How to Celebrate Women’s History Month Virtually

Back in 1987, March was declared Women’s History Month in the US. Since then, people across the country have used the month to recognize and celebrate women’s contributions to history, culture, and society.

During Women’s History Month, women are also recognized worldwide on March 8th, International Women’s Day. Every year, International Women’s Day embraces a new theme. This year’s theme is #BreakTheBias—which encourages people to forge women’s equality and break the bias in our communities, workplaces, schools, colleges, and universities. 

To prevent gender inequality in the workplace and support female employees, it’s crucial for companies to recognize both Women’s History Month and International Women’s Day.

”Observing Women’s History Month and International Women's Day is important at our company because we still do not live in an equal or equitable society,” explained Erin Rittweger, Product Manager and lead of WomenIN, one of Namely’s Employee Resource Groups (ERGs). “Focusing our attention on women, their accomplishments, struggles, and perspectives will help us challenge the way things are now and create a better future. After this month, we hope our employees walk away with more compassion and understanding for women, and to have learned how they can take a similar approach to advocate for themselves or be allies of women.”

So throughout the month of March, how can you recognize the women at your company?

Here are 5 ways you can celebrate Women’s History Month and International Women’s Day virtually:

1. Recognize #SHeroes

Every year, WomenIN encourages our employees to nominate their #SHeroes—women at Namely who inspire them. Throughout the month, the ERG gives shoutouts to these nominees, highlighting their roles and the difference they’re making in the workplace. 

To take this recognition a step further, you can also host a Career Progression Panel to spotlight a few of your #SHeroes. During this session, each woman can take other employees through their career journeys, before and at your company. By sharing their stories, these #SHeroes can help foster connection, allyship, and women empowerment within your organization.

2. Host Virtual Events

If some of your employees are still working from home, there are several virtual events you can host. From book clubs and yoga classes to Q&A sessions with guest speakers, these events can bring the women at your company and their allies together to celebrate Women’s History Month.

3. Conduct Informational Sessions

To take a deeper dive into the conversations affecting women, you can conduct virtual breakout sessions for employees. For example, WomenIN has hosted sessions in the past that discuss topics such as white feminism and its harm to BIPOCs. Before these sessions, you can provide attendees with a few resources to read, listen, and watch so that everyone can be prepared to explore the topic.

4. Share Educational Resources

Of course Women’s History Month is about the celebration of women—but it’s also about education. At Namely, the leaders of our Diversity & Inclusion Group (DiveIN) and other ERGs have partnered with each other to share educational resources with the rest of our organization. For example, as Equal Pay Day approaches, you can post information about the pay disparity between men, women, and BIPOCs. These resources can also highlight how everyone can help make a difference in reducing the pay gap.

5. Strive to Make a Change in the Workplace

Women’s History Month and International Women’s Day bring gender equality to the forefront of conversations—but those conversations should be happening all year long. To take a closer look at how we can open doors for women in the workplace, Pamela Thomas-Graham, Founder and CEO of Dandelion Chandelier, and Elisa Steele, Namely’s Chair of the Board of Directors, are coming together for Namely’s next SpeakHer Mind event on Wednesday, March 9th at 2 PM ET. Opening Doors Through Representation will explore how Thomas-Graham overcame the challenge of being the “only” representation in the room and her passion for opening doors for women of similar backgrounds through creating accessibility. Both Namely employees and people outside of the organization are welcomed.

Want to tune into our upcoming SpeakHer Mind event? Register here!