International Women's Day
International Women’s Day is a moment to pause and reflect on gender equality and the very real ways that representation, access, and belonging shape learning environments and the people who build them.
This year’s official UN Women theme is “Rights. Justice. Action. For ALL Women and Girls,” aligned with the 70th session of the Commission on the Status of Women (CSW70). The theme places justice at the centre of the conversation — recognising that rights written on paper mean nothing without the systems to defend them.
Women currently hold only 64% of the legal rights that men do worldwide. If progress continues at its current pace, it will take 286 years to close legal protection gaps. That’s not a statistic we can look away from.
This year, we asked our team members to share what the day means to them personally.
Please Note
We originally published this post referencing the #GiveToGain theme from internationalwomensday.com. Like many organisations, we weren’t aware that this is a commercial site unaffiliated with the United Nations. The official IWD theme, set by UN Women, is “Rights. Justice. Action. For ALL Women and Girls.” We’ve updated this post to reflect that. You can find the real thing at unwomen.org.
Karen Holland: CPO & Co-founder
Rights and justice aren’t abstract — they’re lived every day in how we learn, lead, and support one another.
Collaborative learning, in particular, can harness so much potential and empowerment. This increases team spirit, self-worth, inclusion, and resilience.
Kara Conger: North American Lead
International Women’s Day is a moment for me to honor the women who made it possible for someone like me to lead, build, and support growing companies in spaces that weren’t originally designed for us. It’s also a reminder to keep using my work to create more room for underrepresented voices, nontraditional leaders, and growth paths that support the actual humans doing the work.
Laia Canet: Customer Success Manager
Real progress comes from consistent choices, such as speaking up against injustice, ensuring everyone’s voice is heard, and breaking down unnecessary barriers. It is also a chance to thank the women who have paved the way for progress and to recognise that there is still more work to be done.
The future we envision depends on the small, practical steps we take today to create a better world for everyone.
Annabelle Snow: Marketing Coordinator.
For me, International Women’s Day is about pausing and appreciating the women in my life who’ve shaped who I am. The ones who supported me, believed in me, and showed up for me in everything I wanted to do or achieve.
It’s also think it’s important to recognise the women who came before us. Those who worked hard to pave the way, who pushed into careers and spaces they were told weren’t for them, and who fought for the freedom to create their own path.
But while it’s important to reflect on how far we’ve come, it’s equally important to be honest about the barriers and biases that still exist, because understanding them is how we make sure the women coming up behind us have more doors open than before.
There’s something genuinely special about feeling united as women and supporting one another. That solidarity is something worth celebrating every single day.
Final Thoughts
UN Women calls on governments, partners, institutions and communities everywhere to stand up, show up and speak up for rights, justice and action — so all women and girls can live safely, speak freely and exist equally.
In EdTech, we have a particular responsibility and a particular opportunity. The tools and systems we build can either reinforce existing barriers or help dismantle them. This IWD, we recommit to building tools that open doors, not close them.
#ForAllWomenAndGirls #IWD2026 #InternationalWomensDay
