Marked International Women's Day

"There is still much foundational change to be made"

Whilst this year was full of celebration across the university to commemorate International Women’s Day, there is always room for even more support, especially from organisations with a greater degree of influence such as the Student’s Union. I spoke to this year’s women’s officer, Emily Carr, about what International Women’s Day means to her and what Cardiff as a university can do to show an even greater degree of support for such an important day. When asked what International Women’s Day means to her, specifically as our current elected women’s officer, her response was that “It is about long term policy change, it’s about long term campaign. It shouldn’t just be one social media post. It is about how we can invest in our students and in our com -

Student Union President 2023/24- Angie Flores

With Emily Carr’s response in mind, I spoke to next year’s Student Union President, Angie Flores, about how she and the Student Union intend to do even better in the years to come. When asked what International Women’s Day means to her, she responded that “For me, International Women’s Day is all about gender equality and human rights. It is an occasion to be grateful for those who paved the way and to celebrate what small and big actions have been achieved throughout. However, it also gives us a platform to discuss the inequalities and struggles faced by individuals worldwide, it reflects how far we still need to go”. When asked how Cardiff’s Student Union could improve their response to International Women’s Day in the future,

Although International Women’s Day is an amazing opportunity for us to celebrate the incredible achievements of individuals globally, it is important to note that women should be celebrated every single day of the year. And, while incredible strides have already been

Angie responded by stating that “As elected SU president, I would like to continue with the support provided by our current elected officer team to our student communities. Regarding International Women’s Day, I have a couple of ideas, but before sharing I would love to hear what our incoming elected officers and our students would like to see”.

For me, International Women’s Day is all about gender equality and human rights"

Angie Flores- next Student Union President

I would like to continue with the support provided by our current elected officer team to our student communities" munity”.

When asked what needs to be improved upon in the future, Emily responded that “It has been a privilege to be the women’s officer but moving forward as an institution we can’t be throwing out meaningless things and expect that to be job done. I think representation goes further than just an Instagram post or an event. We need to openly critique the way Cardiff University recognises and celebrates marginalized communities and minorities within the student and local community. More has to be done to improve representation. There is still so much foundational change to be made”.

Source:: Cardiff University Students' Union

"I would love to hear what our incoming elected officers and our students would like to see”.

Source: Cardiff University's Students' Union

The Importance of International Women's Day

made towards equality, there is without a doubt still a significant degree more to be done.

For example, companies are more than willing to use the day as a marketing opportunity, with Twitter's gender pay gap bot account replying withhow much less that company pay their women compared to men.

Especially with 97% of women between the ages of 18-24 being sexually harrased in Britain, it's ovbious that more needs to be done to support women and guarantee their saftey.

Celebrating International Wom - en’s Day gives us a chance to shine a spotlight on not only how far we’ve come but how much further there is to go.