International Women's Day 2025
On the 7th March, Kendrick celebrated International Women’s Day! We began the day with an assembly led by Kendrick Student Leaders and Year 13 students, to outline the importance of this event, and the focus of this year’s theme ‘Accelerate Action’. The assembly highlighted the immense contributions of women throughout history and their ongoing fight for equality, outlining how figures like Millicent Fawcett and Emmeline Pankhurst helped achieve women's suffrage in the UK after decades of struggle.
Pioneers like Florence Nightingale and Elizabeth Garrett Anderson transformed female contributions to the medical profession, while others like Maya Angelou and Billie Jean King shattered barriers in the arts and sports. More recent achievements, such as Simone Biles' Olympic success and Baroness Hale’s groundbreaking legal career, were also celebrated.
The assembly also addressed the ongoing challenges women face, such as the gender pay gap, as women earn 20% less than men, the large scale of violence against women, as a third of women worldwide have experienced physical and sexual violence once in their lifetime, as well as the lack of educational access for many girls and under-representation in politics. We emphasised how the theme ‘Accelerate Action’ called for immediate efforts to ensure a more equitable future for women, with each individual playing a vital role in this movement. The assembly concluded with a recognition of what Kendrick School has done to help students ‘accelerate action’, from the supportive and inspiring environment of women around us, as well as the encouragement to prioritise the powerful tool that is education, and stand for values that promote equality, tolerance, and justice for all.
Following the assembly, we continued the celebration with an engaging International Women’s Day Fair during the lunch break. The event was filled with exciting activities to celebrate the women in our lives and the women who have shaped the world around us. Students got creative by crafting their own suffragette-coloured ribbon badges and tested their knowledge in a fast-paced challenge to name as many female pioneers as they could in one minute. Inakshi came first, with a total of 25 points, and Ms Kattirtzi came a close 2nd with 20 points! In addition, students signed pledge posters, writing what they would do to accelerate action. It was truly inspiring to see what students had pledged to do to ensure a more just society for all.
Each form was given a pledge poster to sign and put in their form rooms as a reminder of what still needs to be done to ensure that gender equality is not a distant goal, but a reality in our lifetime.
Thank you to everyone who came and made International Women’s Day an inspiring day filled with gratitude and empowerment!
By Sudiksha, Yasna and Trishaa