“The theme for this year’s International Women’s Day is very appropriate as we work to recover ground lost through Covid-19. Blind faith in equality and merit are failing because they are not delivering equity. Everyone wants to be treated equally, but giving people equal opportunity does not address the disadvantages that systemic bias creates for some, particularly intersectional disadvantages. Appropriate adjustments are required to create a fair, rather than an equal playing field for all. That means doing the work to understand how to counter the challenges some face that others do not. Merit is also a trap because too often merit was defined by the male-dominated leadership of the past and may still be evaluated by a male-dominated group. This can be highly exclusionary as it applies a lens that does not see how valid different contributions or ways of achieving the same outcomes can be. It’s time to #EmbraceEquity.”

“While conversations around equity in the world of work are ongoing, International Women's Day is an opportunity for us to spotlight our commitments and actions to better #EmbraceEquity. It's essential that we address the fact that women currently hold only 32 percent of leadership positions worldwide. As women, mothers, business leaders and professionals, we can contribute to shifting the statistic by modelling behaviour that is inclusive and creating workplaces that support women.

“I also believe that we can make a real impact if we come together as a community to support and advocate for one another. A few years ago, I started a programme at LinkedIn APAC called EmpowerIn, which helps mid-career female talent grow into leaders. Since then, many employees have joined me to help develop close to 150 young female talents. We still have a lot of work to do, but I'm confident that if we stand in solidarity and continue to take actions both big and small, we'll eventually achieve a level playing field for women at work.”

“In my line of work, I hear this statement often "we are gender blind, we don't make any discrimination between men and women." And this might be how many of us think. But the data across startup ecosystems globally continue to show that women entrepreneurs are lagging behind their male counterparts in raising capital. While we have seen an increase in the conversation around gender equality and many initiatives that have come up to support women, the truth is we are still more than 100 years away from gender equality. 

“We need to acknowledge and address that different circumstances and historical and cultural barriers, do not allow people to access opportunities equally. To give women an equitable shot,  we need to apply a gender lens across every action, policy, process, and programme—this will allow us to move away from just checking off a list or adding generic programmes to going deeper to create inclusive ecosystems. International Women's Day and its theme for 2023 #Embracing Equity is a great opportunity for us to pause and reflect on whether we are actually addressing the root issues of gender equality.”

“International Women’s Day celebrates the tenacity, courage and achievements of all women in our fight for women’s full and equal inclusion in society. It’s also a reminder for people of all genders of how far we still have to go to achieve this goal. To #EmbraceEquity is to embrace a future where we recognise and celebrate our diversity in all forms, and provide resources, tools and opportunities that account for individual differences in circumstance and experience. This enables each of us to live our fullest, most meaningful lives—and it’s simply not possible without gender equity. By coming together to #EmbraceEquity and build a gender equal society, we are creating a better future for all.”

“I grew up celebrating IWD, where all women, grandmas, mums, teachers and female work colleagues would receive flowers and chocolates. I used to think of this as a special day just for girls and felt a sense of appreciation. Only as I grew older and understood the gender inequality, discrimination and biases in the world, did I start to question the meaning of this occasion. Today I chose to celebrate it because I believe it celebrates all the female trailblazers who have made a difference in the lives of women today, women in our past but also our present who are truly making a difference on this front. But I also believe that we need to be better and do better in where we can truly reach an inclusive world.

"As I have lived in many different countries, including the US, France, the UAE and now Singapore for the past 6 years, I have had the privilege of working with women and men from all types of cultures and backgrounds. At the end of the day, what I have realised is that what unites us are the shared values and the basic need to feel included. This is what #embraceequity means to me. We are at our absolute best when we feel understood and included.”

“International Women’s Day is important to me as on the personal side, I want my kids to see that women don’t have to choose between being a good mother and having a successful career. From a business standpoint, it’s a strategic imperative as more research shows a correlation between business performance and gender equity. I’m fully committed to building a pipeline for female talent, providing them with the right resources and opportunities to support their career aspirations. Influential executives in Hong Kong need to take the initiative to pave the way for talented individuals that do not have access to roles they deserve. I’m happy that more companies including TransUnion are making meaningful changes to #EmbraceEquity and foster inclusion. Let’s continue to be that force for good towards a truly gender-equitable future that I’m hopeful is not too far ahead.”

"International Women's Day is an important day in highlighting the need to #embraceequity. Yet it’s also a catalyst to remind us each day, all year round, to consciously embrace equity. Equity is a driver to get women to equality, but it’s also about inclusivity and empowering women every day. To me, inclusivity and embracing equity means working together and going outside our own circles to embrace others, as this ripple effect is what can drive change for many. Inclusivity also involves talking to and engaging more male allies to join and be part of the actions we can take. 

“My mission is to empower women, both personally and in their business, to be in control of their money and daily I see the energy and deep desire to lift women further and make the world a better place for all. This year, let’s also not forget the element of “embrace”—to wholeheartedly and enthusiastically work towards embracing equity together."

“At home, at work, and in public life—overall, women still lag behind in opportunities and outcomes compared to men. As long as this is true, we have not done enough. And reminders like International Women's Day will still be needed.

“To build a more equal society, those with more power must give up that extra power—in this case, this means men. There are universal benefits to gender equality, for example greater economic growth and personal freedoms. And ultimately, a more equal world will help every person live a more moral life and be a better person.

“I see inequalities all the time in our volunteering work with the community—unequal access to education, economic inequality or unfortunate personal circumstances. Beyond the bubbles we live in, we need to consciously recognise inequalities in our midst. Starting with International Women’s Day, we can be allies by recognising differences, making an effort to have an open mindset and taking action.

“In a recent programme we ran for abused women, I spoke to them to understand their personal challenges and taught them financial literacy. I was moved, knowing that not only have they gone through so much; they were also open and willing to learn and improve.

“All of us can make things more equal and bring #embraceequity to life. When one person rises, we all rise, regardless of gender, ethnicity or ability. May we influence others to do the same and pay it forward.”

“As a nonbinary professional athlete who competes in the female category, it is important for me to celebrate International Women’s Day. I am a proud woman athlete who fights for gender equity in sports. The future of sports should be inclusive to all genders: trans and gender nonconforming athletes should be given a fair, equal opportunity to participate in sports—and the gender category they feel most aligned with. International Women’s Day embraces all kinds of women, and together we can build strength to tackle sexism, homophobia and transmisogyny.”

“For us to move forward with women embracing their power, we need to acknowledge and understand that equal footing is not enough. #EmbraceEquity gives a platform and space for women to be seen as individuals with their own circumstances and characters so they may flourish wherever they are.”

“I love this year’s theme #EmbraceEquity because it has a beautiful and supportive direction to how everyone can work towards closing the gender gap. The issue of gender disparity is not a problem that will be solved by women for women, so International Women’s Day serves as an important reminder that the limitations need to be considered by all genders to achieve a more balanced world.”

“International Women’s Day is a day to reflect on how much progress we have made towards a gender neutral world. This year's theme #EmbraceEquity rightly highlights the difference between equity and equality. Whereas equality means providing the same to all, equity focuses on fairness and justice.

“At RPG Foundation, we understand that women don’t start from the same place as men and recognise that their challenges are unique to them. We take the extra effort to find innovative solutions to help them. So this International Women’s Day, let’s pledge to #EmbraceEquity together to move towards a more equal world.”

"International Women’s Day is important for us to celebrate in remembrance of the long and arduous journey women before our time had to go through to pave the way for us today. To this day, there are many unsung women that have helped move the needle towards equality and equity in order to allow for a better ‘today’ for women in our generation. It is now our honourable duty to do the same for girls and young women by becoming role models and acknowledging the importance of equity in promoting gender balance.

“Every girl has a different starting point in their lives, and understanding that these differences and lack of resources can sometimes be a hindrance for equal access to opportunities to progress, can help us channel the right education and support where it is needed the most, and achieve better equity for womankind."

“As we celebrate International Women’s Day and continue to accelerate efforts towards achieving gender parity, it is also a reminder of the work that remains to be done and underscores the need for equity in the fight for true equality. 

“Embracing equity should be on everyone’s agenda. Within our own diverse ecosystem, GoTo is taking proactive steps to create equitable opportunities and empower women—focused on removing barriers, advancing inclusion and stamping out discrimination, and providing a level playing field for opportunities for growth and development. This includes initiatives such as our women’s network and mentorship scheme, training programmes to help upskill our female micro-merchants, as well as implementing transparent and inclusive principles into our daily practices and policies. 

“We owe it to all women, past, present and future generations to come, to embed equity within society and we all have a role to play to drive this change.”

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