International Women's Day 2025
The theme for this year’s International Women’s Day (Saturday 8 March) is For ALL women and girls: Rights. Equality. Empowerment. This theme calls for action that can unlock equal rights, power and opportunities for all. Central to this vision is empowering the next generation as catalysts for lasting change.
2025 is a pivotal moment in the global pursuit of gender equality and women’s empowerment, as it marks the 30th anniversary of the Beijing Declaration and Platform for Action. The Platform guides policies, programmes and investment that impact critical areas of lives, such as: education, health, peace, media, political participation, economic empowerment, and the elimination of violence against women and girls.
Under the banner of UN Women’s global campaign to mark the 30th anniversary of the Beijing Declaration and Platform for Action, “For ALL Women and Girls”, this year’s International Women’s Day is a rallying cry to take action in three key areas:
- Advance women’s and girls’ rights: Fight relentlessly for women’s and girls’ full range of human rights, challenging all forms of violence, discrimination, and exploitation.
- Promote gender equality: Address systemic barriers, dismantle patriarchy, transform entrenched inequities, and elevate the voices of marginalized women and girls, including young people, to ensure inclusivity and empowerment.
- Foster empowerment: Redefine power structures by ensuring inclusive access to education, employment, leadership, and decision-making spaces. Prioritise opportunities for young women and girls to lead and innovate.
International Women's Day 2025 Events
Palie Smart. TheirStories: Leadership and Personal Growth
For International Women’s Day 2025 we welcomed Professor Palie Smart (Associate Pro Vice-Chancellor (APVC) for Global Civic Engagement) to share her story. From being a first-generation university student to becoming the first woman of Indian Heritage to head a Russell Group management/business school, Palie talks of facing both racism and sexism at school growing up, juggling career progression and motherhood and her advocacy for the progression of women, having led on the FTSE 100 Women in Manufacturing EEF Report. Palie also chairs the University’s Athena Swan Implementation Group, is the Senior Sponsor of the Women’s Staff Network and is a VC-nominated sponsor in the WHEN 100 Black Women Professors programme.
The recording is now available to watch on the TheirStories Library (staff only).
University of Bristol ‘Women’s Firsts’ Mini Online Exhibition
Don’t forget to check out our ‘Women’s Firsts’ Mini Online exhibition, that was initially created for International Women’s Day 2024 in a collaboration between the central EDI Team and Special Collections. This is a live document that we continue to update.
Staff and PGRs are able to view the exhibition on Sway.
School of Biological Sciences Women in STEM Event
Join us on Wednesday 5th March for an inspiring Women in STEM event celebrating International Women’s Day 2025.
14:00 - 16:00
There will be a panel discussion, inspiring talks, networking opportunities and pizza! See the link below for more information:
Jean Golding Institute International Women’s Day event
You are invited to join the Jean Golding Institute for their IWD event focussing on Data Science for Climate and Health: Spotlight on Women in Research. 5th March, 1pm – 5pm. SS Great Britain and Online.
Data Science for Climate and Health (Hybrid Event) Tickets, Wed, Mar 5, 2025 at 1:00 PM | Eventbrite
SWIDN: International Women’s Day at SWIDN
Join the South West International Development Network (SWIDN) for International Women's Day as they host an informal learning event: Is ‘Development’ making gender inequality worse? Do well-intentioned development policies exacerbate gender inequalities and if so, how can we work to change this?
Thursday 6 March, 1 pm - 2:30 pm, Online.
Bristol Steppin Sistas International Women’s Day Walk and Pub
All women over the age of 18 years are invited to join this one mile short walk, to celebrate International Women’s Day, on Saturday 8th March 2025, 11:00am – 4.00pm Pensford Viaduct. Booking open on Eventbrite.
Faculty of Health and Life Sciences IWD panel event.
12th March from 1pm. Biomedical Sciences Building, C42. The event will start with a panel discussion and will then move to the social space for an interactive career poster session finished off with some personal reflection and some light refreshments.