International Women’s Day 2025
International Women’s Day (IWD) is celebrated on March 8th every year. It’s an important day to focus our attention on the rights of women across the globe.
Key issues such as reproductive rights, gender equality, abuse, and violence against women are top priorities every year. This year’s campaign is a call to action for accelerating efforts to eliminate systemic barriers and biases that impede women’s equality.
The day inspires female empowerment as women from all walks of life come together to reflect on their impact on society. Comfort Keepers prides itself on its women, who make up around 85% of its staff globally. Read on to find out why IWD is such a vital marker for everyone, not just for women.
A Brief History of IWD
International Women’s Day originated in the labour movements in Europe and North America during the early 20th century. It is propelled by the universal female suffrage movement that started in New Zealand.
On March 19th 1911, more than a million people marked the first International Women’s Day in Switzerland, Austria, Denmark, and Germany.
Recognition and Political Influence
In 1917, women in Soviet Russia gained suffrage, sparking the February Revolution. Soon after, the authorities declared March 8 a national holiday.
The date gained traction among socialist and communist movements, associating it with far-left political agendas for decades until its endorsement by the international feminist movement in the late 1960s.
Global Adoption and Modern Observance
IWD then became an accepted holiday across the world once the United Nations adopted it in 1977.
Nowadays, International Women’s Day is commemorated in a number of different ways across the world.
Some countries recognise Women's Day as a public holiday (and city-states, such as Berlin). In many places, the day also marks a call to promote and celebrate the achievements of women.
The UN’s Theme for IWD
“For ALL Women and Girls: Rights. Equality. Empowerment.” is the United Nations’ theme for International Women’s Day 2025. This year’s focus highlights equal rights, power, and opportunities for every woman and girl, ensuring no one is left behind.
Empowering the next generation remains a priority. Young women and adolescent girls have important roles in leadership, advocacy, and decision-making. Their contributions drive lasting change and help create a more equitable world.
30 Years Since the Beijing Declaration
This year marks the 30th anniversary of the Beijing Declaration and Platform for Action, the most widely endorsed framework for advancing women’s rights. Since its adoption in 1995, it has strengthened legal protections, expanded access to essential services, increased youth participation, and challenged outdated stereotypes.
International Women’s Day 2025 reinforces the urgency of these efforts. The UN calls on governments, organisations, and individuals to push forward policies and initiatives that ensure women and girls have equal opportunities in all areas of life.
Ireland’s Place in the EU
Gender equality across the EU is measured by the Gender Equality Index. In 2024, Ireland scored 73.4 points, ranking 9th among 27 EU nations. This placed the country above the EU average.
Ireland scores highest in health, ranking first among all Member States with 94.6 points. Ireland maintained its top position despite a slight decline of 0.2 points since 2021.
Celebrating the Achievements of Women
When taking stock of the themes of IWD 2025, it’s worth looking at some of the achievements of women closer to home.
Political Achievements of Women in Ireland
Women have played an integral part in Irish politics. Mary O’Rourke, Mary Coughlan, and Katherine Zappone are a few of the better-known trailblazers.
From 1990 to 2011, Ireland had female presidents, first Mary Robinson and then Mary McAleese. Progress is undeniable, yet many still struggle for equality.
It’s a huge achievement that Irish women have more rights today than their mothers, grandmothers, and great-grandmothers ever had. That’s as it should be, but inequalities still exist.
Female Leadership in the Workplace
Comfort Keepers Ireland has seen two female CEOs so far in its 20-year run, with Collette Gleeson currently at the helm, taking over from Brid Gould.
5 Ways to Improve Gender Equality in the Workplace
Improving workplace equality can bring efficiency benefits for employers. A gender bias study [PDF] found that gender bias creates tension and conflict among employees, leading to decreased collaboration, communication breakdowns, and a toxic work environment.
Businesses can work on improving gender equality by taking these measures:
1. Expand Shortlists When Recruiting
Gender inequalities can begin in informal recruitment processes, especially in male-dominated industries.
Recruiters should make informal shortlists longer. Just adding 3 extra candidates can see the women-to-men ratio rise dramatically.
2. Eliminate the Gender Pay Gap
The gender pay gap calculates the difference in average earnings between male and female employees. Employers should be transparent about salaries to ensure women don’t receive less than men in equivalent roles.
3. Use Skills-Based Assessments
Employers should use skills-based assessments and specially designed interviews when recruiting to mitigate the danger of unfair bias.
Asking candidates to carry out tasks relevant to the role helps companies assess their suitability based on performance.
Standardising these tasks and using structured interview questions with clear assessment criteria ensures fairness.
4. Encourage Women to Mentor Men
Mentoring in the workplace can help employees progress in their careers. Having women mentor men can be a benefit to both parties and society in general by helping employees learn more about different ways of working and leadership styles.
5. Prioritise Work-Life Balance
Improving work-life balance can benefit both sexes. Companies that offer flexible working opportunities will tend to get more applications to fill job vacancies.
Shared parental leave policies and enabling working parents to share childcare promote equality in caregiving responsibilities
Celebrating International Women’s Day with Comfort Keepers
As we look ahead to the challenges ahead, Ireland has plenty to build on and celebrate in relation to women’s rights.
At Comfort Keepers, we take the issue of gender equality extremely seriously. Comfort Keepers proudly maintains a diverse workforce as an equal-opportunity employer.
March 8 is a great opportunity for us all to reflect or take action in support of women’s empowerment. Visit our resources section for more insights, including an article on World Mental Health Day.
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