What International Women's Day Means for InkHouse

Wednesday, March 8 is International Women’s Day, and this year, it’s a A Day Without A Woman, brought to us by those who organized the Women’s March On Washington. When I marched in Boston on Jan. 21 with my two young daughters, I told them they would remember the day forever and that their children would read about it in their history books. Their signs said, “I Count” and “Girls’ Rights Are Human Rights.”

The purpose of A Day Without A Woman is, according to organizers, “recognizing the enormous value that women of all backgrounds add to our socio-economic system--while receiving lower wages and experiencing greater inequities, vulnerability to discrimination, sexual harassment, and job insecurity.”

InkHouse is part of the public relations industry, which is dominated by women, but women comprise only 20 percent of management roles. I don’t think that’s fair, and I’m working hard to change it. At InkHouse, I have championed equality for everyone, from paid leave to equal pay to transgender bathroom rights. We have a mother’s room and flexible schedules. We seek to work with clients who share in our values of wanting to make the world a better place.  

As for a Day Without A Woman, our employees are free to choose how to participate in this action. Our offices will be open, and I will be working, because we show up every day ready to support women, our clients, and the media whose role in society has never been more important. In honor of women, we will:

• Donate to MediaGirls, a nonprofit that teaches girls and young women to define their own worth by using social media to express their true selves, challenge sexist media and take a stand on meaningful issues. We agree with them! Girls don’t need a makeover!

• Order lunch for our teams from women-owned restaurants. Here in Waltham, we'll be ordering from Antonia’s Sub Shop and we'll be doing the same in San Francisco.

• Celebrate the amazing women who give us their hard work and big ideas every single day. Check out our blog post next Wednesday on the accomplishments and aspirations of own own InkHouse employees. We’ll be sharing their stories on our social channels all day.