Celebrating International Women’s Day

March 6, 2025

Every year on March 8, we celebrate women in all fields while acknowledging that equality is still a long way off.

Accelerating women’s equality

Every year on March 8, we celebrate women. We celebrate women and the social, economic, cultural and political impact they make. We see this positive impact at work, at home, and in our communities, but March 8 is also a powerful reminder that equality is still a long way off.

This year’s theme, #AccelerateAction #IWD2025, underscores the need to drive forward the strategies and initiatives that create real, lasting change for women worldwide. This change, or lack thereof, will affect us all.

International Women’s Day has been observed for well over a century, with the first gathering taking place in 1911 and drawing support from over a million people. While significant strides have been made in women’s rights, gender parity remains a distant goal. According to data from the World Economic Forum, at our current rate of progress, full gender parity will not be reached until 2158. This stark reality highlights the urgency of taking deliberate action to advance gender equality.

How we can accelerate action for women

International Women’s Day provides an opportunity to:

  • Celebrate the achievements of women in all fields.
  • Raise awareness about the barriers to women’s equality.
  • Call for positive change and accelerate progress for women.
  • Lobby for policies that promote gender parity.

We all play a role in challenging gender stereotypes, calling out discrimination, and advocating for policies that drive equality. Whether through grassroots activism or large-scale initiatives, collective effort is key to achieving meaningful change.

Women in STEM: bridging the gender gap

Gender disparity is significant in STEM (science, technology, engineering, and mathematics). Women continue to be underrepresented in these fields globally, including in Alberta and Canada as a whole.

  • As of August 2021, only 14.2 percent of professional engineers and 21.2 percent of professional geoscientists registered with the Association of Professional Engineers and Geoscientists of Alberta were women.
  • Across Canada, women make up less than 25 percent of individuals employed in STEM careers, despite representing 34 percent of Canadians with a STEM degree.
  • In the United States, women comprised only 27 percent of STEM workers in 2019, up from just eight percent in 1970.
  • Globally, less than 30 percent of researchers are women, and they continue to be underrepresented in leadership roles within STEM industries.

The state of our organization

Across Alberta Innovates, InnoTech and C-FER Technologies, we employee 270 women, which is about 47 percent of our workforce.

Based on internal records, we have 86 women with bachelor’s degrees, 40 with master’s degrees, and 22 with doctoral degrees.

Across the organization, we have 17 scientists and 11 professional engineers (engineers and engineers-in-training), four of whom occupy management positions.

Why more women in STEM matters

Studies show that increasing women’s participation in STEM has significant benefits:

  • The Canadian Nuclear Safety Commission highlights that greater gender diversity in STEM can help address skills shortages, boost innovation, and provide better returns on human resource investments.
  • Research by the European Institute for Gender Equality found that closing the gender gap in STEM education could increase employment in the EU by 850,000 to 1.2 million jobs by 2050.

The importance of allies and collective effort

Achieving gender parity is not solely the responsibility of women—strong allies and advocates are crucial. Men, organizations, policymakers and communities must work together to remove barriers, challenge bias, and create environments where women can thrive in all sectors.

Additionally, while International Women’s Day highlights the broader need for gender equality, specific events such as International Women in Engineering Day on June 23 serve to recognize the contributions of women in historically male-dominated industries.

Looking ahead: action for a more equal future

While obstacles to gender equality persist, change is possible with sustained commitment and action. By investing in women’s education, supporting mentorship programs, implementing equitable policies and fostering inclusive workplaces, we can #AccelerateAction and create a future where women are equally represented in all fields.

This International Women’s Day, let’s celebrate the progress made and commit to doing more —faster, together.