International Women’s Day: Choose to Challenge

Celebrated on March 8 every year, International Women’s Day (IWD) is a day dedicated to honoring the achievements of women throughout history and across the globe. It’s a day for all people from different backgrounds and cultures to band together to push for gender parity and women’s rights. The United Nations has been observing IWD since 1975 as a global celebration of the social, economic, cultural, and political achievements of women. The day also marks a call to action for accelerating women’s equality.

The Beginning of IWD

IWD started long before 1975. In fact, it has been observed in one form or another since the early 1900s. At that time in history, the industrialized world had a booming population growth and the rise of different ideologies. This was especially the case among women. Years of women’s oppression and inequality had challenged women to have their voices heard and campaign for change. It was in 1908 when more than 10,000 women marched through New York City demanding shorter hours, better pay and voting rights. Move forward to 1911 and IWD had exploded to gain support of over a million people worldwide. IWD collectively belongs to everyone and is not specific to any country, or group. It has also become a national holiday in many parts of the world.

The Key Focus Areas for IWD are to:

Celebrate women’s achievements;
Increase awareness about women’s equality;
Lobby for accelerated gender parity;
Raise funds for female-focused charities.

Paving the Way Forward

This year the theme for International Women’s Day is “Choose to Challenge” meaning that from challenge comes change. But, how do we as individuals do that? One way is to expand the breadth of career opportunities for women. With many focuses, one area lies in a STEM (Science Technology Engineering Mathematics) career. Today, one of the goals of IWD is to help pave the way for women in STEM and in particular, technology. According to the IWD website, its Mission is “To celebrate digital advancement and champion the women forging innovation through technology.”

When it comes to the advancement of women and innovation, Dassault Systèmes is doing its part to contribute. According to this excerpt from the 2019 invest report:

“In 2019, 1,846 women joined Dassault Systèmes. Thus, the proportion of women in the Company is 26.2%, increasing by 2.5 percentage points, representing an increase by 33% in absolute value compared to 2018. Nearly 19% of employees have management responsibilities, of which 20% are women, increasing by 3 percentage points, representing an increase by 46% in absolute value. On December 31, 2019, the Board of Directors comprised five women and six men, including the employees’ representative. In 2019, Dassault Systèmes’ Executive Committee was made up of two women and seven men. In 2020, the Operational Executive Committee was composed of 11 members, including 5 women.”

Choosing a STEM Career

Dassault Systèmes DELMIA continues to provide careers in the areas of Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics (STEM). Find your opportunity by visiting the Dassault Systèmes Career page