Emma, Director of Indigo Greens Estate Agents in York, writes about what International Women’s Day 2023 means to her as a female, small business owner and a mum of two young girls.
“International Women’s Day for me is a chance to celebrate the amazing achievements of women throughout time. Society’s view on women and what we are capable of and what is acceptable for us to do has taken huge leaps forward in recent decades especially. Women’s football is just one clear, recent, well published example of this crucial leap towards equality. A long time coming since Nettie Honeyball’s first adverts in 1894 looking for female football players and many setbacks along the way, including a ban by the FA on women’s football that lasted 50 years!
I have had a relatively lucky upbringing regarding gender equality in the sense that I wasn't surrounded by closed doors because I am a woman (although I feel there were some because I am a mother), this is something I consciously build upon for my two young daughters, the wonderful women I work with and for the women, I come across in my life. I know the world has come a long way with gender equality, but it still has so far to go, even in the western world.
We need to build women up to be the best version of themselves that they can be in life and my strong belief is “If you want something hard enough then just believe in yourself and go and get it!” The fight to get to where you want to be may be harder for some (genders, sexualities etc) but if you don't fight for something you want, you will never make a change. Nettie Honeyball is the perfect example of being a change maker… it has to start somewhere.
International Women’s Day is a celebration of all the inspirational women in our lives now, in the past and those who are yet to come.”
