International Women's Day

Celine Martin
March 8, 2022

Today is International Women’s Day -

A global day celebrating the social, economic, cultural, and political achievements of women. International Women’s Day dates back over a century and calls us to action to accelerate women’s equality both in and outside of the workplace. As a technology company existing in a male-dominated industry, it is important for Vendasta to also recognize the importance of gender equality & diversity throughout our organization. As our teams have continued to grow, we are proud of the diversity that exists in them but acknowledge that there is always room to continue to build on this as an inclusive organization.

Today, 40% of the Vendasta team identifies as female, compared to an industry average of 33% of female representation in technology companies. This diversity is a key driver of the innovation & success we have achieved together as a workforce and we look forward to further building on this gender diversity through 2022 and beyond. We recognize our role in promoting STEM education and careers for women, and we continue to support awareness of female opportunities in the technology industry through our Community Support initiatives, through sponsoring and attending tech events, and speaking at educational institutions from the elementary school level to post-secondary level. Through our recruitment efforts, Vendasta has also been able to participate in female-focused recruitment events, where candidates participating identify as ‘Women in Tech’.

So what else can we as Vendastians do to support International Women’s Day and gender equality? Read on!

In case you missed it, check out the Women in Leadership panel that took place March 11 HERE!

#BreakTheBias

The theme of 2022’s International Women’s Day is #BreakTheBias. Whether we’re aware of them or not, biases we have towards marginalized groups, like women, can hold them back from achieving social, economic, cultural, and political equality. Being aware of biases that we may hold as well as taking action and respectfully speaking up when we see or experience bias-based behaviours can make big differences in achieving gender equality.

Biases can present themselves in a number of ways, and knowing what to look for, as well as how to respectfully respond can help us start productive conversations where we can all learn and grow together. Check out this amazing resource by Lean In & International Women’s Day to discover ways to address common biases in the workplace.

Educate Ourselves

There are many great resources available to help us learn about women’s equality and celebrate the momentous contributions of women to our society. Refer to the list below for educational content we can access to continue this important learning.

Female-focused podcast recommendations by LifeHacker and HiveLife
46 novels about women who changed the world
Women-centred stories to read with kids

One of the best ways that we can learn is from the experiences of others, and MatchCraft is holding an International Women’s Day panel on March 8, 2022 to help us do just that. Join them at 10:30 AM CST here to learn about how five women in tech at MatchCraft got into STEM and the biases they have encountered along the way.

Support Female-Owned Businesses

Did you know that there are over 35,000 women-owned businesses in Saskatchewan? According to the Government of Saskatchewan, these businesses created nearly 200,000 jobs and contributed $23.1 billion to the SK economy in 2019. Unfortunately, throughout the COVID-19 pandemic, women-owned businesses and female entrepreneurs were disproportionately, negatively impacted. In supporting a women-owned business, we support female entrepreneurship, closing the wage gap, and our local economies.

From retail products to trade services, check out these expansive lists of businesses by Women Entrepreneurs of Saskatchewan (WESK) and Femme Bought Toronto to support a local female business owner.

Volunteer or Contribute to a Female-Centric Charity or Organization

Another great way we can help move the needle on equality for women is to help support a female-centric not-for-profit. Whether we choose to donate our time or make a financial contribution, there are a number of different causes we can support.

Elizabeth Fry Society of Saskatchewan | A not-for-profit committed to working for and with women in the justice system.
International Women of Saskatoon | A community where newcomer, immigrant and refugee women and their families are empowered to reach their full potential.
Saskatoon Interval House | A temporary shelter for women and their children leaving domestic violence who require safe accommodation.
Canadian Women & Sport | A not-for-profit that partners with sport organizations, governments, and leaders to build better sport through gender equity.
Native Women’s Association of Canada | A collective with the goal to enhance, promote, and foster the social, economic, cultural and political well-being of First Nations, Métis and Inuit women.
SheEO | A collective project is to get resources to women and non-binary folk with innovations that address critical global priorities

As a reminder, Vendasta has an amazing Employee Donation Matching Program where we’re proud to match individual donations for registered charitable initiatives to a maximum of $100 CAD per Vendastian per year and a max of $6,000 total.

In addition to all of these initiatives, we want to remind you that our leadership and People Operations team’s doors (and virtual doors) are always open. If you have any comments, questions, or suggestions about how we can help support gender diversity & inclusion at Vendasta, please reach out.

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