International Women’s Day 2024

By Chris Seeley · 8 March 2024

The theme of International Women’s Day 2024 is the question ‘What does it mean to truly inspire inclusion?’, we asked our colleagues to answer this question, and received a wonderful response from all levels of the business. Bid coordinator Rachel Holloway provided her thoughts:

In the quest for gender equality, the words “no woman left behind” comes to mind, reminding us that true progress is achieved only when it encompasses the entirety of womankind. While this notion may appear self-evident to those even casually observing the feminist movement, its significance is often underestimated.

The pivotal aspect of this year’s International Women’s Day theme, “Inspire Inclusion,” is a call to ensure that every woman’s voice is not only heard but embraced in the broader discourse. Women have historically faced the disheartening reality of having their voices suppressed, overshadowed, or simply ignored. True equality demands a commitment to dismantling these barriers.

Furthermore, for women who identify as people of colour, members of the LGBTQ+ community, or part of any marginalised group, the challenges are often twofold. They encounter not only the gender bias that affects all women, but also additional layers of discrimination rooted in their intersecting identities. The feminist narrative must evolve to recognise and address these compounded struggles to forge a path toward genuine equality.

Imagine a world where every woman feels included—regardless of her background or identity. In this realm of inclusivity, the potential for progress knows no bounds. The collective strength of diverse voices not only enriches the feminist movement but also propels society toward a more equitable and just future.

Inclusion and equality, inherently positive concepts, go hand in hand. As we champion the cause of Inspiring Inclusion this year, let us pledge to break the shackles of silence that have stifled women’s voices for far too long. Only through a united commitment to inclusivity can feminism fulfil its promise of equality for all.

ARK Director Chris Seeley gave his thoughts on International Women’s Day 2024:

I think International Women’s Day is important, it provides an opportunity to celebrate the achievements of colleagues but also serves to highlight the continuing inequalities that women face across the globe and closer to home. I want to celebrate my great women friends and colleagues at ARK. I am pleased to say that our team now has a broadly 50/50 gender split and there are too many colleagues to list, but we recognise the need to do more and better in recruiting and retaining women in our senior roles.

Our challenge is the same as that faced by the social housing sector, where recruitment to Director and CE roles is certainly better than other sectors/industries but it is not the case at board level. I have been in agreement with Lara Oyedele, former President of the Chartered Institute of Housing, who has been a passionate advocate of more diverse boards and was pleased to repost Amanda Swann and Laura Woods as they celebrated joining the boards of Bromford Housing and Alpha Living respectively.

There are lots of opportunities out there, women please apply, men please find ways to yes to women when recruiting.

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