It may seem strange that Jacksons has decided to put out this blog today, on 10th March when we all know that International Women’s Day was last Friday, 8th March but there is a reason for this, and that reason is not that we are running late!
International Women’s Day has grown so much in recent years. It was of course started over 100 years ago to celebrate the achievements of women all over the world but also to raise awareness of gender inequality. This year the theme is Balance for Better and we are writing our blog today because we wanted to reflect on the celebrations of last week, but also remind everyone that this theme needs to be so much more than a one day celebration.
This year therefore, as a firm we participated in two main events. We hosted an event for Barclays Bank at our Stockton office where the speakers included two of our lawyers, Louise White and Charlotte Alexander from our commercial team talking about their journey and the women that inspired them. They were joined on the podium by Dr Joanna Berry from Durham University Business School and Katy Taylor from Barclays Bank. Joanna gave a very interesting talk on how women always put on a smile and say they are ‘fine’, when asked how they are, even though they may be going through one of the worst times of their lives. Katy gave some fantastic tips for women and the subject of networking. It is rewarding to hear such positive feedback on this event.
Simultaneously, I was delighted to be invited to take part in another event spearheaded by Dr Jane Turner, Pro Vice Chancellor and gender equality champion at the University of Teesside. We had the honour to spend the day doing workshops and talking with young ladies from schools in the region about ambition, dreams and what they can achieve. This felt like a perfect way to spend IWD 2019, inspiring the next generation and I was particularly proud to see one of Jacksons’ young solicitors join a panel to answer questions about her journey. A singing workshop created harmony, both melodically and in terms of sisterhood, and we ended the day inspired and enthused about what can be achieved.
Two days later there has been time for reflection. Don’t get me wrong, I was incredibly proud and honoured to take part in events last week and know that if these inspired just a handful of young women to reach for their dreams then they were more than worthwhile, but as businesses we need to do so much more. Posting on social media as to how proud we are of the amazing women in our organisations is a touching celebration of very special people but this should not be a one day event. In keeping with the theme of IWD 2019 we need to work as businesses to achieve gender balanced boardrooms, government, media coverage and employees.
We live in world where:
- Less than 40% of countries provide girls and boys equal access to education;
- 33,000 girls become child brides every day;
- Women in rural parts of Africa spend 40 billion hours a year collecting water;
- It will take 202 years at current progress to close the global economic gender gap;
- Only 6 countries give women equal legal rights to work as men;
- $28 trillion would be added to the global economy by 2025 if we closed wage and participation gaps and;
- Women are 47% more likely to suffer severe injuries than men in car crashes because car safety features are designed for men.
In this country alone, it was announced this week that less than 1% of venture capital is paid to businesses run by women.
These are just a random selection of statistics that show there is so much to do.
At Jacksons, we have looked at our own statistics. They show that 30% of our partners are female, 6 out of 9 of our associates and 6 out of 11 of our department heads and our managing partner are all female. Four of our five apprentices, and at present, all 4 of our trainees are female. We have 40% of our staff, both male and female, with flexible working arrangements. We are very proud of these statistics and the amazing men and women who work for our firm. However, we cannot sit back. There is still much to be done to ensure that our partnership reflects the dynamics of the rest of the practice and to work to close the gender gap further in terms of career opportunities, pay, the message we portray and the advice and opportunities we provide to clients.
I enjoyed the IWD event I participated in enormously this year and loved reading the social media posts of so many businesses celebrating the achievements of so many amazing women. However, as we move on from 8th March I need to look at our business and consider what further steps we should be taking to create balance for better for our staff, our clients and the other businesses we work with and in the campaigns we support for today and tomorrow. I urge you all to do the same.
