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INTERNATIONAL WOMENS DAY (IWD)
IWD: Celebrate women's achievements, raise awareness about women's equality, lobby for accelerated gender parity, fundraise for female-focused charities.
My feelings and attitude towards International Women's Day (IWD) have changed over the decades behind me. From the feeling that it is a holiday only for mothers and women who generally take care of children and the dull feeling that we should appreciate them every day, and not only on March 8th, to the celebration of the achievements on the road to equality of both sexes and the awareness that we are at the halfway point.
Today, it is important to understand that International Women's Day is a day where women are recognized for their outstanding achievements despite divisions and persisting boundaries. As we can read on Internationalwomensday.com:
Marked annually on March 8th, International Women's Day is one of the most important days of the year to:
- celebrate women's achievements
- raise awareness about women's equality
- lobby for accelerated gender parity
- fundraise for female-focused charities
The campaign theme for International Women's Day 2022 is #BreakTheBias. Exactly with this goal I talked to three great and inspiring women: Zoja Kukić, Milica Ivić and Ivana Mijatović. They are very different, but some things they have in common: all three are successful businesswomen, all are mothers and all three challenge the status quo.
Zoja is VP of Digital Transformation at Signet World, Co-host of She Rocks Global podcast and co-founder off an up-and-coming start-up.
Olga Mirkovic Maksimovic
What does March 8th mean for you personally? What do you celebrate on this date?
Olga Mirkovic Maksimovic
You are the founder of a start-up along with one more woman. Do you think it’s important to mark March 8th and in what way?
Olga Mirkovic Maksimovic
What do you think is the best way to celebrate International Women's Day in companies?
Milica Ivic is an experienced COO with a proven track record in the IT industry.
Passionate about the product and people. Skilled in Operations, Human Resources, Product Management, Organizational Development, Customer Management. 20 years of experience in both start-ups and corporations across different industries.
Olga Mirkovic Maksimovic
You have extensive experience working in various industries and teams. How do company employees react to March 8th celebrations?
Milica Ivic
Every person has their opinion about March 8, and reactions vary. We can't talk about it in general. However, I think the way Women's International Day is celebrated became meaningless years ago. It was degraded when it came down to a token gesture of buying gifts for women, which has nothing to do with the essence of that holiday. March 8 became a women's equality simulation. Unfortunately, we are witnessing that women are not equal in the workplace, and the pressure that women feel is growing. It is somewhat encouraging that the issue of women's equality is increasingly being raised, not only in the world but also in our country.
Olga Mirkovic Maksimovic
From a company perspective, what do you think are the best practices for marking International Women's Day?
Milica Ivic
First, every company should promote gender equality every day, not only on International Women's Day. It's not only about equal pay, participation of women in the workforce, opportunities for promotion, access to all occupations and industries, which are just some of the fundamental women's rights, but companies' commitment to actively supporting and advancing women. If the company respects equality, celebrating International Women's Day makes sense. In my opinion, the best approach is to promote the company's best practises, celebrate women's achievements, raise awareness against bias, and take action for equality. It's up to companies how they do it.
Olga Mirkovic Maksimovic
As a woman and a mother, what would you say to today's youth on gender equality?
Milica Ivic
Gender-based discrimination begins at an early age. Developed patterns of behavior during adolescence persist into adulthood. Therefore, raising awareness, education, and understanding what gender equality really means are crucial at that age. It is also essential that both girls and boys are involved in this process.
We all need to understand - gender equality is a fundamental human right and a basis for a sustainable world. It's not an issue that concerns only women. It involves all of us.
Ivana Mijatovic is a lawyer, but also creator and owner of “Drvodeda”.
Olga Mirkovic Maksimovic
Ivana, you are the creator of "Drvodeda", a place “where the most unusual wooden boxes live, made by the hand and soul of one Grandpa, with the idea and heart of a mother”.
What makes the perfect gift for you?
Ivana Mijatovic
If we were to twist the old saying and take a look inside the gift horse's mouth, it would be easy to conclude that the way we choose presents for others speaks volumes about our character and our intentions towards those who are receiving the gift.
The perfect gift doesn't mean an expensive gift.
To pick the perfect gift, I'd say try to gaze deeper into the soul of the person it's intended for - rack your brain - think of all the things they love, breathe and dream... and voila! The solution should present itself.
Ultimately, the perfect gift is always one guided by the heart, rhythm and passion of the person being gifted. Our heart is just there to listen and follow the beat.
And in the end, if you're stuck on your picks, Drvodeda is there to help.
Olga Mirkovic Maksimovic
You have worked in large companies, and now you are creating original gifts for their employees. What does March 8th mean to you personally and is it necessary to give gifts on that day?
Ivana Mijatovic
In my opinion, it's a wonderful holiday, though worn-out in the way it's celebrated. Nowadays the holiday comes across as a vacuous gesture, with formulaic greetings (and often worthless, kitschy presents), which is opposite of the proper spirit for a holiday which celebrates the day woman earned the right to dream. I wish it was celebrated differently.
Thanks to this movement we celebrate on the 8th of March, I can now engage myself in bigger and more meaningful activities than making airy donuts or lovely sweet cherry pies. Thanks to what was established, at some point back in the past, I can now live my entrepreneurial dream and while on that wonderful journey, I can be an accountant, a lawyer, an economist, a photographer and a logistician. Accordingly as is needed, but also as desired.
For me, the 8th of march is a reminder. A reminder of all those moments when we got up after being knocked down. When we moved forward without fear, with our heads held high, and despite all odds discovered a world which supports our efforts.
You'll agree, this deserves a shower of confetti and celebratory champagne, but also let's keep it flowing all year long.
Olga Mirkovic Maksimovic
If “Drvodeda” made a wooden box for March 8, what would have to fit in it?
Ivana Mijatovic
I like to say that our workshop is the most vibrant place on the planet. Like any other box we make, so would this one, let's call it "OctoMarch", would have it's fundamental ingredients:
- Two pairs of hands;
- A piece of wood;
- A lot of red, the color of victory;
- A pinch of pride;
- A sprinkle of imagination;
- 3 ladles of daring;
- Pockets full of laughs;
- And a never-ending stream of love.
Ultimately, we all need to understand that we have a role in b breaking the bias and creating a better world for all of us. We can do it in different ways, here are a few:
- Build workplaces where women thrive
- Elevate the visibility of women creatives
- Support female empowerment worldwide
- Prop up women's equality in tech
- Celebrate the women forging change
- Empower women's choices in health
With the desire to join #BreakTheBias with concrete action, Serbian Product Community is organizing an "Ask Me Anything" event with 4 ladies: Jovana Ilijašević, Tanja Petrović, Ana Pegan and me. It is focused on women in product development. Join us there, March 8th.
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