transgender women in the celebration. We can do so by having these conversations and bringing transgender issues to the surface, we cannot implement positive change without knowing what’s happening in transgender people’s day to day. Transgender folk are inherently excluded and villainised by the media and real-life experiences, days like these can make transgender people feel even more excluded.”
“Reach out to your trans friends or family, do some research, and listen to what the transgender community has to say. We have a voice, we want equality and acceptance, now is the time.”
Korra:
“I am sure you have heard many people say, "include us in the conversation". However, it is what happens after the conversation that matters most. It is no longer appropriate to just include us in a conversation. We need access to funding to run our organisations, programs, and events. We need the broader community to engage and share our stories and lived experiences. We need community members to work on their perceptions of what it means to be a woman and stop policing how we show up in spaces. Women are many things, but there is one thing all of the women I know have in common, we are angry.”
International Women’s Day Can So Often Focus On Cis Women, How Would You Like To See People Break The Bias?
Reid:
“I would like to see people break their negative bias towards the use of pronouns. Too often people presume my gender identity based on how I express myself through my choices in fashion by quickly using incorrect pronouns. It’s a really simple thing but It absolutely matters, just because I don’t fit the typical mould of what a woman looks like, doesn’t mean I need to be addressed as ‘’bro, sir, man’’ especially in my workplace.”
“Putting people in a box and categorising their gender identity by presuming their pronouns is old school and needs to stop. The negative bias against queer women, their gender identity and importance of pronouns needs to be broken.”
Korra:
“Different gender identities have existed many years before the gender binary we have now. Gender binary and gender roles are a colonial construct that was enforced upon many Indigenous cultures who had their own worldviews around gender and sexuality. It's culturally responsive to not only embrace other cultures and worldviews around gender but to lean into a positive duty by creating a space that shares funds, pay and shares our stories.”
Can You Share A Time When You Felt Like You Really Challenged Bias For Women?
Reid:
“I dress up, I dress down, I wear makeup, I don’t wear makeup. Regardless of how I choose to present in a day people struggle with the idea that I can exist as a transgender woman and that I should be seen and respected as one.”
“I challenge bias for femininity by facing the public every day. Surely, we have all read the articles and have seen the violence and danger transgender women face for purely existing. With so many lived experiences of people reminding me that I’m not valid or that I shouldn’t be proud to be who I am, I have challenged that, and I keep transitioning and I keep growing. I’m always going to be gracefully challenging the bias for femininity by existing as a transgender woman in Perth with a voice and reason to live.”
Korra:
“I was given the opportunity to tell my story at the first March4Justice protest and talked about being sexually harassed every day at school. When confronted, the year coordinator said, "boys will be boys". Yelling my story to a crowd of ten thousand angry women and allies allowed me to take back control of my story. Sadly, this story is familiar to many young women and gender diverse people navigating school. Enough is enough.”
Now read on for all the things you can do to champion women at work all year around.
Image credit: Reid Gunter, Korra Ivy