To answer a question like this, it helps to go back to the beginning.
I’ll admit I didn’t know much about the history of International Women’s Day, so I started by doing some light reading.
International Women’s Day has been observed for more than a century, having its first celebration in 1909. This precursor to our modern International Women’s Day was held on the 28th of February. The origins of this day date back to the women’s suffrage movement, notably the The New York March of 1908 where 15,000 women took to the streets of New York. They called for better working conditions, voting rights and greater economic participation for women. This was one of the early demonstrations of the women’s suffrage movement.” Clara Zetkin, A German activist, proposed a day to recognise women in 1910. In 1975 The United Nations recognised March 8th as international women’s day.
I’ll pause and admit it might have been a little more than light reading. The history of the movement is fascinating and I would encourage any history lover to take a few minutes to read more about the history behind the movement.
Over time, what started as a series of activist gatherings grew into a global moment of recognition. Today it is marked by communities, organisations and institutions around the world. Across those decades, real progress has followed. In many countries, women have gained greater access to education, increased participation in the workforce and more opportunities in leadership and public life.
More than a century later, the conversation has changed, but the questions around opportunity and representation have not completely disappeared. Which raises an interesting question.
How do we think about International Women’s Day today?
Rather than trying to answer that question myself with my limited understanding, we decided to spend some time listening to the people who actively push for change.
We decided to go to PlayPan’s International Women’s Day – Give to Gain event in Singapore to find out more.
The event brought together founders, operators, community leaders and people building organisations across different industries. It did not feel overly ceremonial. People were catching up, exchanging stories about work, projects and teams. The atmosphere felt more like a working conversation than a formal celebration.
Why I Was Curious About This
I will be honest. I did not walk into the event with a strong background or opinion on the impact of International Women’s Day. I knew about it from school and had participated in some events but beyond that I was completely new to it.
From what I found online, International Women’s Day seems to sit in an interesting space. On one hand it is widely recognised, supported by organisations, and marked across industries. On the other hand there is a growing sense online that the conversations have become somewhat predictable. Panels. LinkedIn posts. Corporate messaging.
From everything I saw online I could understand both sides. After all, just 5 minutes on LinkedIn seeing post after early similar post made me ask myself. How much impact does signalling truly have? Or have we missed the point?
We asked Yvonne Siow, the Co-Founder of PlayPan: “How relevant do you think International Women’s Day still is in Singapore today?”
I love that we have a day dedicated to International Women’s Day. It means people from completely different backgrounds come together and celebrate what makes each of us unique.
A heart felt answer which seemed to reflect the tone of many conversations happening that evening. Everyone in attendance was incredibly kind and open to our questions. From the answers I heard, Singapore has clearly made progress. Workforce participation has increased. Conversations about leadership and opportunity are more open than they used to be.
But progress does not necessarily mean the work is finished. As one speaker later reflected during the event’s keynote discussion:
There are many invisible contributions inside organisations. People who prevent a crisis or bring teams together rarely get recognised.
The comment captured an idea that surfaced several times throughout the evening. Many of the most important contributions inside organisations are not always the easiest to see. The question becomes whether we are celebrating progress or examining the systems behind it.
Later in the evening the conversation shifted in an interesting direction. Instead of focusing purely on equality as a social issue, several speakers framed it as something tied directly to leadership and organisational performance.
So I asked Gary Hong, the Co-Founder of PlayPan another question: “How do you see gender equity affecting leadership or business performance in Singapore today?”
There are a lot of women with impact stepping forward. We need to embrace that opportunity.
In Singapore’s economy, human capital is one of the most valuable resources organisations have. The opportunities we have directly impacts if we stay and if we eventually leave. This really resonated with me. Opportunities I had were not as freely accessible to others. It made me realise how different my life would be without those opportunities. One speaker put it perfectly
Women in leadership need to turn their sponsorship into action – put your weight behind women, advocate for them, and open doors they can’t open alone.
I think this sentiment should apply to everyone regardless of gender. We should open doors for those who were traditionally excluded and allow everyone a fair shot.
International Women’s Day, in that context, starts to look less like a celebration and more like a checkpoint. A moment to pause and ask whether the structures behind the messaging are actually working.
Throughout the evening, the theme of perception seemed to permeate most conversations. Most people support the idea of gender equality. But there is also a growing sense, especially from a few of the younger professionals in attendance, that progress sometimes feels slower than the narrative suggests.
The keynote speaker highlighted this perfectly.
Visibility wins. What is visible gets recognised, but visibility is not the same as value.
Everyone has felt this once in their life. We all know someone who’s been promoted because they were the loudest or because they impressed the right people. Visibility and value are not the same.
In a place like Singapore, where professional networks are tightly connected, perception travels quickly, it becomes even more vital that we learn how to differentiate the two. When leadership pathways become clearer, when mentorship turns into sponsorship, and when accountability becomes visible, the conversation starts to shift.
The day begins to feel less symbolic and more reflective.
Where Someone Can Begin
One thing that stood out throughout the evening was how often the conversation returned to small actions rather than large initiatives. Progress rarely happens through a single programme or campaign. More often it emerges through everyday decisions inside organisations and communities.
Mentoring someone earlier in their career.
Recommending an opportunity.
Making space for different voices in a team discussion.
For people who want to explore these conversations further, there are also a number of organisations and resources to start.
A few places to start include:
Organisations
- UN Women
- Lean In
- SheBrilliance
- AVPN (Asian Venture Philanthropy Network)
- Singapore Council of Women’s Organisations
Podcasts
- Women at Work (Harvard Business Review)
- The Fix (Lean In)
- The Guilty Feminist
These conversations are happening across industries and communities every day. International Women’s Day simply creates a moment for more people to pause and reflect on them.
So Do We Still Need International Women’s Day?
After spending the evening listening to people who work on these issues every day, did I leave with a clear answer to the question I started with?
Not really.
If anything, the event made me realise I might be asking the wrong question.
On one hand, International Women’s Day can feel repetitive and potentially performative for some. Another year, another set of panels and signalling LinkedIn posts.
But on the other hand, the conversations inside that room suggested the work itself is still evolving and its impact is felt far from any panel.
Maybe that is the point. International Women’s Day may simply be one of those moments when the conversation can surface again. Where we take a minute to appreciate the progress we’ve made and we decide what it yet to be done.
Treating equality as a once-a-year campaign is missing the point. The focus should be changing how organisations and institutions operate every day.
As one speaker at the event put it:
It’s about giving them a safe platform to work out who they want to become.
The panels, the discussions and the reflection matter. They create space for the conversation to happen and encouraged participation.
What ultimately matters more is what happens after the room empties.
If those ideas continue shaping how teams are built, how leaders mentor and how opportunities are distributed, then the impact of International Women’s Day extends far beyond a single day on the calendar.
And maybe that is where the real progress happens.
