This International Women's Day, what do we mean by gender equality?

Happy International Women's Day! The theme this year is Each for Equal.

What does that really mean?

According to InternationalWomensDay.com:

"An equal world is an enabled world. Individually, we're all responsible for our own thoughts and actions - all day, every day.

We can actively choose to challenge stereotypes, fight bias, broaden perceptions, improve situations and celebrate women's achievements. Collectively, each one of us can help create a gender equal world. "

They are putting the focus on individuals, individuals can fight for gender equality, individuals can create a gender equal world.

This may be an empowering message for the reader but it isn't the whole truth. Of course individuals actions are very impactful, each of us can and should "challenge stereotypes, fight bias, broaden perceptions, improve situations and celebrate women's achievements".

However we can't as individuals create a gender equal world. That requires a whole system change, a complete shake up of how power operates in our world.

What do we mean by gender equality? Gender equal boardroom, a gender equal government, gender equal media coverage, gender equal workplaces, gender equal sports coverage, more gender equality in health and wealth?

Individuals may strive to support women to have a presence in those places but is a gender equal structure of power possible when that structure of power was originally designed to benefit and promote men?

In the UK, we have had two female prime ministers and only 29% of our MPs are women. For those numbers to be gender equal, there are many structural and societial barriers that need to be addressed.

Individuals can be part of that change but the change must be more radical than simply "improving situations.”

At the same time, equality is more complicated than just equal numbers of women in government or in boardrooms. Equality is about how the most vulnerable women are treated by a system, it is about where power lies and whether a system enables women to thrive. That being said let's have equal numbers and take it from there.

Our current system let's down sexual assault and domestic violence victims, it promotes mediocre and hateful white men, it pays and values women less. We are nowhere near gender equality just yet.