Sunday 8th March marked International Women’s Day 2026, and this year’s theme – Give To Gain – carries a message that resonates well beyond charitable giving. For those of us working in employment law and HR, it is a call to reflect on what organisations are actively contributing to gender equality in the workplace, and what more could be done.
The premise is straightforward: when people, organisations, and communities give generously – whether through time, knowledge, opportunities, mentoring, or visibility -women advance. And when women advance, everyone benefits.
So what does that look like in practice for employers?
Give: mentoring and sponsorship
There is a well-documented distinction between mentoring (giving advice) and sponsorship (actively advocating for someone’s progression). Women, particularly at senior levels, are often over-mentored and under-sponsored. HR teams have a real opportunity here – not simply to set up mentoring programmes, but to encourage senior leaders to use their influence to open doors for women in their organisations.
This is not about lowering standards. It is about recognising that access to opportunity has rarely been evenly distributed, and that sponsorship is one of the most effective tools for redressing that imbalance.
Give: equal pay and transparency
Gender pay gap reporting requirements in the UK apply to employers with 250 or more employees, but the spirit of transparency ought to extend beyond legal obligation. Smaller organisations would do well to examine their pay structures proactively. Where gaps exist, honest analysis and a credible action plan matter far more than defensively drafted narrative reports.
The gender pay gap is not simply about paying women less for the same role. It reflects the concentration of women in lower-paid positions, barriers to progression, and the disproportionate impact of caring responsibilities on career trajectories. Addressing it requires structural change, not just a communications exercise.
Give: flexible working – genuinely
The Employment Relations (Flexible Working) Act 2023 brought meaningful reforms, including the right to request flexible working from day one of employment. But the give here is not just about complying with requests, it’s about actively building a culture where flexible working is genuinely available to all employees, without stigma or career stagnation.
Women continue to carry a disproportionate share of caring responsibilities, and rigid working arrangements remain one of the most significant barriers to female career progression. Organisations that give flexibility meaningfully, rather than just paying lip service to it, will gain in retention, productivity, and diversity of leadership.
Give a voice: address harassment and bias
The Worker Protection (Amendment of Equality Act 2010) Act 2023 introduced a new proactive duty on employers to take reasonable steps to prevent sexual harassment. In due course, the Employment Rights Act 2025 will expand this further to encompass ‘all’ reasonable steps.
For HR professionals, this means reviewing policies, training managers, and creating an environment where women feel safe raising concerns. It also means taking a hard look at how complaints are handled when they arise and whether the culture truly supports those who speak up, or whether systemic pressures discourage reporting.
Bias (both conscious and unconscious) also plays out in everyday decisions: who gets the high-profile project, whose contribution is acknowledged in meetings, who is considered when a promotion becomes available. Giving women a genuine voice means addressing these micro-dynamics, not just the more visible incidents.
Give: credit
This one costs nothing and requires no policy change. It is simply about ensuring that women’s contributions – to projects, to ideas, to client relationships – are properly recognised and attributed. In workplaces where credit tends to flow upwards or towards those with the loudest voices, this requires conscious effort from managers and colleagues alike.
Reflecting on Give to Gain
International Women’s Day is one day a year. The changes that matter take much longer. But it is a useful moment to ask what your organisation is actually giving towards gender equality – and whether that is enough.
The IWD 2026 theme is a timely reminder that progress is not passive. It requires deliberate, sustained action from organisations and individuals at every level. For HR professionals, that means using the influence and knowledge you have to advocate for change – not just to meet your legal obligations, but to go further.