Today is International Women’s Day, and though I welcome a dedicated day to champion women, there’s no denying that International Women’s Day has lost steam over recent years. Journalist and TEDX Talk speaker, Chloe Laws spoke of her own scepticism when we chatted for this piece: “[International Women’s Day] was born from radical action, socialism and women protesting, but that past is often not present nowadays.”
It’s something I have bristled with myself, especially at a time when activism burnout is on the rise. Then I read the headlines: this week alone in the UK, we’ve seen the true scope of Kyle Clifford’s depravity, and the ‘drug-rape student’ Zhenhao Zou be labelled the “most prolific predators” while on sentence in London. That’s just a snapshot.
I don’t want to dwell on the negatives, as a woman, if you’re reading this, you’ll already already know in your bones the dangers we face. But, when it feels harder than ever to muster the strength to rally, protest, and take action and with misogyny on the rise and violence against women and girls remaining shamefully prevalent, it’s worth touching on the many reasons we need to stay engaged and activated. As Deborah Frances-White said—also for this story—”It’s easy to feel exhausted and defeated. What we must remember is they [the patriarchy] don’t do this when we are quietly falling behind.”
We need voices like Deborah’s, Ashley James’, and Toni Tone’s, who all gave their time to speak about what action they want in 2025 for this story.
This year’s International Women’s Day theme, “Accelerate Action,” underscores the critical need to fast-track progress in achieving gender equality and empowering women across the globe.
Yes, strides have been made, but the pace of change has often been slow (a “long and winding road”, as Baroness Floella Benjamin described it), leaving many women and girls still facing significant barriers in education, employment, health, and political representation. In other words, there is much work to be done.
So, if like me, you’re struggling with activism fatigue, I hope that you’ll find strength and solidarity in the speeches below. Bookmark and save for later, share it with your community, and as Deborah says, meet up with each other.
Happy International Women’s Day—today and every day.
15 powerful women on the change they’re calling for this International Women’s Day
Ashley James is a broadcaster, DJ, and a voice for women. She spoke to Fashion’s DIgest UK at Ancestry’s International Women’s Day panel.
“I’m part of the 50:50 politics campaign trying to get more women into politics and I think it would be nice to accelerate change whether that’s so any issues that affect women and girls. Whether that’s abuse online, deepfake porn, or the rise in sexism and misogyny.
I’d like to see more women making decisions for women and I think where we can do that is by thinking about where we use our votes, but also, if you employ people, think about: are you employing a diverse range of people…because I think if we can make change where we can make change, and we use our voices and write to MPs—that’s all quite actionable ways in which we can accelerate change, especially at a time when we’re looking at diversity being stripped back in America or we’re looking at Andrew Tate getting a free pass. As women, we have the power to choose where we spend our money, choose who we employ, and choose who we vote for.”
(Image credit: Shane Anthony Sinclair / Stringer via Getty Images)
Sharon Gaffka is an advocate for women’s rights and safety, recognised for her work as an award-winning VAWG campaigner, focusing on spiking and online safety.
“The most pressing concern is the increasing negativity towards feminism among young men, with studies showing that 16-29-year-olds are more likely to hold anti-feminist views and that one in five has a positive perception of figures like Tate. The rise of digital misogyny, driven by harmful influencers, weak regulation, and AI-facilitated abuse has serious real-world consequences, from escalating violence against women to the erosion of hard-won rights. To counter this, we urgently need stronger legal protections, greater accountability from tech platforms, and comprehensive digital literacy education.”
(Image credit: Sharon Gaffka)
“If we want to create lasting change, we need to take a proactive approach by embedding education on consent, healthy relationships, and gender equality into the curriculum through better and more inclusive PSHE (Personal, Social, Health, and Economic) education. Prevention starts in the classroom — teaching young people about respect, boundaries, and the realities of gender-based violence before harmful attitudes take root. Women’s safety isn’t just about reacting to danger; it’s about building a society where harm is less likely to occur in the first place. By making comprehensive, evidence-based education a priority, alongside policies that center on women’s lived experiences, we can create a safer, more equal future.”
Eniola Aluko is a British-Nigerian football executive and the director of football at Aston Villa, Ex-Lioness and on the Board of Directors at charity: water.
“Gender equality requires both courage and action to challenge, disrupt and change the status quo of inequality. It is important that both women and male allies work collectively and strategically to challenge the laws and policies that will lead to gender equality across all industries and walks of life.”
(Image credit: Eniola Aluko )
Accelerate Action for me means more focus on the actions rather than the words.
“Young women and girls have so much untapped potential to change the world but have never been allowed to tap into that potential because of societal restrictions and barriers. If we focus on removing those barriers—such as providing a clean water source within a 30-minute round trip—this could save women 77 million working days per year and allow women the time and space to tap into their full potential.”
Dr. Sara Kuburic is an existential psychotherapist, co-founder of The Phenomenological Society, speaker, essayist, and former USA Today columnist
“One of the most urgent issues is addressing intimate partner violence (IPV). In my work, as a clinician and researcher, I’ve seen how prevalent yet misunderstood this issue is. Abuse isn’t always physical; it often starts with subtle forms of control, emotional manipulation, and isolation. Many women don’t recognise these early warning signs, and deeply ingrained cultural narratives about love and loyalty can make it even harder to leave.”
(Image credit: Dr. Sara Kuburic)
Intimate partner violence is the most common form of violence against women, affecting around 736 million women and girls globally.
Dr. Sara Kuburic
“Solidarity starts with listening, believing, and uplifting one another. Women are often conditioned to compete, question their instincts, or minimise their discomfort—especially in relationships. Films like Don’t Call It Love by YSL Beauty serve as vital counter-narratives, challenging collective beliefs about love and the myth that recognising warning signs is easy.”
Anna Williamson is a TV and radio broadcaster, best-selling author, and mental health advocate. Anna is partnering with money platform, Experian on the “Cost of Loving” podcast.
“We need to ensure that financial independence is respected. New research from Experian found that 71% of Brits are not confident in their ability to identify the warning signs of financial abuse in relationships—whether it’s refusing to discuss finances, irresponsible and controlling financial behaviour or patterns that indicate a lack of financial compatibility and trust within a relationship. If women were encouraged to really own their financial independence and also educated to watch out for financial red flags when it comes to their dating and relationships, it would add to more sense of empowerment.”
(Image credit: Anna Williamson)
Toni Tone is Sunday Times bestselling author, award-winning podcast presenter, and influential voice in self-development and empowerment. She is often referred to as ‘the internet’s big sister’ and is a champion of financial empowerment for young women; Toni is a long-standing ambassador for the Young Women’s Trust.
“We need to dismantle systemic barriers that still hold women back. A big part of that is opening up conversations about money. Financial empowerment starts with open conversations and seeking out expert advice. I’m working with HSBC UK on the launch of their new report, ‘Your Money’s Worth: Defining Wealth in 2025’, which found that 63% of the general population feels uncomfortable talking about money. The research also indicated that on average, women save much less than men. We must address the systemic barriers preventing women from achieving economic security and independence.”
(Image credit: Toni Tone)
Eliza Hatch is a photographer, TEDx Talk speaker, curator, digital creator, and the founder of Cheer Up Luv.
“It’s never felt more pressing to address the real-world impact of online misogyny evolving into IRL violence. We are entering a new era of widespread backlash to feminism, bro-oligarchy fuelled masculine energy and roll-back of DEI programs and content moderation in the US, which will ripple around the world. Men and boys have a key role in accelerating progress in gender equality, and more than ever it feels like we have to encourage men to take a seat at this particular table, as it’s not an issue we can solve alone.”
(Image credit: Eliza Hatch)
We need all parts of society to make the issue of violence against women a priority to solve.
“Globally women continue to face debilitating gender inequality. You only have to look at the data around women and girls’ education, health, safety and equity to see how much further we still need to go. Around the world, 119 million girls are still out of school, women and girls are disproportionately impacted by the climate crisis, by wars and when fleeing areas of conflict—and at the current rate of progress, it will take until the year 2158, (roughly five generations from now) to reach gender parity, according to the World Economic Forum.”Globally women continue to face debilitating gender inequality. You only have to look at the data around women and girls’ education, health, safety and equity to see how much further we still need to go. Around the world, 119 million girls are still out of school, women and girls are disproportionately impacted by the climate crisis, by wars and when fleeing areas of conflict—and at the current rate of progress, it will take until the year 2158, (roughly five generations from now) to reach gender parity, according to the World Economic Forum.”
Baroness Floella Benjamin
Baroness Floella Benjamin is an actress, singer, presenter, author and politician. She spoke to Fashion’s DIgest UK at Ancestry’s International Women’s Day panel celebrating their 1921 census.
“I’d like to see women support one another…to make sure that you don’t pull the ladder up, but you open the door and you get a flood coming through. Just bring women along and show that together we are a stronger force than just being the only one in the room. I’m the only one (woman) in the room, I feel I have failed. I want to bring other people along, and I think that’s what my message would be.”
Baroness Floella Benjamin
(Image credit: Kate Green/BAFTA / Contributor via Getty Images)
Never give up, never give up, never ever give up.
“Not enough people realise you have to write to your MPs and you’ve got to keep on talking. It took me 20 years to get a cabinet-level minister for children. Back in 1983, I started campaigning; we only got one in 2003—20 years. I campaigned for 12 years to stop children from easily accessing online pornography, a lot of people didn’t support me, but I kept on and on and on and on and on. That’s the sort of thing you have to do as a woman, you’ve got to keep on doing it.”
“If there was ever a time to accelerate action, it’s now. In my new book, Six Conversations We’re Scared to Have, I unpack that what is happening now is ‘The Empire Strikes Back’ effect. We gained ground in women’s rights through the Me Too movement, women’s marches and a general resurgence of feminism in our communities and now there is a backlash.”
We’ve got to rethink how we find each other. The time for “sharing and liking” within the void is over. We must meet.
(Image credit: Deborah Frances-White)
“Abortion rights are being stripped away, DEI programmes cancelled and ‘a more masculine energy’ is being lauded. It’s easy to feel exhausted and defeated. What we must remember is they don’t do this when we are quietly falling behind. They do it when we are strong, numerous and making real wins. This is the time to accelerate action because we cannot afford to lose recently won ground. This is the time because their fears of our power are evident from their lunges for control.”
Chloe Laws is a freelance writer, journalist, social media expert, and Tedx Talk speaker. She is the founder of FGRLS CLUB, an account raising awareness and educating about misogyny.
“I won’t lie, I’ve been sceptical about International Women’s Day in recent years. It was born from radical action, socialism, and women protesting, but that past is often not present nowadays. Instead, corporate entities have taken it over – sometimes washing their reputation of gender pay gaps and inequality with shiny, dazzling events. However, going back to IWD’s roots and connecting with the true meaning helps, like channelling these frustrations into protesting, fundraising and having vital conversations. The theme this year is appealing, and an improvement on some of the more vague themes of previous years; it’s a clear instruction to us all.”
The need for feminist movements and preventative action against misogyny has never been more vital.
(Image credit: Chloe Laws by Tilly Wace)
“We need to accelerate action, because the gulf between young boys and girls is ever-growing, and our societal connection to ‘feminism’ is as depleted as it was decades ago. This week the annual IPOS report came out, finding that nearly 1 in 2 Britons (47%) say that when it comes to giving women equal rights with men, things have gone far enough in Great Britain – compared to 38% who said the same last year.”
Emma Holten is a feminist activist and gender policy consultant. In 2014, she created the project CONSENT, raising awareness of digital sexual violence. She served on the European Institute of Gender Equality Experts Forum as an expert in feminist economics, and on Human Rights Watch’s advisory committee on Women’s Rights.
“Feminist economics shows us that salaries do not reflect value, they reflect power, history and hierarchy. Care work, both at home and in the public sector, has been made invisible, taken for granted and overlooked in politics and economics. As soon as we acknowledge this, we can rip open the discussion about the distribution of time and money in this country.”
Why is it that the less time you spend caring for people, the richer you seem to be?
(Image credit: Emma Holten by Claudia Vega)
“Feminist economics shows us that salaries do not reflect value, they reflect power, history and hierarchy. Care work, both at home and in the public sector, has been made invisible, taken for granted and overlooked in politics and economics. As soon as we acknowledge this, we can rip open the discussion about the distribution of time and money in this country.”
“Domestic abuse can happen to anyone, but there is no denying that women are disproportionately impacted by this horrific crime. Domestic abuse is not just physical violence; too often, lesser-known forms of abuse, such as coercive control, do not receive the same degree of acknowledgement, despite the devastating impact these can have on survivors and victims.
This urgently needs to change to ensure that as many women as possible are able to access justice, starting with recognising the many varied red flags of domestic abuse. I’m involved in Refuge’s Red Flags campaign for International Women’s Day, and as part of that, I’m urging everyone to take action by educating themselves on how domestic abuse can present itself.”
(Image credit: Caitlin O’Ryan)
Tabitha Morton is the Executive Director of UN Women UK, whose mission is to ensure every woman and girl has access to safety, choice and a voice.
“Women are the backbone of the care economy, yet they remain trapped in cycles of poverty, unpaid labour, and economic exclusion. Investing in care could create 1.5M jobs in the UK and transform economies. We have to stop talking about care as a cost and start treating it as the economic driver it truly is. Expanding access to affordable childcare, investing in early childhood education, and providing adequate paid family leave for new parents and caregivers are just some of the critical actions needed to revolutionise care in the UK.”
(Image credit: Tabitha Morton)
Susie Ma is the Founder & CEO (and sole owner) of Tropic Skincare, a natural beauty empire reshaping the industry with products that are both ethical and effective.
(Image credit: Susie Ma)
“We need more transparency from companies on their pay gaps, and companies need to step up to support parents – especially mothers. At Tropic, we’re proud to have zero gender pay gap; in fact, women make up 67% of senior leadership roles at Tropic, double the national average. Taking time out of work to nurture a child shouldn’t be seen as detrimental. The skills parents learn are beneficial to their personal and professional lives. With this societal belief, I think we’d have more dads taking time out to look after their children, which would also help close the gender pay gap.”