Gender equity and workplace transparency are two ever important topics. In celebration of International Women’s Day, we’ve looked at coverage of gender topics across social media. And, how you can tailor your comms to be part of the conversation.
International Women’s Day 🤝 Public Relations
International Women’s Day celebrates the social, economic and political achievements of women around the world. The day was acknowledged for the first time by the United Nations in 1975. But, its origins reach as far back as the early 1900s and the fight for women’s suffrage. Today, many virtual and in-person events take place internationally. They range from women-only conferences and protests to gift giving and social media appreciation posts.
As policies on protections for women & minorities have been passed by governments over the years, gender inequality and workplace fairness have become top news stories. Businesses should be using their PR power and influence to speak out on behalf of women everywhere. Whilst also positioning their brand in alignment with International Women’s Day.
You can showcase your businesses support for gender equity by vocalising your commitment to female presenting staff and customers, champion women-centred news stories, as well as pledge to improve opportunities for women in the workplace.
International Women’s Day across social media
International Women’s Day 2023 generated 478,064 social media items over the past week. #IWD2023 was the leading hashtag for the UK, Germany, and Ireland. Twitter drove the greatest share of conversation, whilst Facebook generated the highest impressions.
The US drove the most impressions, due to discussions surrounding Hershey’s International Women’s Day Canadian campaign and the article in TIME magazine by Michelle Obama, Amal Clooney, and Melinda Gates.
Mentions of International Women’s day have risen since 2022 showcasing the importance for PR teams to engage with the topic for their brands and for their female employees.
See our snapshot report for more detail here.
How to position your communications with gender equity in mind
When it comes to talking about gender equity, honesty and accountability is the key. The more businesses openly acknowledge and discuss the issue of inequality among genders, the more likely their customers will feel a sense of trust for them. That’s why many companies are now taking a more public stand on raising awareness of this issue, as well as making efforts to close their own gaps internally.
When reviewing your communication strategy, consider…
- Whether you share comms about your gender pay gap and gender equity goals? Would it work for your organisation to do this?
- If there is diversity in your executive team, and do you have this on your website?
- If the language in your comms tailored to all audiences?
- What stories and news are you focusing on? Does it include women and their perspectives?
A brands reputation and values are becoming an ever-important factor for consumers. Taking women’s issues seriously within your organisation will enable you to build a comms strategy that aligns your brand with gender equity – importantly, it will also make you a better brand to work with and for.