For over a century the world has celebrated the achievements of women on 8 March, or International Women’s Day.

However, the world Economic Forum tells us that we are still 217 years away from gender parity[1]. That is why the theme for international Womens Day this year is #PressForProgress.

To support this theme and recongnise the accomplishments of women in Australia and around the world, my team at Standards Australia shares their pledge with you in this video:

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At Standards Australia we are fortunate to have many inspiring women already involved in our work, from our technical committees to our very own staff.

Last year our most prestigious award, the W.R. Hebblewhite Medal, went to Dr Linzi Wilson-Wilde for her contributions to forensic science. We have seen a great increase in female participation in our Young Leaders Program. Roughly half of our senior leaders and board are women.

I encourage more women to get involved. By contributing to standards you are contributing to the safety and sustainability of Australian life.

To echo the words of ISO^[2], “women not only make a valuable contribution to the products, services and systems that drive our society, they also deserve to have an equal voice in their development.”

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^{[1]The Global Gender Gap Report 2017}‍

‍^{[2] Advancing women in standardization on International Women’s Day}

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