Why International Women’s Day Leaves Me Feeling Meh

Sigh.

Every year, International Women’s Day (IWD) rolls around, and every year, I find myself feeling a bit… meh about it.

It’s not that I don’t want to celebrate women - I absolutely do! But IWD often feels like a lot of noise with very little substance. We get the LinkedIn posts, the corporate “we value women” statements, and the motivational quotes plastered everywhere. And then, by March 9th, it’s business as usual. The gender pay gap still exists. Women are still underrepresented in leadership. Workplaces still expect us to be “resilient” rather than just… not sexist.

And let’s talk about pay for a second. New data shows that nearly 3 million women in the UK are paid below the real living wage, and the gender pay gap is actually getting worse. So while some companies are busy posting about female empowerment, they’re also underpaying the women who keep their businesses running. It’s hard to take IWD seriously when so many women still don’t earn enough to cover the basics.

And Then There’s Jess Phillips

One of the most powerful moments on IWD each year isn’t a flashy campaign or a big speech about women’s achievements. It’s MP Jess Phillips standing up in Parliament and reading out the names of every woman in the UK killed by a man in the past 12 months.

This year, she read out 95 names. That’s 95 women who should still be here. Who should be living their lives, going to work, laughing with friends, and making plans for the future. Instead, they were taken - many by partners, ex-partners, or men they should have been able to trust. I mean, this is fucking heartbreaking - More than 170 mothers killed by their sons in 15 years in UK.

It’s horrifying, and yet it barely makes the headlines. Because when we talk about gender equality, we often focus on breaking glass ceilings, not the fact that women are still being murdered for simply existing.

So, What’s the Point of IWD?

I’m not saying we shouldn’t celebrate. Women are incredible, and we deserve a day to shout about it. But we also need to do more than just shout.

IWD can’t just be about hashtags and platitudes. It needs to be about action—about tackling the systemic issues that hold women back and put us at risk. That means fighting for pay equity, better workplace policies, proper support for survivors of domestic abuse, and real accountability for violence against women. It means challenging cultures that dismiss our safety concerns and demand we “prove” our worth rather than just respecting it. It means not having to beg men to be allies or softly, gently convince them that our struggles are real. If you need to “see it to believe it,” you’re not an ally - you’re part of the problem.

And beyond the UK, the situation is getting worse. The way Trump’s America is actively dismantling Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion (DEI) initiatives is horrifying. We are watching progress unravel in real-time, as protections and policies that took decades to build are being erased. If you needed proof that gender equality isn’t guaranteed, here it is: entire systems are being rewritten to keep power in the hands of the same people who’ve always had it.

And don’t even get me started on Afghanistan, Iraq and the Democratic Republic of Congo.

So yeah, IWD is fine. But I don’t want a day of celebration if it doesn’t come with real, tangible change. I want a world where we don’t need Jess Phillips to read that list. Where we don’t have to keep fighting for safety, fair pay, respect, or a seat at the table. Where women don’t get one day of empowerment while the system grinds us down the rest of the time.

Until then, IWD will always feel a little bit hollow.