The first Australian International Women’s Day (IWD) rally, organised by the Militant Women’s Movement of the Communist Party of Australia, took place on 25 March 1928 in the Sydney Domain. So long ago and still the problem exists however, a challenged world is an alert world. And from challenge comes change.

The first step to change is looking at IWD as not only day of acknowledging the challenges but also celebrating the social, economic, cultural and political achievements of women.

My name is Lizette Green, I’m a mother, wife and employee. I raised my three children over four continents and I’ve held careers spanning across big corporate organisations, Non-Governmental Organisations (NGO) and finally KINSHIP digital, where we connect communities and businesses with their clients.

These achievements did not come without challenges including, gender discrimination. By Choosing To Challenge, I hope that we can one day eradicate this date and live as equals.

The rise of women is not about the fall of men. It is about how we can work together and play a role in forging gender parity so we can remove barriers and eliminate discrimination based on gender, particularly in relation to family and caring responsibilities.

How can we work together?

By working together, we can all do our part to make a change. Here are some examples of how we can close the gender parity gap:

• Share roles and responsibilities in the home including care responsibilities

• Mentor girls and women to rise in their career

• Encourage equal participation of women in the workforce 

• Acknowledge and celebrate achievements

• Do not condone sexist language

• Provide equal pay opportunities

• Access to all occupations and industries, including leadership roles, regardless of gender

We’ve come a long way as a company, as a nation, as a world but still so much more needs to be done. Start today and everyday -  let’s all #ChooseToChallenge.