International Women's Day 2024
International Women's Day 2024
It's 2024 and we have fewer rights than we did a year ago
Though it seems to be gaining recognition every year, International Women’s Day is a day for perfunctory marketing and social media acknowledgment by major corporations. But I wonder about the follow-through during the rest of the year.
Today, Home Depot posted a vide to their Instagram account of a woman woodworker with the caption: “Woodworker, designer and mom are just some of the hats Sarah of @toolgirlsgarage wears every day. This International Women’s Day, we celebrate and uplift women, empowering them to continue on, strong and resilient 💪”
So, does Home Depot “celebrate and uplift women, empowering them to continue on, strong and resilient” just today or every day? Their caption literally says they celebrate women “this International Women’s Day,” and given their track record, I’m hard pressed to believe this sentiment persists every other day. Last November Reuter’s reported that the billionaire Home Depot co-founder, Bernie Marcus, stated he would continue to support Trump six months after Trump was found liable for sexually assaulting E. Jean Carroll, and regularly takes credit for overturning Roe v. Wade.
I can see looking past accusations of mishandling classified documents (well, actually, I can’t), but I definitely can’t fathom supporting a legally verified rapist if I genuinely support women.
Women Leadership
While we’re picking on Home Depot, let’s dig a little deeper. Of the team of 32 executive leaders, 10 are women. 31% is better than a lot of other major corporations, but it’s a far cry from equality.
I chose Home Depot because it’s a good analogy for the nation as a whole, a nation that says one thing, does another, and is in line statistically with the percent of women in elected office or government leadership.
Who is qualified?
A lot of people argue that filling leadership roles isn’t—or shouldn’t be—about gender, it’s about the “best person for the job.” But when women are largely excluded from the pool of consideration, naturally the best options are men. The reason that women are excluded from the pool is they simply aren’t qualified. Until Title IX was passed in 1972, women were not even allowed to participate in Shop Class in high school. Generations of women were automatically excluded from learning the skills that would put them at a competitive advantage to work in leadership for a company like Home Depot, which ranks 17 on the Fortune 100 list.
In automotive, my industry, women are not qualified to be technicians because they are not encouraged to go to trade school. As a result, the automotive Service & Parts industry is bursting at the seams. If you wonder why it takes 2 weeks to get an appointment at your local dealership for a simple oil change, it’s because there’s not enough technicians. There is a major technician shortage, for several reasons, but one that is often overlooked is that we only let half of the population think it’s a career option for them, and until 1972, US schools and businesses were legally allowed to prohibit women from participating in the first place. Only 2% of the automotive technicians in the US are women, and the auto industry as a whole is comprised of only 27% women. 31% at Home Depot and 27% in automotive overall shows generations of women following the Boomers are catching up and claiming jobs traditionally earmarked for men. But during this time, we’re losing ground in other ways.
A year ago, Axios reported that the gender wage gap is at its narrowest ever, but that women still receive 15% less than men. Why are we still banging our heads against the wall to get paid?
With the reversal of Roe v. Wade, states have systematically created legislation designed to criminalize women with miscarriages, and families seeking IVF for pregnancy, among other twisted scenarios. Thankfully, with the reversal of Roe v. Wade, support for abortion has increased among voters, but until we can vote out legislators trying to criminalize women of child bearing age, women are having fewer abortions, traveling farther to get them, and have had to carry non-viable pregnancies to term, undergoing unbearable trauma and unnecessary risk.
Affirmative Action, which seeks to increase equitability is inherently flawed and discriminatory. Despite its good intentions, it has only created more stigma and resistance towards women and marginalized communities who need support.
Valuing Women
Instead of getting discounts and touchy feeling social media posts, I want to see companies hire women in executive roles; to strong arm the legislature to pass bills that protect women, including trans women and women of color. I want to see Bernie Marcus give money to women political candidates, or at a minimum, literally any male candidate who is not a convicted rapist.
Failing to act upon the marketing messaging that companies promote every March maintains the status quo. By “acknowledging” women only one designated day, instead of institutionalizing it in their culture, major companies perpetuate the status quo of female oppression, simply by not acknowledging it with genuine impetus every other day of the year. Doing so reinforces the notion that women get one day of recognition, as we are back to business as usual tomorrow. Further, offering discounts and sales promotions on IWD promotes the notion that a woman’s value is less. On IWD, I want to buy products from women led companies at full price.
At least no one can accuse any of these big companies participating in #internationalwomensday of not “celebrating women,” even as they refuse to hire them or pay them fairly.
I work at a small auto concierge company, and as VP, I intend to put our money where our mouth is by supporting women, particularly as they navigate traditionally pernicious automotive purchasing experiences. How do you celebrate International Women’s Day?