Reflecting on International Women’s Day 2023

Here at Plank, we are spending the day acknowledging and reflecting on International Women’s Day. Each year, International Women’s Day is celebrated globally by recognizing women and their incredible achievements socially, economically, culturally, and politically.

Recognizing International Women’s Day is important to Plank for a number of reasons. We value the contributions of not only the women on our team, but also the women in our own industry as well as those with which we collaborate. We feel that there is so much to learn from the unique perspectives, skills, and talents of female professionals. But there also many opportunities to recognize the barriers faced by women in their careers.

International Women’s Day 2023

That’s exactly what the organizers behind International Women’s Day intend to accomplish. This year, their campaign theme is “embrace equity.” Although many strive to achieve equality in areas such as the workplace, it’s important to recognize that equity is always preferable to equality.

What is equity? Equity means providing resources that fit the unique needs of an individual in order to ensure that everyone has access to the same opportunities. In other words, one size does not fit all. We must acknowledge and celebrate our differences in order to create a fair and just workplace environment.

For 2022, International Women’s Day has outlined a number of mission statements. While all of them are admirable, there are two in particular that really resonate with both the work that Plank is doing and the values that we hold.

Mission – Forging Workplaces Where Women Can Thrive

The first mission that stood out to us was that which aims to “forge inclusive work cultures where women’s careers thrive and their achievements are celebrated”. Here, the issue of equality versus equity is of utmost importance.

Achieving inclusion in the workplace requires us to think in terms of intersectionality. What this means is that we must acknowledge that what benefits one individual or group may not translate to another. For instance, the experience of a white female professional would be entirely different from that of a Black female professional.

In 2022, the Women in the Workplace report revealed that among all leadership positions analyzed, women-filled roles accounted for less than 40% in each level. As a result, women were leaving their companies in greater numbers than seen before. At Plank, we are proud to share that 50% of our senior positions are filled by women.

Still, there is ample work to be done in providing a fully equitable workplace. We are interested in opening up the conversation and learning more about what we can do to provide women with resources and opportunities that translate into the same career growth as their male counterparts.

Mission – Gender Parity in Technology

The other mission statement that we resonated with was one which recognized women and technology: “to elevate and advance gender parity in technology and celebrate the women forging innovation.”

Recently, we highlighted a number of influential Black leaders in the tech industry. One of these trailblazers was Kimberly Bryant, the founder of Black Girls Code, a nonprofit organization that encourages, teaches, and empowers young Black girls with interests in STEM. Although Bryant’s objective is admirable, it reminds us that the tech industry isn’t always an equitable place for women.

Next Steps

Over the years, we have made strides in gaining equality for women. However, there is still much work to be done. The organizers behind International Women’s Day recognize that there are still many shortcomings in achieving a fair and just society.

In 2022, we were certified as a B Corporation, a process helmed by our senior business strategist Paisley Nyberg. Our first annual Impact Report allowed us a chance to reflect and identify further ways to support and uplift our female Plankers to make our small corner of the world a better place.

On this day, and every other day, we say thank you to the many incredible women of Plank!