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This list was compiled to celebrate International Women’ s Day( Saturday 8th March 2025), a global day which recognises the social, economic, cultural, and political achievements of women. The day also marks a call to action for accelerating women’ s equality. This year’ s IWD theme is # AccelerateAction and we asked the women featured in our list where they would like to see change.
Here’ s what they said...
“ Equality to me is a two-way street. I would like to see acceleration in understanding what women can bring to the table creatively to have impact and to create change. I believe men and women can work together to bring about change.” Stamena Dimitrova, Founder, Refillable
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“ Following the birth of my son, I’ ve become acutely aware of the challenges parents face in the workplace. I feel there is a common misconception that parents can‘ have it all’, when in reality, huge compromises need to be made when juggling a career and children.
“ I would love to see more recognition of the fact that many people’ s careers do not follow a straight, uninterrupted line, and( although not my experience) that many women experience prejudice when returning to work following the birth of their children. We need to address the pay gap, because managing motherhood and a career is demanding enough without having to navigate the institutionalised discrimination many women experience. Raising maternity and parental pay and gaining a better understanding of shared parental leave is crucial to supporting new families, and
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providing extra financial support would be so beneficial in removing some of the stress and stigma that accompanies having children.” Laura Alexander, St John’ s Foundation
“ Just 35 % of leadership roles in FTSE 350 companies are held by women in the UK. I’ d love to see this figure increase.” Michelle Pow, University of Bath School of Management
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“ The cultural sector needs to accelerate action on representation – not just in who is featured in events, but in who is making decisions. Leadership teams, funding bodies, and programming still don’ t reflect the full diversity of the communities they serve. We need to move beyond tokenism and create lasting change.” Jasmine Barker, Bath Arts Collective |
“ I want to see us do a lot more to combat gender based violence. This is an area that demands immediate action. We need to see a radical shift in attitudes and behaviours, through better education along with a stronger legal framework and decent support systems for survivors.” Tiggy McCool, Nine Feet Tall
“ We need to accelerate action on selfcare as a foundation for equality. Women are still expected to carry the emotional, mental and physical load in ways that leave them depleted. We talk about equality in workplaces, leadership, and pay gaps, but true equality starts with women having the energy, time and self-permission to prioritise themselves without guilt.” Yvonne Bignall, Yvonne B Coaching
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