Today, Monday 8th March, is International Women’s Day 2021 and We’d Like to Hear from You!!

Written by Claire Messenger, Manager, International Training Programme.

Today is International Women’s Day (IWD).  A global day where we can all celebrate the social, economic, cultural and political achievements of women.  On this day, people all over the world will come together to celebrate what has been achieved by women both locally and globally.

The day also marks a ‘call to action’ for accelerating women’s equality and gives an opportunity for voices to be heard and challenges to be shared.

IWD was first celebrated in 1911 – 110 years ago – and what changes there have been in that time!!   However, there is still work to be done – particularly as the world works through the Coronavirus pandemic, which heartbreakingly, could wipe out 25 years of increasing gender equality, according to data from UN Women.

When we posted a story on women working in the arts on the ITP Facebook group last week, Balqees Nakhla, Collections Assistant at Birzeit University Museum, Palestine and ITP Fellow 2019, suggested that our ITP network might have interesting and useful stories to share. 

We loved this idea!!!

So, inspired by the British Museum’s blog post ‘what’s it like being a woman working in the arts?’ where colleagues across the Museum, in a variety of roles shared their experiences, we would love to know what working in the sector is like for you.

Do you want to take part?

If you would like to share your lived experience, or tell stories from your collection, please send us a blog post – with pictures – by the close of Thursday 11th March. We will then share the posts, throughout March, as a way for the ITP to celebrate Women’s History Month 2021.

Below are some ideas and questions you might like to consider but the content and format is your choice. 

You can think about yourself and your role:

  • What’s it like being a woman working in culture and heritage in your country?
  • How did you get to the position you are in now?
  • Do you think women and men face different challenges in your area of work?
  • What changes would you like to see for women’s careers in the arts?
  • What would be your advice to a woman aiming for a career in museums and galleries?

You can think about those around you:

  • Who are the women who have inspired you?
  • Who has supported you through your career?

You can think about your museum, your collection or the arts sector:

  • Do objects from your collection tell stories of gender and celebrate women?
  • Are there women artists that create work that you would like to share with the network?

We will look forward to reading your submissions.

Celebrate women’s achievement. Raise awareness against bias. Take action for equality. #ChooseToChallenge  #IWD2021 https://www.internationalwomensday.com/