Beyond the Photos: A Real Talk on Women’s Empowerment in the Workplace

✍️ By Pınar Koyuncu Oktar

So, International Women’s Day has passed. If you’ve shared photos with your women colleagues, posted about how much you admire and respect them, and celebrated the day and promoted your workplace. That’s great and well done.

As a leader, whether female or male, it’s time to reflect: What have you actually done for women’s empowerment?

• How have you contributed to your company’s diversity, equity, and inclusion targets?

• Have you actively supported women in their careers beyond words, through mentorship, sponsorship, or policy changes?

• What steps have you taken to ensure equal opportunities and fair recognition?

What I have observed is that when leaders speak about gender equality, their words are inspiring, forward-thinking, and seemingly above and beyond expectations. But when hard times come, the reality often shifts.

Women are the first to be sacrificed in layoffs.

Women are the first to be blamed when problems arise

Women are the first to experience mobbing and exclusion.

These patterns are not coincidences. They are systemic. And they demand action beyond speeches and symbolic gestures. Celebrating women should not be limited to a single day, it should be ingrained in our leadership, actions, and workplace culture every day and the culture about diversity, equity and inclusion should not be changing with the leader’s vision or when the market conditions change.

So, let’s challenge ourselves to move beyond performative support. Let’s commit to real change, advocate for policies that protect and elevate women, and actively create environments where women are valued, supported, and empowered. What’s one concrete action you’ve taken or will take to drive real empowerment in your workplace? Let’s start a conversation.

Drop your thoughts below.