Women to shape a more sustainable future as International Women's Day approaches

With International Women's Day approaching, every year people are having more conversations about the topic of gender equality, comparisons between women and men in the workplace, and the truly stark differences in society.

Since 1975, International Women's Day has fallen on the 8th of March, becoming a day of international solidarity of women for equality, justice, peace and development.

However, there have been several changes in our society established in defence of equality for women - especially in western countries. Nonetheless, despite these changes and improvements in society, reforms and empowerment, women around the world are still finding it difficult to get the same pay and recognition as their male counterparts as gender inequality in the workplace continues to persist in 2023.

To mark the occasion of International Women's Day, ChangeNOW, a social enterprise that seeks to take action in response to serious environmental and social issues, has selected 25 nominees for the 'Women Shaping Our Future' programme, which will highlight women engaged in the sustainability industry who could have a transformative impact on the direction of the world in the next 10 years.

ChangeNOW, UN Women -a global champion for gender equality, HeForShe, Women in Tech, One Young world and SHE Changes Climate - a global campaign driving awareness of women's role in climate action, will feature the nominees on their digital media every day leading up to International Women's Day.

According to a sustainability company, Akepa, sustainability and concerns about environmental degradation due to human actions have been discussed as far back as 500 BC. The term 'sustainability' was not exactly used, but the topic of less harmful practices was discussed.

However, it wasn't until December 2015, when 196 parties signed the Paris Agreement at the UN Climate Change Conference (COP21), which commits countries to move towards zero net emissions or limiting global warming to 1.5°C, that sustainability started to become more of a talking point. The term 'sustainability' has become one of the most used and searched-for terms of the 21st Century and has reached record levels in the number of mentions in the public space.

The aim of the Global Digital Campaign 'Women Shaping Our Future' is to support women who want to change the world for the better by giving them visibility and opportunities to connect with people who can contribute to their projects. The programme aims to make sponsorship the norm so that women have access to the resources they need to develop their projects.

Such initiatives are particularly important because it is women who drive the sustainability industry. In the UK, women are leading the way when it comes to adapting and maintaining environmental habits. According to statistics from Mintel, 71% of women try to live sustainably compared to 59% of men.

"Mintel data highlights something of an 'eco gender gap' revealing that men are less likely to pursue environmentally-friendly behaviours than their female counterparts." Said the company's Senior Consumer Lifestyles Analyst, Jack Duckett.

ChangeNOW introduced 25 nominees in four categories. Climate, Biodiversity, Resources and Human Factors. The initiative, which will take place at the Grand Palais Ephémère in Paris, will include speeches and pitch sessions from the nominees and a presentation in front of investors, the media or even ecosystem leaders.

ChangeNOW co-founder Rose-May Lucotte commented: "Our mission at ChangeNOW is to find concrete solutions and help them scale to create a better world. We are proud to celebrate women who are solving the biggest challenges of our century."