Leicester celebrates International Womens Day

The University has organised a series of free events to mark International Women’s Day, which this year falls on Wednesday 8 March 2017.

From stories of barriers and challenges faced by women in academia, to discussions and film screenings, a whole host of events will take place across campus to mark the global day of celebration that highlights the struggle for gender equality, providing a forum for celebrating the role of women and their achievements and identifying challenges for the future.

There will also be an International Women’s Day trail showcasing 10 inspirational Leicester women throughout history as well as opportunities to win cupcakes and a branded hoodie simply by getting involved on social media using the hashtag #BeBoldForChange

The events will kick-off on Monday 6 March. View the full programme here

Dr Kate Williams (pictured), Deputy Pro-Vice-Chancellor for Equality and Diversity at the University of Leicester, said: “The theme of this year’s International Women’s Day is #BeBoldForChange and we are pleased that our events programme which has been organised by Colleges, departments, the Women’s Forum and individual staff and students, reflects an increasing awareness of intersectionality – the idea that we all have multiple identities – for example race, gender, sexuality identity and health, and how these will affect our wellbeing and status.

“All three Colleges are hosting events which include introductions by the respective College Heads, demonstrating the commitment by senior management to the International Women’s Day agenda. At the University of Leicester, our engagement with HeForShe, driven by our President and Vice-Chancellor, Professor Paul Boyle, is an example of worldwide collaboration focusing collective agendas across 10 universities worldwide in our bid for gender equality. Sharing plans for IWD and amplifying the activities from each impact partner ensures reach across the globe.”