A Call to Action for Gender Parity
International Women’s Day 2022 arrives at a moment of sober reflection. According to current projections, the global gender gap will not close for another 136 years, a timeline that has been further delayed by the COVID-19 pandemic’s disproportionate impact on women and girls, which has exacerbated long-standing inequalities. Closing this gap is not a singular effort; it requires broad, collective action.
Who Is Womenflare?
Within Cloudflare, this collective effort is spearheaded by Womenflare, the company’s Employee Resource Group (ERG) for those who identify as women and their advocates. It is an employee-led initiative designed to empower, represent, and support its members. For this year’s celebration, Womenflare is aligning its programming with the global theme #BreakTheBias. The mission is to challenge and dismantle bias across communities, workplaces, and educational institutions—not just on March 8, but throughout the year.
Internal Programming for Awareness and Growth
Interactive Kick-off
The month’s events begin on March 8 with a session featuring members of the North Coast hip hop improv comedy group. This interactive, freestyle event is intended to help participants confront unconscious biases in a light-hearted setting, encouraging them to think about how they can empower the women in their spheres.
Intersectionality in Focus
Subsequent discussions will center on intersectionality and allyship, held in partnership with other ERGs such as Afroflare, Asianflare, Flarability, and Nativeflare. This collaboration is intentional; the goals of empowerment and support cannot be achieved in isolation. The conversations aim to highlight how overlapping social identities can create compounding experiences of discrimination. As Kimberlé Crenshaw, who coined the term “intersectional feminism” in 1989, notes, “All inequality is not created equal.” Understanding these nuances requires acknowledging historical and systematic discrimination in its many forms.
Lessons from Leadership
Building on the success of last year’s event, Womenflare will host another internal panel featuring women leaders from across the company. These sessions share personal journeys and lessons learned, offering key insights: that career paths are rarely linear, that success often involves navigating difficulties, and that perseverance and an open mind are crucial attributes for leadership.
How to Be an Active Ally
Systemic change relies on active allyship—recognizing unearned privilege and taking responsibility to address injustice. For those looking to make a difference in their workplaces and communities, practical steps include the following:
- Educating yourself: Listen to the experiences of your women colleagues to better understand their perspectives.
- Amplifying and advocating: Champion women’s opinions and provide support when they need encouragement.
- Taking direct action: If you witness inequality, engage in a constructive dialogue to understand the issue and identify solutions.
- Promoting diversity: Speak with peers and leadership about concrete ways to improve diversity, equity, and inclusion initiatives.
The invitation is clear: find your own creative ways to mark International Women’s Day and Women’s Empowerment Month. The broader goal is to ensure recognition for women’s work extends beyond any single day, so that their contributions are seen, valued, and never left anonymous.
