International Women’s Day

International Women’s Day is an important day in society. This year the theme is “Women in leadership: Achieving an equal future in a COVID-19 world”.

According to the UN Women website “Women are Heads of State or Government in 22 countries, and only 24.9% of national parliamentarians are women. Women are also at the forefront of the battle against COVID-19, as front-line and health sector workers, as scientists, doctors and caregivers, yet they get paid 11% less globally than their male counterparts.” The Big Issue stated that “Women are paid on average 24 per cent less than men.”

This day is celebrated to support equality. This year it’s rallying for generation equality, to act for an equal future for all. British Athlete Morgan Lake summed this up perfectly by saying, “International Women’s Day plays a valuable role in changing the perception of girls in sport, and this year, following the pandemic, it’s message of female empowerment is more important than ever.

“I was fortunate in that I could look at athletes like Jess Ennis-Hill and Christine Ohuruogu as role models.

“With more women’s sport on the television, there are more opportunities for girls to discover their own role models, and this is absolutely crucial in inspiring the next generation of female athletes to keep going.

BT Sport’s Sarra Elgan spoke about her role working in a male environment. “I feel like I have to do a little more… make sure all bases are covered, that if somebody asks me something then I know the answer to that question.”

“I don’t know if that’s because of my personality – that I like to be thorough – or whether it’s subconsciously because I’m a woman working in a male environment.

“But I think I’m really fortunate in rugby. I’ve never experienced any discrimination because of my gender. It sounds a bit cliché to say a rugby family, but it genuinely is.”

Elgan also mentioned how the perspective on Women in Sport has changed, “Female athletes and female broadcasters are seen more – for our daughters to see them and want to be them. That’s down to putting more female sports on TV and brands with campaigns with female athletes in them and this is so important. I hope it gets even better in the years to come.”