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For many females, me included, International Women’s Day is a glaring reminder of how much work still needs to be done to achieve equity in the work place. Every March, so many well intentioned people flood our feeds with pink logos, inspirational quotes, and gestures. But here’s the truth: Women don’t need hashtags. They need action.
The Hard Truth About Women in Business and Leadership
If we all really want to honor International Women’s Day, we need to confront the uncomfortable realities:
- Only 10% of Fortune 500 CEOs are women.
- Women founders receive less than 2% of venture capital funding.
- Women still earn 84 cents for every dollar a man makes—and for women of color, the gap is even wider.
- Nearly 50% of women report experiencing workplace discrimination.
And yet, every year, companies roll out social media campaigns with feel-good messaging while continuing to ignore the systemic inequalities baked into their own organizations.
Consumers are Watching - And They Expect More
Women are tired of performative activism. In a YouGov study, 73% of women said they want to see real support for women-owned businesses, not just lip service. Gen Z and Millennial consumers, in particular, want to hold companies accountable. If your company is still running a workplace where women are underpaid, underrepresented, or overlooked, no amount of pink merchandise will save you.
What Real Commitment Looks Like
For those to do more than just posture on March 8th, start here:
- Close the pay gap. Conduct an internal pay audit and take corrective action — transparently.
- Fund women entrepreneurs. Women-led startups drive innovation and economic growth, yet they receive a fraction of investment dollars.
- Break the glass ceiling. Ensure women have real pathways to leadership and decision-making power.
- Make policies that work for women. Paid parental leave, flexible work arrangements, and zero-tolerance harassment policies shouldn’t be radical ideas.
- Put your money where your marketing is. If you’re posting about women’s empowerment, back it up with partnerships, sponsorships, and long-term investments in gender equity.
Data-Driven Action Emerging from Empathy
On a more personal note, as a female co-founder of a consumer research platform, I’ve seen firsthand how businesses can leverage insights to better serve women, by focusing on understanding their needs, specific painpoints, challenges, and conducting pricing studies to avoid the “ Pink Tax”- the unfortunate phenomenon of charging females more for products that are sold for less to their male counterparts.
At SightX, we believe data should drive action, not just conversation. That’s why we continue to be committed to helping businesses move beyond assumptions and truly understand the diverse needs, experiences, and challenges of women—both as consumers and professionals. Internally, we continue to make sure that females are holding key roles across our various departments.
Let’s make International Women’s Day more than a moment—let’s make it momentum.
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