Balance for better: International Women’s Day 2019

This week, the world celebrates International Women’s Day, a grassroots initiative that grew out of the women’s movement in the early 1900s for voting rights and better pay. Over a century later, this global event has become a worldwide phenomenon celebrating and honoring women while calling for gender equality.

The 2019 campaign for International Women’s Day is #BalanceforBetter, an idea that emphasizes the fact that we have a collective responsibility for creating a more gender balanced world and that we can achieve progress within our organizations, communities and society at large when all our voices are heard. At Torys we welcome balance within our organization and we are proud of the accomplishments of the many women at our firm whose contributions help shape our story and make us a market leader. We are proud of the representation of women in our operations and leadership, and we continue to aspire and strive for a greater female presence in all aspects of our business.

For this year’s International Women’s Day, we are supporting the Shoebox Project, an organization that collects and distributes assembled shoeboxes to women impacted by homelessness in communities across Canada and the Unites States.

We have also taken the opportunity to canvass some of the amazing women at our firm who acknowledge the female mentors who have supported them on Twitter. Below, senior corporate partner and former managing partner of our New York office, Karrin Powys-Lybbe, talks about her professional experience as a leader and mentor.

Ultimately, International Women’s Day reminds us that although society has made huge strides in the quest for more gender balance, we still have a way to go. While today is spent honoring women in our organizations and close networks, we hope that this year’s campaign gives a unified direction and continued momentum toward achieving a more inclusive and gender-balanced world.