International Women’s Day 2025 – do we really need it?

“Is International Women’s Day necessary? Don’t women already have equal rights? If males and females are equal, why don’t we have International Men’s Day?”

These were some of the questions asked at XJTLU’s International Women’s Day 2025 event and swiftly answered by a morning of talks and discussion.

Professor Qiuling Chao, Vice President of Student Affairs and Information at XJTLU, opened the event by presenting critical statistics that underscore the ongoing need for equity in higher education. Citing the 2023 Global Gender Gap Report, she noted that women comprise only 29% of the STEM workforce in the 146 countries included.

Professor Chao urged everyone to celebrate women’s achievements globally and continue to strive for equal opportunities for women.

“I sincerely hope that every woman pays close attention to her own development, continuously improves herself, and truly embodies confidence, self-love, self-respect, independence, and resilience, achieving outstanding results in the workplace,” she said.

Professor Qiuling Chao, Vice President of Student Affairs and Information Credit: Jingrui Duan

In case anyone was still unsure of why International Women’s Day is celebrated, Professor Yu Song, Director of the XIPU Institution, XJTLU, and Head of the Jiangsu Gender Equality Demonstration Base, closed out the morning’s event by emphasising the societal pressures women face, stating: “[For women] there are social clocks, ticking, ticking, ticking. According to these social clocks, we are, or individuals are, expected to do certain things on a certain timeline.”

Professor Song gave the example of women being labelled as “leftover women” if they are not married before the age of 27 and judged if they do not have children before they are 35.

“All these social clocks are telling you it’s best to hurry up otherwise you’re going to miss this and that,” she said. “So, when we say ‘be yourself’, or ‘be authentic’, it’s not easy for women. We should listen to our inner voice, our real inner voice, not the ones the social clocks tell you what you are expected to do.

“I understand that for most women in this room, we are lucky in many ways. We are privileged in a way. So, I think it is our obligation to be kind and talk to other women. Let’s move to let other women’s voices be heard. That’s why we are here to celebrate International Women’s Day.”

Professor Yu Song, Director of the XIPU Institution, XJTLU, and Head of the Jiangsu Gender Equality Demonstration Base Credit: Jingrui Duan

The themes of authenticity, kindness and mutual support resonated throughout the morning.

Melissa Lam, General Manager and Chief Representative of Education First (EF), China, and President of Teach Online Global, delivered an insightful keynote address. Drawing from her 20 years of experience building EF’s language centres across China, she discussed the qualities of authentic leadership and the importance of inspiring others.

Lam’s presentation was followed by Professor William James, Emeritus Professor of Virology at the University of Oxford, who gave introductions to remarkable female scientists he has had the honour of working alongside, including Nobel Prize Winner Dr Dorothy Crawford (usually known by her married name Hodgkin), Dr Sally Cowley, Founder of the James Martin Stem Cell Facility at the University of Oxford, and Professor Dame Carol Robinson, former President of the Royal Society of Chemistry. Professor James told engaging stories of the challenges the women had been up against and had to overcome because of their gender and called for the audience’s applause to be for the women he featured rather than for his talk.

Melissa Lam, General Manager and Chief Representative of Education First, China, and President of Teach Online Global (left) and Professor William James, Emeritus Professor of Virology at the University of Oxford Credit: Jingrui Duan

The event’s panel discussion featured leaders from various fields: Dr Anisa Vahed, Educational Developer at the Academy of Future Education; Melissa Lam; Yu Chen, Partner GPM at Microsoft; Dr Katie Aafjes-van Doorn, Associate Professor of Psychology at New York University, Shanghai; and Professor Jorg Bley, Dean of International Business School Suzhou, moderated by Helen Beech, Dean of the School of Languages.

The panellists highlighted the challenges women face in the workplace and in creating a healthy work-life balance and offered helpful advice. This included advising employees to make their managers aware of how their productivity can be improved (for example, asking for an assistant), and having the courage to take unconventional paths when making key life decisions. Chen remarked: “Try something first, and once you try it, it’s also okay to fail.”

 Panel discussion on the issues surrounding opportunities and challenges for women Credit: Jingrui Duan

Throughout the day, events were running to celebrate and support the women at XJTLU, including male senior management surprising female staff with flowers, self-defence classes, heritage craft making, and Chinese herbal medicine workshops.

This celebration of International Women’s Day served as a reminder of the ongoing journey toward gender equality and the importance of supporting one another in this endeavour.

Attendees tearing down negative stereotypes that women face and offer encouraging alternatives Credit: Jingrui Duan

Hands-on Heritage workshops at SIP Credit: Catherine Diamond

Self-defense and yoga practice at XEC Credit: Yuhao Liu

By Catherine Diamond

Edited by Xinmin Han