INTERNATIONAL WOMENS DAY - ACTION KIT - Women in Gaming Australasia
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INTRODUCTION INTERNATIONAL WOMENS DAY International Women’s Day (IWD) is held each year on 8th March and is celebrated in many countries around the world. IWD is a day when all women are recognised for their achievements. It is also a day to identify actions that every person can take to help drive better outcomes for women. IWD has been observed since the early 1900’s and is a collective day of global celebration of women’s achievements, as well as a call for gender parity. Through meaningful celebration and targeted bold action, we can all be responsive and responsible leaders in creating a more gender inclusive world. IWD is an important opportunity to: celebrate the social, economic, cultural and political achievements of women because visibility and awareness help drive positive change for women declare bold actions you’ll take as an individual or organisation to help progress the gender agenda because purposeful action can accelerate gender parity across the world “The story of women’s struggle for equality belongs to no single feminist nor to any one organisation but to the collective efforts of all who care about human rights,” says world-renowned feminist, journalist and social and political activist Gloria Steinem. Thus International Women’s Day is all about unity, celebration, reflection, advocacy and action - whatever that looks like globally at a local level. But one thing is for sure, International Women’s Day has been occurring for well over a century - and continue’s to grow from strength to strength.
WHY THE NEED TO CELEBRATE? Recent years have seen a huge increase in the number of individuals, organisations and communities around the world celebrating IWD. There is growing recognition gender equality affects us all, and that we need to push for more female representation at all levels of business. ? Research indicates organisations that The gaming industry has a responsibility to increase women’s participation in the workforce. By doing so, the tangible and positive impacts on an organisation’s culture and operations include increased efficiency, productivity, innovation, creativity and improved employee engagement. It is important to celebrate the success and achievements of women and give credit where credit is due. There are many ways to do this; and we can start by intentionally making an effort to notice the contributions respect and value the diversity brought of the women we work with - call out their by both women and men are better able great ideas and continue to credit them to attract and retain high performers later. and improve operational performance. Employees are likely to remain with an Over time, IWD has become a day to organisation when there is a proactive effort reflect on progress, to call for change and in advancing diversity practices. to celebrate the courage and determination of the women who changed history. It is It’s crucial for not only business leaders to also an opportunity to unite, network and be conscious of this, but for us all to have mobilise for meaningful change. an awareness and be active in our effort to support female colleagues.
#BALANCE FORBETTER 08.03.19
2019 INTERNATIONAL WOMEN’S DAY THEME This year’s International Women’s Day campaign theme is #BalanceforBetter Collective action and a shared responsibility for driving a gender-balanced world is key. To accelerate gender-balance, we need to take an inclusive approach, with each person become an agent of change. We all have a part to play in making a positive difference for women everywhere. Last year, Australia ranked 35th in the world for gender equality. Some of the major contributing factors for such dismal figures included lack of economic and professional opportunity for women. The latest report from the Workplace Gender Equality Agency shows that the number of females in gaming that make up senior leadership teams is up slightly from 2017, from 20.8% to 21.5% but only 5.9% of CEOs are females; down from 7.1% in 2017. We need to unite as an industry, show our support and celebrate the achievements of women in gaming. In an industry which is, and is seen as largely dominated by men, it is critical that we collectively harness our power to create change to ensure we are recognising, appreciating and utilising the unique insights that come from diversity of experiences, skills, background and thought. Collectively, we can make a difference. Balance drives a better working world. Let’s all help create a #BalanceforBetter.
1 HOW TO CELEBRATE INTERNATIONAL WOMEN’S DAY Promote IWD and gender diversity more broadly within your 2 organisation. This could be something as simple as sending an all staff email acknowledging IWD and encouraging employees to wear a splash of purple in solidarity (or sharing this IWD action kit). Promote your female talent with a #BalanceForBetter campaign. Interview your female employees about their 3 achievements and what they bring to the workplace. Encourage your male allies to contribute as well by highlighting their female colleagues’ successes. You could compile a Q&A which can be distributed to all staff via a blog, video reel, or you could even hold a live panel for all staff to attend. Bring together small groups of experienced leaders with 4 female team members and discuss career aspirations, how to overcome challenges facing women in the workplace and their leadership journeys. You could do this over a lunch and learn session, a walk and talk in the fresh air, or a coffee and catch up. Commit to an action for gender equality on WGA’s commitment cards. You could create a commitment card wall at work, share your commitments on social media or profile 5 some of your female talent and their achievements. Whatever you choose to do, share and publicize it as far and wide as you can. Show your visible support of #WGA through social media. Let your followers and connections know that you are supporting #IWD and how your organisation is celebrating.
6 7 Host a networking event. These types of events, especially for IWD, are great for women to connect, increase their networks, empower each other and share knowledge. 8 Profile some of your amazing female talent on your website, intranet, social media channels, or via an all staff email. Highlight their career journey, how they got to where they are today and any advice they would give younger women starting out in the gaming industry. 9 Distribute ‘Women in Gaming’ lapel pins to your employees to wear as a sign of solidarity and commitment. Order on wga.org.au 10 Host an event with speakers from the gaming industry focusing on the achievements of women and discuss the work that is yet to be done. Strive for gender balance by encouraging your male colleagues to attend. Organise a roundtable and discuss industry-specific challenges that women face, how these can be overcome, and how your workplace can be more inclusive. However you choose to celebrate IWD, make sure you engage all of your employees to join in the celebration! One of the biggest mistakes companies make with women’s initiatives is only engaging women in the conversation.
IN PROUD PARTNERSHIP WITH Women in Gaming Australasia is an ACNC registered charity ABN 69 622 657 238 “WGA”. WGA believes the information in this document is correct at the time of issue, but no warranty of accuracy or reliability is given and no responsibility arising in any way for errors or omissions. This action plan is aimed at building awareness about International Womens Day and gender equality in the workplace. © 2019 Women in Gaming Australia. All rights reserved
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