Can you imagine a world where the barriers of bias, stereotypes, and discrimination are removed and where girls and women are valued equally and celebrated?

International Women's Day is a global day celebrating the social, economic, cultural, and political achievements of women. The day also marks a call to action for accelerating women's equality. One of the themes for this years campaign is around embracing equity.  Whether it’s in school, college, university, workplace or elsewhere, raising awareness about discrimination and taking action to push for gender parity is crucial. It opens doors for girls and young women and gives them the chance to celebrate their achievements. 

Our Ambassador Community have been thinking about what International Women's Day and #EmbraceEquity means to them as well as their own aspirations, hopes and goals. They've also discussed the barriers, challenges and worries in reaching those dreams.

Here are some of their thoughts in their own words and voices...

Women face discrimination in the workplace where they are not seen to ‘fit in especially in male-dominated careers. For girls and young women we need support in more networking opportunities that can act as a powerful informal pathway. Breaking stereBarriers to progression are also rooted in the confidence gap. That old saying, women should only consider putting themselves forward for a job if they believe they meet the job criteria.  Well that’s the first barrier - the perception of what women Our voices as young activists should never be silenced; we need more platforms to empower  and influence change. Young women are the most disadvantaged group, we need empathy  to develop and grow. We need action to achieve change!Lack of safety and security also act as a major barrier to girls and young women’s activism, in the workplace, in education and training. Collective action needs to happen so that girls and young women can have the right support to achieve, be health

Access to opportunities has been a huge barrier for many young women - this needs addressing urgently. I want to do something related to medicine and worry about the challenges of getting into this career. Young women like us on the verge of deciding