International Women’s Day (IWD) has been celebrated on March 8 for nearly fifty years. It was first celebrated by the United Nations in 1975 and officially enshrined as an annual holiday two years later. A day dedicated to honoring the social, economic, cultural, and political achievements of all women, the holiday also marks a call to action for advancing and accelerating women’s equality around the world.
Here in Pittsburgh, celebrations began a day early, as five women leaders, researchers, policy experts, and activists took the stage to discuss their work advancing efforts to close the gender gap. The event was co-hosted by the World Affairs Council of Pittsburgh, Women and Girls Foundation, and Eden Hall Foundation and focused on this year’s IWD theme of “Accelerate Action.” Panelists addressed some of the structural and systemic challenges they face in their work and called upon those in attendance to lean into their own power to work and advocate for meaningful change toward gender parity.
“This is generational work,” shared Kristy Trautmann, executive director of the FISA Foundation and the event’s moderator, as she began the discussion. “Find your one thing. You don’t have to do all the things, but you can do something.”
Among the panelists was Dr. Müge Finkel, associate professor at the Graduate School of Public and International Affairs, director of the Ford Institute for Human Security, and co-director of the Gender Inequality Research Lab (GIRL) at the University of Pittsburgh. Finkel was joined by Sydney Etheredge, president & CEO of Planned Parenthood of Western Pennsylvania, Rochelle Jackson, founder & CEO of Black Women’s Policy Center, and Cara Ciminillo, executive director of Trying Together.
Finkel brought a global and data-driven perspective to the conversation, drawing upon her work with the Ford Institute and GIRL to discuss the position of women in nations around the world and the ongoing barriers to gender equity in the fields of education, health, economic participation, and political participation.
“Twenty years ago, when I first stepped into the field of gender equality, my mentor at the time said, ‘Ok, fine, but you must make your peace with the fact that this is going to be the unfinished business of a lifetime.’” Finkel shared. “But a day like this, being in a conversation like this, surely leaves me more hopeful that we are making progress.”
Panelists took questions from the audience and shared strategies for attendees to lobby local policymakers, build community outside of traditional structures, and use storytelling as a tool to reach new audiences when traditional data may be lacking. Each speaker closed the morning sharing how, despite the challenges, they continue in their work with purpose and passion for advancing women’s equity in areas including healthcare, education, and economic justice.
“There have been times where I feel depleted… where I where I ask, ‘What difference are you going to make?’ It can become an existential crisis. So, I find energy looking at my students, because they show up day in and day out and I feel like ‘ok they are still wanting to learn. And all I can do is keep putting one foot in front of the other," shared Finkel.
The panel was followed by a ticketed luncheon with keynote speaker and two-time Peabody Award-winning journalist, Lulu Garcia-Navarro. The luncheon also saw the presentation of this year’s Illuminate Award winners, an honor presented by the David Glick Memorial Fund to leaders who have made a difference in advancing global awareness and connection in the Pittsburgh region.