Celebrating Women on International Women’s Day…and Every Day.

One woman recalls being passed over for a promotion that was promised when she was hired for the job.

Another woman has presented proposals to senior management, only to have her male colleagues co-opt them and get undeserved praise and recognition.

And a third woman—the only woman on the executive team—was viewed as the “nurturing woman” and not an equal because she was expected to bring muffins to the meetings. When she left the company, she was replaced by a higher paid man (who probably doesn’t bring in muffins).

These are not anecdotes we’ve read about from previous generations of women. These are real-life back stories from members of the Juna team today, who have endured gender bias, discrimination, and stereotyping at previous workplaces. It has become an all too familiar refrain. But these experiences have only fueled our resolve to champion equality.

Today, we celebrate International Women’s Day (IWD)—a day marked since 1911—as “a global day celebrating the social, economic, cultural, and political achievements of women,” according to the website. But as our own life and workplace experiences reveal, “the day also marks a call to action for accelerating women’s equality.”

The IWD 2022 campaign theme is #BreakTheBias and the group’s website shows people—women and men, black, white, and of color—in photos striking what they call the #BreakTheBias pose: arms crossed like an “X” to show their “commitment to calling out bias, smashing stereotypes, breaking inequality, and rejecting discrimination.”

On this day, you’ll see us in the photo at the top of this post striking a similar pose. As a women-owned business with an all-women team, we too are committed to breaking the bias and calling out gender bias, discrimination, and stereotyping each time we see it.

Today’s Special Meaning

As we think about what this day means to us as a women-owned firm, we need to be mindful that it’s not just up to women to call for change and equity. It’s about men and those of all gender identities playing an active role and coming together to recognize that we are truly equal. “Today, IWD belongs to all groups collectively everywhere. IWD is not country, group or organization specific,” reads the website.

So, what does International Women’s Day mean to us here at Juna? One employee calls today “a day of celebration” to honor “women who have pushed us into the spotlight and helped us win our rights” and “women who are stay-at-home mothers and raising the next generation of humanity.”

Another one, noting the heavy weight of the past two years amid a global pandemic, says: “Women are strong. We’ve come so far. Celebrating women is so much more important after the past two years. The pandemic has taken a toll on women in the workforce. Yet we’re working harder than ever.”

Another colleague says pointedly that “women deserve more than an artificial declared day. But it is neat that it is recognized globally.”

Finally, one says today is a “Celebration of women around the world” while another says, “It’s a day to bring more awareness to gender inequality and hopefully unite people to create positive change.”

Life-Shaping Experiences

We have suffered indignities that have shaped us.

The previously mentioned co-worker passed over for the promotion also “had a boss who commented that I did not work as hard after I had a child.” And the colleague whose ideas were co-opted by male peers also experienced “several instances of exclusion” related to meetings, sports outings and dinners.

Another colleague who used to work in the radio industry recalls “there were a number of times where men with less experience were given more opportunities or hours than the women on the staff.” Fortunately, she notes, “That happens less now.”

Still, the inequities—particularly regarding equal pay—continue. “I have experienced bias in my career in salary inequalities with my male counterparts. I [earned] 19% less than a male in the same role at the same company,” says one.

The Center for American Progress, citing 2018 U.S. Census bureau data, says women earn 82 cents for every $1 earned by men.

We are pleased that there appears to be some progress.

A younger employee here—who calls herself “a woman in the newer generation”—says that while she has “not experienced a ton of bias in her career or personal life thus far,” acknowledges the struggles faced by her mother and grandmother. She has also had many conversations with her mother-in-law about her difficult experiences working in marketing in New York City in the 1980s.

“I can tell you I am very glad to be a young woman in the 2020s and not in the 1980s,” she says.

Honoring Strong Women

Despite the ongoing challenges we face, we here at Juna have come across some incredible women who have forged their own path. And in doing so, they have inspired us.

An informal poll conducted here at Juna shows that several women call out the late Supreme Court Associate Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg and First Lady Michelle Obama as female role models.

Other female role models cited include actresses/activists Jane Fonda and Rita Moreno, retired professional soccer star Mia Hamm, primatologist Jane Goodall, former U.S. Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice, Pakistani activist Malala Yousafzai, and gun control advocate Emma Gonzalez.

One Juna employee points to a list of six women: aviation pioneer Amelia Earhart, American writer Alice Roosevelt Longworth, computer scientists Margaret Hamilton and Grace Hopper, hiking pioneer Emma “Grandma” Gatewood, and “my paternal grandmother.”

Continuing that familial theme, another woman cites, “My nieces who are having successful careers and raising families.”

As we review our list of female role models, it’s interesting to note that the women span the 19th, 20th, and 21st centuries, and feature generations of women who entered the worlds of politics, business, literary, activism, entertainment and more. That tells us that we are drawing inspiration and lessons from women across the spectrum and the globe. Take, for example, that we are equally moved by the writings of Longworth at the turn of the 19 century as we are by the activism of 20-somethings Yousafzai and Gonzalez in the 21st century.

The bravery and courage of these women is remarkable. You might recall that Yousafzai, at the age of 15 in 2012, was shot in the head on a school bus in Pakistan for publicly speaking out on behalf of girls and their right to learn. She later became the youngest Nobel Peace Prize laureate.

Or you might remember that Gonzalez, a survivor of the February 2018 Stoneman Douglas High School shooting in Parkland, FL, helped organize the March for Our Lives, which became the largest student protest in American history.

These women are incredibly inspiring to all of us. And as we forge ahead in our daily lives—as mothers, daughters, sisters, aunts, friends, co-workers and more—we are emboldened to redouble our efforts to continue to light the way for the next generation of women.

It’s a duty that we willingly and gladly accept.