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Newswise — Back in 2015, the International Women’s Day slogan was ‘Planet 50-50 by 2030: Step It Up for Gender Equality’. It was a concept that was embraced everywhere – websites, news broadcasts, and even government buildings were proudly displaying it. It seemed as if the world finally understood the urgency of a gender-equal society and made a collective decision to support the cause for gender parity.

Yet here we are, 10 years later and just five years away from 2030, and we are nowhere close to achieving Planet 50-50 and we have certainly not come close to achieving gender parity. In fact, data published by the World Economic Forum indicates that we are so far away from this dream that it will take until 2158, roughly five generations from now, to reach full gender parity. That is another 133 years before we can achieve something that we should have achieved by 2030.

While gender disparity pervades almost every sector of society, its occurrence in the employment sphere is blatant and severe. Research published by UN Women indicates that, globally, over 2.7 billion women are legally restricted from having the same choice of jobs as men. In 2022, the International Labour Organisation reported that the labour force participation rate for women was just under 47%, while for men it was 72% – a difference of 25%!

More recently, UN Women reported that the gender wage gap is estimated to be 20%. This means that women earn only 80% of what men earn for doing the same job under the same circumstances. Where is the remaining 20% that is rightfully due to these women, and why does this pay disparity even exist in the first place?  

Accelerating action towards gender parity

Given the picture painted above, it is not surprising that it will take 133 years before we achieve a gender-equal workplace, but the question is: Can we afford to wait that long? And what are the implications of living in world with a lack of gender parity?

Apart from gender inequality being a fundamental violation of human rights, by denying women equal access to the workplace and leadership roles, we are stifling organisational success and economic growth. This is not a new discovery. There are numerous articles that attest to the role that women can play in increasing organisational profitability.

The theme for the 2025 International Women’s Day campaign is ‘Accelerate Action’, which is appropriate because that is exactly what we need right now. This campaign emphasises the need for us to really pick up the pace and tackle the stubborn barriers and biases that are still holding women back.

It urges individuals, organisations and societies to work together to prioritise swift, decisive and immediate action to shorten the number of years till we achieve gender equality.

Accelerating action means taking active steps to expose the systemic barriers that prevent equal opportunities for women. It also means we need to break gender biases and celebrate women for their contributions to society in general and the workplace specifically.

Solidarity and allyship

So, what can we do to accelerate action?

Research papers I have previously published and those I am currently working on highlight the role of solidarity and allyship in breaking gender bias and advocating for women in the workplace. The link between this and gender parity is simple: the more women we advocate, support and fight for, the more opportunities become available for these women, and the closer we get to gender parity.

However, in order for us to get to a place where we can call ourselves allies of women, we first need to identify and unroot biases at an individual level. It's these biases that are delaying the journey to gender parity, and they're a big reason why we are faced with a 133-year wait.

Unrooting biases can be done by practising self-awareness and understanding how your thoughts, feelings and behaviours contribute to unequal treatment of women. This may reveal deeply ingrained gender-based stereotypes such as the assumption that women should be primarily responsible for caregiving and men should be responsible for financial support, or that women are seen as more nurturing and emotional and men as more assertive and logical.

These biases place women under unnecessary societal pressure and scrutiny when they venture out of caregiving roles or prioritise their careers. If these biases don’t exist in the first place, then they don’t have to be broken down – so we should challenge the existence of gender-based stereotypes.

Speaking up

Be courageous. Accelerating action means standing out in the fight against gender disparity. Identify bias and unfair treatment of women in the workplace and speak up against it. Become an advocate for a gender-equal workplace.

Organisations must also take responsibility for accelerating action. Most structural barriers that contribute to gender disparity are found in the workplace. Research, including my own and that of countless diversity scholars, consistently highlights several key barriers to gender parity in the workplace which include unequal pay, under-representation in managerial and leadership roles, the existence of male-dominated professions, bias in recruitment decisions, unfriendly workplace and maternity leave policies that do not cater for working mothers, and biased workplace cultures. Shortening the 133-year projected wait for gender parity means that organisations will need to address these systemic issues. This requires a proactive approach to developing and promoting a culture that actively identifies bias and promotes equal opportunity for women.

The reality is, we can't wait for governments or societies to act first. Be the change you want to see in the world. When individuals and organisations take the lead on gender parity, showing that it's not just possible, but crucial, then everyone else will get on board. We can set the pace– and we need to accelerate action, now!