International Women’s Day can feel a bit like a consolation prize. We can’t give you equal pay and equal rights, so here have a day. Go to a breakfast, hear from some inspiring women and don’t forget to take home a cupcake emblazoned with a message about your inherent power. And then we move on to St Patrick’s Day and the Sydney Opera House goes from pink to green.
I don’t see anything inherently wrong with celebrating the very real wins of women. Of eating the cliche Girl Boss cupcakes. And of connecting and being inspired.
Because I am inspired by the work we do and the potential we have. Over the next few days you will undoubtedly hear about just how many of us there are in the travel industry. Just how many women are business owners or are in senior management positions. And it’s — I will say it again — inspiring.
Women make close to 85% of travel decisions. Plus we tend to live longer, so we’re a longer term investment, right? These are all great stories. But there’s a really important message that I think gets overlooked.
Travel has this immense power to change the world. And, according to the UN, when more women work, economies grow. If done in a considered, sustainable way, by choosing travel done right, we can empower our sisters across the globe and through them, grow.
We still have so far to go, yes. And International Women’s Day needs to be more than the cupcakes and celebrations. And it shouldn’t just be one day. We should celebrate our wins every day. We should profile women in power every day. And maybe then the things that still must change, will. And they will change not despite the roadblocks, but because we change the route entirely.
Acknowledging the reality
My 7 year old daughter doesn’t want children. They would just get in the way of her singing vet practice and “at least ten” dogs home-life. And more power to her.
At no point in my formative years was I warned that after all the years of study and climbing the rungs in my working life, I would have to stop should I choose to have a child. That my desire to be present for my child meant putting my career on hold. Maybe this was assumed knowledge, but I was surprised by just how accepted this was.
We must acknowledge that the women (and men) who succeed, do so because they are supported. Whether that support comes from a community, a government, family, or company, it is there.
Yes, we are paid less. Yes, we carry an unequal burden of the caring of our children. And yes, the world is not as safe for us. And I couldn’t name a single man who likes this and wants it to continue.
The opportunity ahead
The pandemic, for all its devastation, showed us that things don’t have to be the way they’ve always been. We can use technology to not have to be in an office every day. Hell, we can create a vaccine and distribute it across the world in record time.
Right now, we are rebuilding our industry. We don’t need to rebuild it the way it was. We can change how we do things. Together in Travel.
