We’re excited to launch a unique celebration for this year’s International Women’s Day, shaped by ambitious female members of our network.

Our latest research showed that fewer than 1% of female students think their gender is the biggest barrier to pursuing their career ambitions. We think that’s a cause for celebration. But there is still some way to go: women still lack confidence about their skills and readiness to work compared to males, and still expect a lower salary.

“Women are 56% more likely to abandon a job application because they lose confidence in their ability to do the role” – Bright Network: What do graduates want? 2018 report

We wanted to create a campaign for International Women’s Day 2019 that celebrates female achievement and highlights the need to continue working towards better gender balance. For the first time we created a student leadership board to lead the campaign. We received over 65 applications from our best and brightest members keen to join the project. The final board is made up of 11 female students from across the country, all committed to female empowerment.

The campaign includes a unique event on 8th March. We’re inviting 100 female Bright Network members to meet with top employers including PwC, Willis Towers Watson and BP.

The event will include inspirational panel chats, skills sessions, career advice and networking time. The aim – set by the student leadership board – is to ‘educate, enable and empower’ women to get the best from their careers.

We’re supporting the event with a social media campaign led by the board, giving us a chance to celebrate what we – and our members, partners and clients – are doing to empower young females. During February and March, we’ll play our part in highlighting this year’s IWD theme of ‘balance for better’ and how to work towards a balanced workforce for the future. Look out for #celebrateIWD to keep up to date with what we’re doing.

Our 2019 events season kicks off on 11th February with Women in Technology, Engineering and Consulting, giving 150 ambitious female students the chance to learn more about careers in tech-related industries.