Every year around the 8th of March I find myself cringing at the performative rituals of flower giving and momentary shout outs to recognise women’s contribution to society.
A bouquet is lovely, but it’s hardly enough to match the demands of decent pay, rights and respect that we deserve every single day.
I too love to hear about women’s achievements and to see issues like violence against women and girls spotlighted – but why only around the International Women’s Day? The contrast is frustrating: a few days of celebration, while the rest of the year is filled with everyday sexism, violence and economic inequity. A bunch of roses doesn’t match up with the reality of a continued struggle for lasting improvements.
Gendered reality of economic inequality
In London and across the UK, more women live in poverty than men. A new research by the Living Wage Foundation shows that women are 50% more likely to be low-paid, which contributes to a widening gender pay gap. And it costs more to be a woman. Our everyday expenses often carry a “poverty premium,” and we end up paying more for essential services and products.
For women of colour, the disadvantages of both race and gender combine, making challenges even greater - more discrimination, fewer opportunities, and additional barriers.
The fight isn’t only about achieving equal pay and treatment in the workplace. It’s also about dismantling the societal and economic structures that perpetuate women’s poverty and undervalue our contributions, both paid and unpaid. Work of groups like the Women’s Budget Group reveal that good data and thoughtful analysis are crucial for creating equitable economy and holding governments and businesses accountable.
It's an everyday fight
While introducing mandatory gender pay gap reporting was a step in the right direction, the lack of enforceable action plans indicates a worrying complacency. The work of organisations led by and for women—which encompasses everything from workers’ rights, tackling violence against women and girls, to racial justice—remains essential. With entrenched gendered poverty, we need to ensure that women are centred, included, and supported every day.
The rights we’ve won must continue to be safeguarded, as they are increasingly under threat from policies and practices that treat women as cheaper, more expendable labour. It’s time for a renewed commitment to fight for an equitable society that values every woman, every day — one where women receive not only symbolic gestures but respect, opportunities, and pay that lifts them out of poverty
