The theme for IWD 2025 is “Accelerate Action,” which emphasizes the importance of taking swift and decisive steps to addressing global challenges impacting all women, non-binary, two-spirit, and gender diverse peoples, including tackling structural inequalities and addressing the growing erosion of human rights. This call seeks to accelerate momentum, inclusivity and accountability, signaling a need to catalyze the focus on the rights and empowerment of women and girls, particularly for transwomen, and those facing systemic barriers to healthcare, equity, and body autonomy. Additionally, this call to action is timely, in the wake of ongoing abortion rights debates and political shifts in the United Stated of America, where the dismantling of reproductive rights has fueled advocacy efforts and underscored the vulnerability of hard-won progress.
It is important to reflect on what it means to truly recommit and accelerate accountabilities into action? It involves a commitment to unlocking the potential of all women and girls, non-binary, two spirit, and gender diverse peoples of different and intersecting identities, to drive innovation in personal, social, professional and academic spheres through tackling structural inequalities, addressing discrimination, harassment, and harm against women, focusing on impactful solutions and measurable outcomes, centering inclusivity and intersectionality, and elevating women’s voices, access, and safety, every single day.
This year, “Accelerate Action” is a call for us all to appreciate and address the ongoing contributions and areas of support to advance, elevate participation and achievement, and to design and build infrastructures that meet the needs, celebrate the talent, and promote the flourishing of diverse women and girls, non-binary, two spirit, and gender diverse peoples
McMaster Resources and Initiatives:
McMaster University is committed to fostering a culture of inclusive excellence, which encompasses a series of prominent commitments across all levels of the institution, with a strong awareness of the intersectional challenges they experience.
- Gender Equity Policies: Implementing and enforcing policies that advance gender equity in recruitment, retention, promotion, and pay, ensuring fair representation of women, particularly those from underrepresented groups, in all roles, including leadership. [1],[2],[3] [14] [15] [16]
- Support for Women in STEM: Offering specialized support for women in Science, Technology, Engineering, and Mathematics (STEM), addressing the unique challenges faced by women, including racialized women, 2SLGBTQ+ women, and women with disabilities, in these fields through mentorship, networking, and tailored resources.[4]
- Work-Life Balance Initiatives: Addressing work-life balance with an understanding of the intersectional pressures on women, including caregiving responsibilities that disproportionately affect women of different socioeconomic statuses, races, and ethnicities.[5]
- Anti-Harassment and Anti-Discrimination Measures: Creating a safe and respectful campus environment with robust anti-harassment and anti-discrimination measures that protect all women, including transgender and non-binary individuals, and provide comprehensive support for those impacted by harassment or discrimination.[2]
- Professional Development Opportunities: Offering professional development programs designed to support the career advancement of women through leadership training, mentorship, and networking events, with a focus on lifting women from diverse racial, ethnic, and social backgrounds.[7] [18] [19] [20]
- Scholarships and Financial Support: Establishing scholarships and financial aid programs specifically aimed at supporting women students, especially those from marginalized communities and in fields where they are underrepresented.[8]
- Inclusive Curriculum and Pedagogy: Integrating an inclusive curriculum that reflects the diverse contributions of women across disciplines and adopting pedagogical practices that support diverse learning styles and backgrounds, emphasizing the importance of including perspectives from women of all races, cultures, and social backgrounds.[9]
- Wellness and Mental Health Services: Offering wellness and mental health services that cater to the specific challenges faced by women, including those related to gender-based violence, with a sensitivity to the different experiences of women from various identities.[10]
- Community Engagement and Advocacy: Actively engaging with and advocating for women’s issues, both within the university community and in the broader societal context, including partnerships with organizations and initiatives that support women from all walks of life.[6][11] [13] [21]
- Inclusive Excellence Frameworks: Developing and implementing frameworks for inclusive excellence that embed gender equity into the fabric of institutional practices, culture, and decision-making processes, with a deliberate focus on addressing the intersecting identities and experiences of all women.[12]
This comprehensive approach not only honours the spirit of IWD but also reinforces our commitment to fostering an environment where the empowerment of every woman and girl, cis and trans, non-binary, two-spirit, and gender diverse person, taking into account their diverse and intersecting identities, is a central pillar of our collective progress towards true gender equality.
The Equity & Inclusion Office’s Sexual Violence Prevention and Resource Office (SVPRO) provides an extensive list of support resources for individuals affected by sexual and gender-based violence.
Thank you for advancing inclusive excellence at McMaster!
Kind regards,
Dr. Barrington Walker, Vice Provost, Equity & Inclusion
Equity & Inclusion Office
Useful Links
[1] Home – Equity and Inclusion Office (mcmaster.ca)
[2] Policies – Equity and Inclusion Office (mcmaster.ca)
[3] Employment Equity FAQs – Human Resources (mcmaster.ca)
[4] McMaster Women in Science and Engineering Initiative – Graduate Students Association of McMaster University
[5] New policy encourages better balance between work and personal time at McMaster – Daily News
[6] McMaster Pride Community Centre
[7] Faculty & Staff | Equity, Diversity and Inclusion (mcmaster.ca)
[8] Scholarships & Bursaries – United Nations Sustainable Development Goals (mcmaster.ca)
[9] Home – Gender & Social Justice (mcmaster.ca)
[10] Student Mental Health Resources at McMaster – Mental Health at McMaster
[11] In support of the 2SLGBTQIA+ community – Equity and Inclusion Office (mcmaster.ca)
[12] EDI Strategy – Equity and Inclusion Office (mcmaster.ca)
[13] McMaster University Horizon Europe Gender Equity Plan
[15] Employment Equity Booklet
[16] Employment Equity Plan Template
[17] Mental Health Resources and Training – Human Resources
[19] Faculty Recruitment and Selection Policy Handbook