International Women’s Day Special: Inclusion, Equality, and Intersectionality 

Words by Nivedita Sarbadhikari and Rajbhushan Sawant 

International Women’s Day started as a day to honour the achievements of women across all aspects of life – social, economic, cultural, and political – while also advocating for gender equality. Today, it has turned into a global movement worldwide dedicated to the advancement of women. Each year, there are dedicated themes, community and support groups, programs and events to celebrate the achievements and accomplishments of women everywhere. From hashtags to articles to awards and even ads/ campaigns, there is a whole month dedicated to honouring women. But after all these years, has it really been able to move the needle? According to the Global Gender Gap Index by the World Economic Forum, the Global Gender Gap score for 2024 stood at 68.5% closed. It improved by merely +1 point from last year. So, basically, while we have made progress over time, it has been very slow, indicating that we still have a long way to go. 

 To understand equality, one must understand the complexities of inequality and how intersectionality impacts it. It clearly shows us that different forms of discrimination (like racism, sexism, and classism) are interconnected, and this creates unique challenges for people with overlapping identities. E.g. a Dalit woman may face sexism (overlooked for promotions), caste discrimination (experiencing microaggressions or being stereotyped) and classism (if she comes from a lower income group). A combination of all these factors intersect to create a complex set of struggles for her. Radhika Apte’s struggles in one of the episodes of the Amazon Series ‘Made in Heaven’ beautifully depicts this. This also applies to other women from diverse backgrounds because each experience is unique. 

To effectively address these unique and nuanced challenges, it is essential to actively seek out diverse perspectives, design initiatives that respond to the specific needs of intersecting identities, and drive systemic change to dismantle multiple forms of discrimination. This requires listening closely to marginalized voices, conducting thorough needs assessments, and partnering with community organizations that advocate for and represent women from diverse backgrounds. 

Let’s take the example of WPP Stella, a Mentorship Program, designed to leverage the collective experience of senior WPP women leaders by helping women maximise their potential and supporting each other and each year, we partner with them to make a difference in helping women elevate themselves. We also partner on UNITE, an ERG dedicated to LGBTQIA+ inclusion which consists of members from the community and allies. All these approaches create inclusive opportunities irrespective of race, caste, religion or socioeconomic background. It helps promote advocacy, allyship, education, elevation and support.  

Here’s how organizations can ACE to crack the code:  

• Appreciate: Be culturally sensitive and understand cultural nuances. Deep dive into specific challenges faced by women from different backgrounds.  Acknowledge privilege, promote allyship and ‘speak up. ’ Men and individuals with privilege must actively support women’s empowerment efforts and speak out against discrimination to help promote an environment where all women feel seen, heard, safe and valued.  

• Challenge: Challenge and break the ‘myth’ that there is a single, universal experience of being a woman. Drive representation across the board, especially in leadership, by including women from underrepresented communities. Address systemic barriers in policies, practices, and processes specially impacting women from underrepresented communities.  

• Educate yourselves: Encourage intersectionality training to help everyone understand how different forms of discrimination impact different individuals. Use that to promote holistic decision-making at an organizational level.  

By embracing and embedding intersectionality into our culture, processes, programs and initiatives, we can create an ecosystem for all women, regardless of their background, that will make them achieve their full potential and thrive! 

Nivedita Sarbadhikari is Global People Lead – Impact and People Director – India & SEA and Rajbhushan Sawant is Executive Architecture Director, Landor India