How structured initiatives can help women continue to march forward in 2025 and beyond

Getting together and getting organised is the key to maintaining progress on the equity and inclusion front.

'It takes a village to raise a child' is an oft-quoted African proverb, one which references our collective responsibility to create a safe, healthy environment in which the next generation can thrive.

It's a sentiment which is readily transferrable to the corporate community, certainly where equity and inclusion for women are concerned, and particularly where those women are working in a traditionally male dominated industry such as ICT. 

Building an inclusive and equitable workplace requires all of us to be intentional in fostering an environment where diverse voices are heard, valued, and empowered to succeed. Having spent much of my own career in this rewarding, ultra-dynamic sector, I can attest with confidence to the effectiveness of practical programs that bring us together to support one another and advocate for the changes we need to be able to do our jobs better.

Beating the drum for better practices

With more than two decades of experience under my belt, I can well remember the time when such initiatives did not exist. 

While working at SAP back in the day, a handful of colleagues and I pioneered the Business Women's Network, a platform designed to support and elevate women in the workplace at a time when flexible working arrangements were still a novel concept.

We were fortunate, in that instance, to have a leadership group which was open to our awareness raising campaign. They supported our efforts to introduce and normalise flexible workplace practices that were subsequently adopted across the organisation; thus setting a new standard for workplace inclusion and adaptability, years before the Covid crisis made WFM a mainstream practice.

Continuing the push for equity 

The success I saw in prosecuting this initiative – and the very obvious benefits which ensued, for motivated, high performing female employees and the business both – inspired me to take up the cudgel at my next place of work, LogRhythm, now Exabeam.

In 2020, we launched the Diversity Jobs taskforce and the Women in LogRhythm panel, both of which provide platforms to champion inclusive hiring and celebrate the contributions of women within the company. 

As well as fostering a culture of excellence and inclusivity, these initiatives empowered me to take on leadership roles; thereby strengthening my remit to drive meaningful change.

More latterly, I'm proud to be part of a company that runs ExaGals, an online and in-real-life community dedicated to empowering women at work.

Originally launched as a modest internal initiative, its mission has broadened to encompass the provision of mentorship, networking and career development opportunities for early career women across the tech sector.

As well as enabling individual women to advance and grow, it's helping to combat the global cyber-security skills gap, by encouraging more female participation in this fast growing area of need.

Taking effective action together

There's a common thread that binds these tales of gender progress together and it's this: organisation. That's the X factor that turns excellent intentions into the actions and outcomes that, in time, create lasting change.

For individual women seeking to shake up the status quo, that means getting together with like-minded peers to unpack the challenges they face, establishing goals and developing plans to achieve them in a practical, systematic way. 

For organisations that want to enjoy the fruits of genuine gender equity and inclusion, ditto. 

Conducting a gender analysis to understand where the disparities lie within their organisation is a good place for the latter cohort to start. Assessing policies, workplace culture and workforce data to identify gaps in recruitment, retention, promotion and pay equity provides a clear picture of the challenges and makes it possible to take targeted steps to ensure equal opportunities for all workers.

These activities can't occur in a vacuum. Collaboration – with policy makers, industry leaders and advocacy groups, both internal and external – is the key to making a meaningful impact.

And to ensure that impact is sustained, organisations need to start measuring it. Establishing clear metrics, tracking progress and making continuous data-driven improvements will ensure gender equity remains a core priority, not a token checkbox.

Marching towards a more equitable future together

The theme for International Women's Day this year is 'march forward'. 'Walking quickly and with determination' is the dictionary definition of marching, and typically, it's an action that's performed in the company of others. For me, it perfectly encapsulates women's need to continue proceeding with purpose towards greater equity and inclusion in the workplace and society at large.