'Balance is not a women's issue:' International Women's Day 2019 pushes for gender equality worldwide

On March 8, International Women’s Day 2019 is celebrated and acknowledged around the world as women and men join forces to further the push for gender equality.

The 2019 theme is “Balance for Better,” encouraging everyone to share responsibility through collective action for driving a gender-balanced world.

Hashtags including #IWD2019, #InternationalWomensDay and #BalanceForBetter have been widely used on social media in the week leading up to March 8, when the global day calling for gender parity and celebrating the social, economic, cultural and political achievements of women has been recognized annually for a little over a century.

“Balance is not a women's issue, it's a business issue; the race is on for the gender-balanced boardroom, a gender-balanced government, gender-balanced media coverage, a gender-balance of employees,” according to the International Women’s Day website. “Gender balance is essential for economies and communities to thrive.”

While there has undoubtedly been progress toward more balanced societies, many agree that there is still a long way to go and that everyone can play a part in achieving gender parity.

“In many respects, the [recent annual International Women’s Day study] indicates that we've moved on from women having to succeed in a man's world,” said Glenda Slingsby, partnerships director for International Women’s Day. “Stereotypes are being challenged and more diverse representation of women is evident. Clearly, however, there is still a continuing need worldwide for more progressive mindsets and inclusive behaviors to be forged.”

The global study found that in the workplace, people believed the top actions that would help achieve gender equality include employers paying women the same as men for the same work, as well as tougher laws to prevent violence and harassment against women.

Many of those surveyed were confident that education is the area in which equality will be achieved first, with 47 percent believing that discrimination against women in education will have ended in two decades, according to the study.

Equality in STEM

While much effort has been made over the past 15 years to inspire more girls and women to get involved in the fields of science, technology, engineering and mathematics (STEM), the United Nations (UN) reported that females continue to be excluded from participating fully in science.
UNESCO data showed that female students make up only 30 percent of STEM-related fields in higher education.

“Each individual is going to be able to do his or her best work if they are able to pursue where their real passion lies,” said Dr. Claire Parkinson, a senior climate change scientist at NASA's Goddard Space Flight Center. “If you teach girls from an early age that they can’t do math or science, this leaves out a huge portion of the population.”

Parkinson, who has worked with NASA since the 1970s during a time when she was one of few female scientists, told AccuWeather that she’s glad to see both males and females now in practically all fields of science.

“If you have different perspectives in a scientific field, you open up different possibilities to where the science can end up going,” she said.

AccuWeather Broadcast Meteorologist Brittany Boyer also noted a shift from men outnumbering women since the early stages of her career.

“One station in a city I previously worked at only had male meteorologists,” she recalled. “At AccuWeather, I work with a good blend of male and female meteorologists both on-air and operationally throughout the company. It's great seeing more women get involved in the field of meteorology, but also STEM careers as a whole.”

The day that gender equality becomes a non-issue across all areas is a hope for many, including Kristina Pydynowski, a senior meteorologist and the forecasting assistant hiring coordinator at AccuWeather.

“It means we [will have] become a gender-balanced society,” Pydynowski said. “There is no reason that anyone should not be able to advance in their career, have hesitation in getting that dream job or just simply doing their job without some added stress because of barriers put up due to their sex, race or anything else that is a sign of discrimination.”

Gender equality isn’t just about women, as men also play a essential role in reaching the goal. Two-thirds of the recent study’s participants felt that women won’t achieve equality in their countries unless men take action to support women’s rights, as well.

For men wondering what they can do to help, it starts with a bit of encouragement, according to Pydynowski.

“Encourage younger girls and young ladies to get a career in STEM,” she said. “It is great for women to show the younger generation how much opportunity there is, but I think it is just as encouraging if there is a man saying, ‘Hey, we welcome you in this field and there is no difference if you are a man or woman, you will just be a meteorologist.’”

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