Celebrating International Women’s Day: 10 Reflections from Amina Shah’s ‘50 Ways’ Lecture
In honour of International Women’s Day (IWD) on Friday 8th March, I attended the International Women's Day Lecture held by the University of Edinburgh. Although this used to be a yearly occurrence, the event has been halted since the pandemic, making this the first talk since 2019. The momentum has truly been maintained since Professor Dame Anna Glover delivered her speech four years ago, and the event on Friday sold out.
The theme of this year’s IWD is ‘Inspire Inclusion’, a slogan which calls on everybody to recognise the efforts and contributions of women across all sectors of society, recognising, in particular, the work of those who come from marginalised communities and thus stressing the importance of diversity when recognising the global achievements of women. The speaker for this year’s lecture at Edinburgh University was Amina Shah, National Librarian and Chief Executive of the National Library of Scotland. Amina’s talk was delivered in the form of a letter to her daughter, telling her about the women from all walks of life who have come before her and who have paved the way for her generation to thrive. In honour of her talk entitled ‘50 Ways’, here are 10 things that struck me the most from Amina’s talk:
Women have the power to break glass ceilings in their careers whilst prospering in their personal lives.
The diversity of books that are accessible to us in today’s society helps showcase that there is no singular perspective of womanhood that exists.
Friendship can be viewed as a tool of liberation when confronted by an oppressive society.
Is it truly certain that the world is more equal in 2024? Surveys have shown that there is a greater divergence than ever before in the opinions between young men and women, provoked by the likes of Andrew Tate and Donald Trump.
Prioritising the reproductive rights of women should be at the forefront when it comes to addressing the lack of equal gender opportunities that exist in this day and age.
We are 300 years away from achieving gender equality - we need investment from private and public sectors to help combat this.
Despite this frightening statistic, we can nonetheless find pride in the inspirational women who are pioneering the way for the future, Malala and Greta Thunberg for example.
We should also be emboldened by the women of the past who have paved the way for our generation.
There is a power in vulnerability which we should not shy away from in our careers.
Feminism is and always has been about inclusion. There is no room for hierarchy when aspiring towards the common good.
Whilst Amina has clearly demonstrated from her talk that feminism can come in all shapes and sizes, she simultaneously emphasises the importance of collective action, which is important to bear in mind in the continued fight for gender equality.