Editor’s Note: Lacey Miyazaki, Americas Insights Team Lead, LinkedIn, co-wrote this post with David Diaco, Senior Insight Analyst, LinkedIn.
In 1975, the United Nations formally recognized and began celebrating International Women’s Day. Today, countries around the world salute women’s social, economic, cultural and political achievements. While there is certainly much to celebrate, the World Economic Forum estimated last year that gender parity is more than 200 years away.
Advocacy, activism, and support are no longer the sole responsibility of the boldest activists. Leveraging LinkedIn data, we aimed to learn how both companies and individuals alike are rallying together to recognize International Women’s Day in 2018.
The conversation is for everyone – companies and individuals
More than a million posts, videos and articles course through the LinkedIn feed per day, generating tens of millions more shares and likes. This wealth of content originates both from LinkedIn’s more than 500 million members and from companies posting on the platform.
Issues affecting women in the workplace are a hot topic within the LinkedIn community. Companies on LinkedIn are increasingly understanding the importance of gender parity in the workplace and recognizing their role in driving it. In 2017, there were more than 20,000 posts about International Women's Day on LinkedIn from almost 15,000 companies. That's a 58 percent increase in the number of companies posting about International Women's Day compared to the year prior. In 2017, these International Women's Day posts drove more than 1.3 million engagements.
Top International Women's Day Company Posts in 2017*
- SpaceX — Posted a message celebrating its female employes who are "pushing the boundaries of innovation in space travel."
- Barclays — Posted a message in support of inclusion from the bank's CEO, Jes Staley.
- Unicef — Posted a quote from Malala Yousafzai: "When the whole world is silent, even one voice becomes powerful..."
- United Nations — Posted an infographic about the wage gap between women and men around the globe.
- PwC — Posted an infographic, "Wining the Fight for Female Talent."
- Danone — Celebrated its recognition as a HerforShe Thematic Champion.
- Nestle — Posted about its company-wide series of "Leading Together" conferences.
- European Parliament — Posted an infographic examining the economic empowerment of women.
- Visa — Celebrated its month-long observation of International Women's Day with 60 company events around the globe.
- Shell — Shared career stories of female employees from around the world.
There’s still an opportunity for wider industry and more small business perspective
While we see some variety in the top posts above, companies in information technology and services, staffing and recruiting, and non-profit organizations were posting the most about International Women's Day in 2017. This concentration makes sense, because there is strong competition for talent in these sectors — and employer brand can significantly impact hiring and ultimately diversity in the workforce.
An Early Look at What Companies Have Already Posted about International Women's Day in 2018
- Novartis — Novartis Oncology CEO shares why she rejects gender barriers when searching to cure cancer.
- AccorHotels — Leading up to International Women's Day, the company recognized standout female employees from around the world.
- CGI — Shared the stories of #WomenofCGI.
- CMA CGM — Recognized the contributions of its female employees.
- Hastings Deering — The company announced that one of its employees is a finalist in the Queensland Resources Council's "Annual Resources Awards for Women."
Is your company joining the conversation on International Women’s Day in 2018? LinkedIn joined the conversation with a post highlighting 15 female Top Voices who have long led the discussion of economic empowerment.
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*Engagement is measured as the total of likes, comments, and shares on LinkedIn.