International Women’s Day (IWD) is a global day celebrating the social, economic, cultural and political achievements of women. For the team at ESP, it also marks a call to action to accelerate gender equity.

It’s a time to reflect on progress made, to call for change and to celebrate acts of courage and determination by ordinary women, who have played an extraordinary role in the history of their countries and communities. The improvement in access for women to opportunities such as education, sport, politics, and career have come a long way. In the past year, we have celebrated women in football; the bravery of Afghan women fleeing the Taliban to pursue an Olympic dream; the spike of women holding ministerial portfolios globally; the increase of female leaders in Pharma. We celebrate these achievements and now look forward to what else can be done.

In its latest global gender gap report, published in July 2022, the World Economic Forum found that the global gender gap had slightly narrowed between 2021 and 2022. Despite this, it contended that the Covid-19 pandemic had caused a “generational loss” in closing the gap. It is predicted that at the current rate of progress, it will take 132 years to achieve full gender parity.

This year we’re being asked to #embracequity to get the world talking about why equal opportunities just aren’t enough, and the need to move beyond diversity. As female led organisation, we at ESP encourage all to truly embrace equity. Together, we can all forge positive change.

#embraceequity #IWD2023 #medcoms #pharma