A celebration, a call to action, and a reminder that equality is everyone’s responsibility.

Every year on 8th March, the world pauses — or at least, it should — to honour the women who shaped history, the women who are shaping it right now, and the work that still lies ahead. International Women’s Day is not simply a date on a calendar. It is a movement. It is a moment to reflect on how far we have come, to be honest about how far we still need to go, and to recommit ourselves to building a world where every woman can stand in her full power.

Here in the UK, we celebrate some remarkable progress. Women make up a growing share of Parliament, more girls than ever are pursuing higher education, and conversations around gender equality have moved from the margins to the mainstream. Yet progress, as we will explore, is uneven. It is slow in places it should not be. And for far too many women, the promise of equality remains just that — a promise.

So today, on International Women’s Day, let us do more than celebrate. Let us educate, ignite, and act.

The Numbers Tell a Powerful Story — But Not a Complete One

We cannot talk about International Women’s Day without looking honestly at the data. And in 2025, the UK’s picture is one of genuine progress, shadowed by persistent inequality.

The gender pay gap stands at 12.8% across all workers — meaning that for every pound a man earns, a woman earns roughly 87 pence. According to the Office for National Statistics (ONS), while the full-time pay gap has narrowed to 6.9% in April 2025, the wider gap persists because women are far more likely to work part-time, often due to unpaid caregiving responsibilities at home.

In the boardroom, progress is visible but incomplete. Women now hold 42.8% of FTSE 100 board directorships — a genuine milestone. However, fewer than 10 FTSE 100 companies have a female CEO. Holding a board seat is not the same as holding power.

Perhaps most strikingly, a landmark 2025 study by King’s College London revealed that not a single one of the UK’s 372 local authorities has achieved full gender parity. Not one. The research, which forms the first-ever UK Gender Equality Index, maps progress across six domains — paid work, unpaid work, money, power, education, and health — and found a stark North-South divide, with women in the North of England and Wales consistently facing greater disadvantage.

Furthermore, research published ahead of International Women’s Day 2025 reminds us that at the current rate of global progress, full gender parity is still 123 years away. That is not a statistic we can afford to accept passively.

More Than a Day: The History Behind International Women’s Day

International Women’s Day first emerged from the labour movement. On 8th March 1908, thousands of women marched through New York City demanding shorter working hours, better pay, and the right to vote. Three years later, in 1911, IWD was officially observed internationally for the first time.

Over a century later, the themes have evolved, but the core demands have not shifted as dramatically as we might hope. The fight for equal pay, representation, safety, and respect for women’s bodies and autonomy continues. Each year, IWD adopts a theme to focus the conversation. The 2025 theme, Accelerate Action, sends a clear message: good intentions are not enough. The pace of change must quicken.

Across the UK, events, workshops, marches, and conversations are happening right now. Communities are gathering. Stories are being shared. And organisations like Men’s Prosperity Club here in Birmingham are showing something important: that the journey toward gender equality is not one women must walk alone.

The Hidden Weight Women Carry: Mental Health and Wellbeing

One of the most under-discussed dimensions of gender inequality is its impact on women’s mental health. The pressure to be everything — a professional, a carer, a partner, a friend, a body that fits a particular mould — takes a profound toll.

In the UK, women are nearly twice as likely as men to experience anxiety and are significantly more likely to be diagnosed with depression. At the same time, women are disproportionately represented among those experiencing economic hardship, domestic abuse, and social isolation — all of which compound mental health challenges.

We celebrate women’s strength, and rightly so. But we must also create space for women to be vulnerable, to struggle, to rest. Strength is not the absence of difficulty. Strength is moving forward despite it — and sometimes, strength means asking for help.

This is why conversations about women’s health — physical and mental — matter so much. They are not peripheral to the equality conversation. They are central to it.

Why Men Must Show Up for International Women’s Day

Here is something true and important: gender equality is not a women’s issue. It is a human issue. And men have a crucial role to play — not as saviours, but as allies, as listeners, and as people willing to examine the ways that rigid gender norms limit everyone.

The 2025 King’s College London research makes this point compellingly. In areas where men take on a greater share of unpaid care work, both men and women experience better socioeconomic outcomes. Equality lifts everyone. It is not a zero-sum game.

Yet, two-thirds of UK adults (66%) agree that women will not achieve equality unless men actively support women’s rights. That means male allies are not optional — they are essential.

At Men’s Prosperity Club in Birmingham, we believe this deeply. We work with men every week — helping them process their emotions, build healthier relationships, and grow into the kind of men who uplift the people around them. And on International Women’s Day, we want to be loud and clear: we stand with women. We celebrate women. We commit to doing better.

Men’s Prosperity Club: Where Strength and Vulnerability Meet

Men’s Prosperity Club Birmingham is a free mental health support space for men — built on peer support, personal growth, and genuine community connection. But we are more than a support group. We are a movement.

Through our unique walk-and-talk sessions and a horizontal leadership model, we create a space where no man is above another, and every voice matters. We think that being vulnerable isn’t a bad thing. It is the basis of true strength. When men learn to open up — to process their pain, their relationships, their identity — they become better partners, better fathers, better colleagues, and better allies to the women in their lives.

On this International Women’s Day, we are especially proud to host a dedicated workshop spotlighting women’s health — because we recognise that in order to stand in solidarity with women, we must also understand their experiences.

🌸 JOIN US: IWD Workshop — Spotlight on Women’s Health Hosted by Men’s Prosperity Club Birmingham. This special International Women’s Day workshop brings together our community to learn, listen, and engage with the topic of women’s health in a safe and supportive space. Whether you are a woman wanting to share your story, a man wanting to understand more, or simply someone committed to equality, this event is for you.👉 Secure your free spot now at: eventbrite.co.uk/e/iwd-workshop-spotlight-on-womens-health

What Does Equality Actually Look Like?

Equality is not about sameness. It is about fairness. It is about every person having the opportunity to live fully, without being held back by their gender, their background, or a system built to favour some over others.

In practice, equality looks like:

A woman being paid the same as a male colleague doing the same job, without having to fight for it.
A mother returning from maternity leave and finding her career intact, her ambitions intact, her dignity intact.
A girl in a northern town has the same access to opportunity as a girl in Kensington.
A woman walking home at night feels safe.
A man feeling able to say, ‘I support women’s rights,’ without embarrassment or social pressure.
A community where men and women hold each other up — not in competition, but in collaboration.

None of these things is radical. They are simply right. And yet, in 2025 in the United Kingdom, they are not yet universal. That is the truth that International Women’s Day asks us to sit with — and then act on.

The Power of Community: Working Together to Make a Difference

Change does not happen in isolation. It happens in communities — in rooms where people are willing to have honest conversations, in organisations that walk their values, and in movements that refuse to be comfortable with the status quo.

International Women’s Day is a reminder that we are part of something bigger. When we show up for each other — when we listen, when we learn, when we lend our voice to those less heard — we move the needle not just for women, but for everyone.

At Men’s Prosperity Club, we have seen what happens when men heal, when men build emotional intelligence. When men step away from toxic narratives of masculinity and step toward something more authentic. They become partners who show up. Fathers who are present. Friends who can be trusted. And allies who genuinely understand what it means to stand beside women, not in front of them.

That is our contribution to the equality conversation. And we’re proud to have made it.

Five Ways to Mark International Women’s Day With Meaning

Not sure how to honour International Women’s Day in a way that goes beyond a social media post? Here are five meaningful actions:

Attend or host a conversation about gender equality — like our IWD Workshop at Men’s Prosperity Club Birmingham.
Educate yourself on the gender pay gap and what it means in your sector or workplace.
Amplify women’s voices — in meetings, in your social circles, online. Listen more. Talk less.
Challenge misogyny when you see it — even when it is uncomfortable, especially when it is subtle.
Support organisations doing the hard work of building equality, one community at a time.

Strength Is Collective

International Women’s Day is an opportunity to pause and feel the full weight of what women have achieved — and what they still face. It is a chance to be moved by courage, inspired by resilience, and motivated by the knowledge that the world is better when women are free, equal, and heard.

But it is also a day that calls us forward. Because honouring the women who came before us means building the world they fought for. Not someday. Now.

At Men’s Prosperity Club Birmingham, we are committed to that work every single day. And on this International Women’s Day, we invite you to join us.

🌸 Register for Our IWD Workshop: Spotlight on Women’s Health

A safe, inclusive, and powerful space to learn, connect, and grow.

👉 Click here to secure your free place