International Women’s Day (IWD) is marked annually on March 8. IWD is a global day celebrating the social, economic, cultural, and political achievements of women. The day also marks a call to action for accelerating women’s equality. IWD has occurred for well over a century, with the first IWD gathering in 1911 supported by over a million people.

“Forging gender equity isn’t limited
to women solely fighting the good fight.
Allies are incredibly important
for the social, economic, cultural,
and political advancement of women.”

Ways to celebrate IWD

• Image Engine crew can sign up for our internal mentorship program.
• Watch Historic Canada’s videos on inspiring Canadian women.
• Participate in IWD events in your local city or virtually.
• Celebrate the achievements of the women around you.
• Ask women about their experiences and the obstacles they face. Listen and act on their recommendations.
• Educate and raise awareness for women’s equality.
• Call for positive change advancing women.
• Lobby for accelerated gender parity.
• Fundraise for female-focused charities.
• Read Invisible Women by Caroline Criado Perez, a book filled with eye-opening data that will help you understand bias in a world designed by men.

Equity vs. Equality

One of this year’s themes for IWD is “Embrace Equity,” which is about understanding the difference between equality and equity.

• Equality means each individual or group of people is given the same resources or opportunities, regardless of their needs and experiences.
• Equity recognizes that each person has different circumstances and allocates the exact resources and opportunities needed to reach an equal outcome. It is about recognizing that people don’t start at the same place in society, and so it is necessary to create fair conditions and opportunities according to individual needs. In other words, equity helps to reach equality.

Celebrations at Image Engine

Today, we celebrated the achievements of women, as well as gender minorities such as non-binary, trans & two-spirit people, in our teams. We hosted a lovely afternoon tea luncheon for all of our crew members with an assortment of sandwiches, scones, veggies, fruit, and dessert, including the most adorable macarons!

We shared 37 ways to embrace equity, gave out stickers, notebooks, and mugs, and played trivia to test and increase our knowledge on the impact of women in Canada’s history. Congrats to our trivia winners!

Image Engine is committed to embracing equity, treating every applicant and employee fairly, and ensuring everyone has fair access to opportunities, recognition, and support. Thank you all for making Image Engine a better workplace. Happy International Women’s Day!