Inspiring Women on International Women’s Day
It’s International Women’s Day, a day dedicated to celebrating, uplifting and empowering women around the world. It’s a day to take collective action towards breaking biases, ensuring that we continue to work towards gender equality throughout society.
At GotDis, we are celebrating all of the revolutionary feminine ideas and extraordinary achievements of women around the world. Here are some of the women in our team talking about the women who inspire them!
Lara, CEO at GotDis
“I am inspired by Malala Yousafzai and the continued work she does to fight for access to education for women. Malala was born in Pakistan and lived in a small village where her father was a teacher at a girl’s school. Her father was a key figure in ensuring she received the same opportunities as boys in her society during their childhood. The Taliban took control of her village at the age of 11 and girls were banned from going to school and receiving an education.
In 2012, Malala spoke publicly on behalf of other girls about their right to learn. In October of that year, Malala became a target because of her commitment to equality for women. She was shot in the head by Taliban who sought her out on her way home from school. She woke up 10 days later in a UK hospital where people had to tell her what had happened.
Malala used this traumatic experience to speak even louder and make a commitment to ‘fight until every girl could go to school’. She began the Malala Fund, a charity that fights for women to have a voice and to have equal opportunity so girls everywhere can be empowered to choose their future. In December 2014, she received a Nobel Peace Prize and became the youngest ever Nobel laureate. You can make a donation to the fund here.
In the Western world, we often take education for granted, not appreciating the obstacles some people have to go through just to be able to learn. Having gratitude for things that are handed to us and supporting others who are more disadvantaged to have the same opportunities, should be a commitment we all make. I would also like to give a mention to Roha Mahboob who founded and is the CEO, at the Afghan Citadel Software Company based in Herat, Afghanistan. Her work focuses on empowering Afghan women to learn digital skills and provide access to the internet for girls in schools.”
Hannah, Marketing Assistant at GotDis
“Melanie Perkins is the cofounder of Canva. The design platform that enables anyone to design, no matter their experience, has just been valued at US $40 billion. This makes it the most valuable private software company ever. When I first came across Canva a few years ago, I was struck by how easy it was to use. Little did I know then, that that was the entire point. In 2012, Melanie’s mission was to empower the whole world to design. The goal was that design should be accessible to everyone, not just the privileged few. Fast-forward to today, and the platform now has over 60 million users.
I feel inspired by Melanie because her business idea served a greater purpose — to help others. Not only has she empowered millions of people through her product, but her aim is to “do the most good we can do”. This aim has helped many people, including non-profit organisations and individuals across the world. Most notably, Melanie Perkins and co-founder Cliff Obrecht have signed up to Bill Gates’ giving pledge; a commitment that will see them donating at least 50% of their total wealth to philanthropy and charitable causes. With many affluent people injecting their extra cash into space, it’s refreshing to hear two billionaires commit to sharing their wealth to solve real problems here on Earth. Despite the financial success Canva has brought her, Melanie has stayed true to her values and continues to promote equal opportunities whilst supporting those in need: “we have this wildly optimistic belief that there is enough money, goodwill, and good intentions in the world to solve most of the world’s problems, and we want to spend our lifetime working towards that.”
I know I have Melanie to thank for being able to say ‘yes, I can make that social media graphic for you’, without having any official design skills or training. Canva has been an incredible tool to help me develop my skills for free, and I look forward to using it more as my career progresses. Hopefully Melanie is paving the way for more women in business to reach their goals, whilst proving to the world the endless benefits of sharing wealth to improve the lives of others.”
Sorrel, Marketing Assistant at GotDis
“I am always inspired by Greta Thunberg, a Swedish climate activist. She has inspired a generation of climate activists, as well as proving the abilities of disabled individuals, the youth and ultimately, young women. Given this year’s theme of breaking biases, Greta has shown us how differences should be valued and celebrated throughout society.
Global politics is male-dominated with a lack of diverse representation. Time and time again, Greta has actively stood against male politicians and political structures, notably Donald Trump. Through her powerful words and actions, Greta has shown women that they have the ability to change the world. She has remained resilient whilst politicians, the media and the general public have focused on her disability, rather than focusing on her ability to mobilise multiple generations in climate activism.
Her globally recognised protests, known as ‘Fridays for Future’, inspired other student protests against climate change. As her renown grew, her integrity remained solid as she put words into action, encouraging others to use a train over a plane for transportation as she attended political conferences around the world. She has contributed to the major climate debates, as well as writing books that are easily accessible for others. She has collaborated with older academics and climate activists, merging the former age of intellectualism with the new to generate multi-generational action against climate change. Greta has redefined female intellectualism, activism and the abilities of young women. For that, I feel deeply inspired by her and continue to feel empowered through her words and actions.”
Who is a woman that inspires you?
Imagine a gender equal world. A world free of bias, stereotypes and discrimination. A world that’s diverse, equitable, and inclusive. A world where difference is valued and celebrated. Together we can forge women’s equality. Collectively we can all #BreakTheBias on #InternationalWomensDay.
