When one woman rises: Why International Women’s Day demands action
By Susan Rodgers, Director of Client Success, Quality & Enablement
“When one woman rises, she lifts a thousand more.”
This quote, widely attributable to the author and activist Maya Angelou, is something I’ve always believed to be true. Women’s strength was never meant to be silent – it was meant to be shared.
International Women’s Day is a moment to celebrate progress, but it’s also a time to reflect honestly on the work still to be done. Globally, women are making extraordinary strides in the business world and public life. And yet, in many places, rights are being eroded quietly. Freedoms are being challenged. Voices are being silenced.
This day isn’t just about recognition. It’s about responsibility.
Use your voice – especially when others are silenced
We’re living in a time when force and fear often dominate headlines. In such a world, using your voice isn’t a small act. It’s a powerful one.
Look around your own community. Are there groups that need support? Food banks, shelters, mentoring programmes, grassroots organisations – all of these rely on people willing to step forward. Advocacy doesn’t always mean standing at a podium. It can mean volunteering your time, supporting local initiatives or speaking up in meetings when someone else is overlooked.
If you’re in a position of influence, use it. If you’re not, find ways to amplify the voices of those who are not being heard.
Silence has never protected progress.
Protect your rights – particularly when they’re quietly eroded
Protecting women’s rights begins with understanding them.
Know the laws that affect you. Pay attention to legislation being discussed in parliament. Ask: how could this shape the rights and freedoms of women and girls? Sign petitions. Engage with consultations. Build relationships with your local representatives, whether in council or parliament. Let the people elected to represent you know where you stand.
Change rarely happens by accident. It happens when people care enough to stay informed and to act.
International Women’s Day should not just remind us of historic victories – it should galvanise us to protect the ground already won.
Support one another – here and internationally
While we celebrate advancements in some parts of the world, we mustn’t ignore the reality that in others, women are still fighting for the most basic freedoms: education, bodily autonomy, equal opportunity, safety.
We’re a worldwide sisterhood.
Supporting one another means thinking beyond our own borders. It means acknowledging that the fight for equality is interconnected. When women stand up against regimes that seek to reduce their rights, they deserve global solidarity.
And closer to home, it means actively championing women whose freedoms or opportunities are newly under threat – whether that’s in the workplace, in public life or within communities.
Progress isn’t permanent unless it’s protected.
Recognise your strength – even more so when encouraged to minimise it
There’s a persistent narrative that women should soften their strength, shrink their ambition or temper their influence. I reject that entirely.
Strength in numbers has always driven change. Collective action has shaped history. If you cannot find your own strength in a particular moment, support those who are standing up and speaking truth to power. Leadership isn’t always about being at the front; sometimes it’s about standing firmly behind someone who needs backing.
The fight for women’s rights didn’t end with the women who made history. It continues in every choice we make to stand up, speak out and support one another.
Leadership in action at Jayva
At Jayva, I’m fortunate to work in an organisation where female leadership is not a token presence – it’s embedded in who we are.
Our Global Chief Executive Officer and Founder, Nicola Moore-Miller, leads with clarity, courage and conviction. Across our global operations, women sit at the helm of teams, projects and strategic initiatives. That visible female leadership matters. It sends a message to younger women entering the profession that there’s no ceiling they must quietly accept.
But representation alone is not enough. It must be accompanied by opportunity, mentorship and accountability.
In my role as Director of Client Success, Quality & Enablement, I see daily the power of creating space for women to lead, to innovate and to challenge thinking. When one woman steps into leadership, she doesn’t simply advance her own career – she expands what feels possible for others.
From celebration to commitment
International Women’s Day is rightly a celebration. But let it also be a recommitment.
Use your voice. Protect your rights. Support your sisters. Recognise your strength.
Because when one woman rises, she lifts a thousand more.
Let’s keep rising – together.