Happy International Women’s Day!

Celebrating International Women’s Day
In case you missed it, we ran our first ever Women in charity retail panel session last week to celebrate International Women’s Day, which is on Monday 8 March. Following the huge success and positivity from those who listened live to the panel session, I wanted to reflect on the amazing women who work in our sector and four of the key take-away themes that came out of the panel.

Taking ownership of your own destiny
As was mentioned by the panel, financial independence moving into later life is crucial and something women need to harness. As reported by many pension providers back in October 2020 and again today by Scottish Widows, women face an average of £100,000 shortfall in their pension pot compared to men, primarily due to part-time working, career breaks and maternity. Moving into more senior roles within the sector and taking opportunities to advance up the career ladder is one of the ways you can bridge this gap and start to think about where you want to be in one, two or five years’ time? 

Feedback is key
Something the panel focused on was the need to better understand your own strengths and weaknesses. 360 degree feedback can be a great tool for better understanding yourself and your situation; who are the allies and friends who can give you honest feedback and insight into your behaviours at work, and possible areas you need to work on. These should be people who have your best interests at heart and can discuss this with you in a friendly, non-judgemental way.

Mentoring is a great tool
All of the panellists mentioned the impact mentoring has had on their careers, both as a mentor and a mentee. Mentoring tends to focus on the future, and broader skills for personal or career development and helping people to develop more effectively. It is a relationship designed to build confidence and support the mentee so they are able to take control of their own development and work. 

Make connections
Use resources such as LinkedIn to grow your network and make meaningful connections with the sector, these connections can act as your champions and give you advice on leadership courses, new routes into senior roles and widen your scope and understanding of women in charity retail. This can be especially powerful for those working in smaller charities, or those who are the only person in their role within their charity.

Want to know more?
We hope this has got you interested to find out more about International Women’s Day, their website is packed full of information you may find useful. There were also a number of recommended resources and companies if you want to take this further, including:
International Women’s Day website 
The Pipeline
The Female Lead

Like us, we hope you will celebrate women’s achievements today, raise awareness against bias and take action for equality. Follow our social media today and let’s raise awareness together.

#ChoosetoChallenge #IWD2021