The commemoration of International Women’s Day (IWD), once again, calls for a review of the progress in bridging the gender gap in the workplace as well as achieving equal pay, GLORIA NWAFOR writes.

This year’s International Women’s Day highlights the importance of translating commitments to gender equality into concrete change in workplaces, communities and economies.

While women celebrated the day, they emphasised that policies that ensure equal pay, flexible work and leadership opportunities must be prioritised.

Despite a stronger push for workplace equality and more conversations about inclusion, many women have worked hard to build strong careers, prove their skills and build networks that have helped them to grow.

Noting that women bring a different style of leadership that helps solve problems better or manage teams differently, however, they said it was not about competing with men.

They equally called for pay equity. Globally, they argued, women in wage employment still earn on average 20 per cent less than men, with even wider gaps for women with children, women in informal work, women with disabilities, and migrant women.

This is just as true for powerful transformations – from digitalisation and artificial intelligence to demographic change and rising care needs – that are reshaping labour markets, with the potential to either widen inequalities or help close them.

Achieving equality in the world of work, they argued, also requires addressing structural barriers such as unpaid care responsibilities, which disproportionately affect women and limit their participation in the labour market.

Lending their voices, Director-General of the International Labour Organisation (ILO), Gilbert Houngbo, in his message, highlighted the need to close the gender pay gap, ensure safe workplaces free from violence and harassment, strengthen maternity protection, and expand care systems so that every woman can work in dignity and equality.

Noting that gender equality will not happen through promises alone, Houngbo said it required action.

According to him, the gender pay gap must close, and workplaces must be safe and free from violence and harassment.

He called for more action so that every woman, everywhere, can work in dignity and equality.

Noting that access to justice was essential, the ILO boss urged that women must be able to organise, claim their rights and be heard.

Emphasising that the international labour standards provided a solid framework to make it possible, he said they set clear principles on freedom of association, non-discrimination, equal pay, maternity protection, safety and health and freedom from violence and harassment.

“Gender equality at work is essential. It is a matter of rights. It is a matter of fairness. It is also smart economics.

Societies are stronger and economies are more resilient when women can contribute fully.

“Strong maternity protection is a right. Workers with family responsibilities must be supported. Care systems must enable everyone to enter, remain in and advance in the labour market. Today, let us step up and turn commitments into results. We need urgency, we need accountability,” he said.

An entrepreneur and founder of Growth Padi, Victory Mesona, said that despite there being a stronger push for workplace equality and more conversations about inclusion, many women have worked hard to build strong careers, proven their skills, and created networks that helped them grow and rise.

Noting that women bring a different style of leadership that helps solve problems better or manage teams differently, however, she said it was not about competing with men.

“It is about ensuring the best person leads, no matter the gender. There is an intrinsic difference in the way women and men think; that is true, but this does not always mean that one gender will do better than the other. We can leverage our strengths for good or for bad. It depends on how much self-awareness, clarity, and understanding we have about leadership”, she added.

Acknowledging the fact that there was still more work to do, she said the progress so far showed that women are more than capable.
On what women and society can do to ensure more women continue to excel in roles that are traditionally held by men, Mesona said: “Women must keep building their skills, looking for growth opportunities, and supporting each other. Society must also be intentional about creating environments where women can thrive.

“This includes mentorship, equal pay, flexible policies, and true inclusion. For example, platforms like the Bold Money Women event I organised are important because they create spaces where women are empowered to lead, break limits, and learn from other women in a safe space. We need more of these platforms to keep the momentum going.”

Making her contribution, the President of the School of Management and Security, Dr Victoria Ekhomu, argued that it was about reclaiming space, rewriting norms and proving that leadership, grit and vision are genderless.

She stated that the “glass ceiling” once stopped women from rising beyond middle management in male-dominated industries.
However, now, she said women are cracking and shattering those ceilings, leading oil rigs, engineering firms, and military divisions, adding that they serve as generals, surgeons, and chief executives in traditionally masculine fields.

She stressed that women must keep showing up, and society must keep opening doors.

“It is not just about ‘making space,’ it is about recognising that diverse, inclusive leadership is better for everyone.

Ekhomu, who is also the Managing Director and Chief Executive Officer of Transworld Security, called for promoting gender-inclusive education, challenging gender stereotypes, creating supportive workplaces, institutionalising equality, and celebrating female role models.