Every Day is a Woman’s Day

Here I am catching my breath after International Women’s Day… It seems like there are more celebratory events hosted by companies and organizations all week long in advance of March 8.  Have you noticed that, too? It is definitely a good sign. 

It gave me pause as I thought about honoring women. Women in commercial real estate bring home the bacon—and fry it up in a pan. (Do you recall that old jingle?) They are more likely to be in charge of child and elder care. Women are more likely to plan and prepare meals. They are at the front lines of interfacing with their children’s schools. And the laundry—yes, women are likely in charge of that as well.   

If you think about it, every day is a woman’s day.  Women are executive leaders at home and in the workforce. We are handling the bulk of what needs to happen with both of our teams—family and work colleagues.    

I heard a female leader recently speaking about the women of Iceland going on strike in 1975 to make a statement about equal pay. The headlines read that it was the day that women shut down Iceland.  Powerful stuff.   

While progress has been made, women went on strike again 48 years later—including the prime minister—in October 2023 to advocate for pay equity and end violence against women. Progress has not been fast or equitable enough.   

Imagine women banding together to shut down commerce and draw attention to the disparities we face every day in the workforce.   

There was a day when I was a young mother that was particularly hectic. From the moment I woke, to getting the kids to school, to traffic on the way to work, to resolving challenges and problems at work, then racing to pick up the kids, get home, walk the dogs, make dinner, do homework…well you can imagine.   

At one point, I went into my bedroom, laid down on the bed, shut my eyes, and had a moment. When my then 4-year-old daughter came into the room to ask what I was doing, I said, “I just need a timeout.”  

Maybe women in the U.S. need to take a timeout—or a strike—to drive the point home that every day is women’s day, and that we need to have equal opportunity and pay.