by Kate Vandeveld

As a woman-owned company, WhyWhisper places a lot of value on working with and supporting talented, driven women.

We were excited to celebrate International Women’s Day this past Tuesday, and Women’s History Month through the end of March. This year’s theme for International  Women’s Day was ‘Pledge for Parity,’ calling women and men to pledge to take action for gender parity in various ways.

Why do we need gender parity? Because the ripple effect of gender inequality is monumental. Globally, women are less educated than men, making up an astonishing two-thirds of the world’s illiterate people and with just 39% of rural girls attending secondary school.

This lack of education means that women are paid less, and increases their vulnerability to child marriage and domestic violence. Gender inequality is also one of the primary causes and effects of hunger, with an estimated 60% of the world’s chronically hungry being women and girls. The education deficit among rural women is a major contributing factor to this issue.

Even women who are able to pursue education earn significantly less than men in the workplace. According to a study by the Institute for Women’s Policy Research, if the pay gap continues to decrease at its current rate, we won’t see parity until 2059.

The bottom line is, gender inequality is a major issue, and it’s going to take a great deal of effort to overcome it. We want to acknowledge some of the organizations that are leading these efforts, and encourage you to follow along with their work, supporting them however you can. Here are a few of our favorites:

Global Fund for Women

Global Fund for Women is an organization that works to shed light on critical issues around the rights of women and girls, and then “find, fund, and amplify” the women who are addressing them. Follow them on Twitter, Facebook and Instagram to stay on top of their powerful and impactful campaigns, like their “Fierce 8 for March 8” International Women’s Day campaign.

MomsRising

MomsRising is an organization that harnesses the collective power of women, specifically mothers, to impact policies that affect them every day. Mothers are a critical and often underrepresented subset of women. In recognizing that, MomsRising has been able to mobilize women for change in unprecedented ways. Stay on top of their incredible successes by following them on Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram.

Take the Lead

Take the Lead is a nonprofit organization whose mission is to help women get into leadership positions, reaching parity across all sectors by 2025. They offer a variety of courses and programs for propelling women into leadership positions, and a blog that highlights female leaders and provides advice to women who want to advance their careers. Our favorite offering? Their newsletter, which shares updates on what’s happening in the world of women’s leadership.

It’s Time Network

It’s Time Network is a building a community of individuals and organizations that are working together to accelerate the full empowerment of women and girls worldwide. In a space where so many who are working toward the same goal are looking for resources, It’s Time Network wants to make it easier for them to work collaboratively, focusing less on funding and more on collaborative action. Follow them on Facebook, Twitter, and LinkedIn for the latest updates in the space.

Women’s Empowerment Principles

Developed by UN Women and UN Global Compact, the Women's Empowerment Principles are seven steps that are meant to guide business on how to empower women in the workplace, marketplace and community. If you’re interested in employing the principles in your own workplace, you can find out how to do so here. You can also follow them on Facebook and Twitter for updates, including information about their events and chats.

 

Do you support a women’s empowerment organization that we should follow? Let us know about them, and we’ll spread the word. Here’s how you can get in touch:

 

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