Women’s Equality Day: The Power of Equity and Empowerment

While we've seen progress in the journey toward gender equality, the reality remains stark: not a single country has fully achieved it. Across the world, over 380 million women and girls live in extreme poverty, 12 million girls under the age of 18 are married each year, and every 11 minutes, a woman or girl is killed by a family member. Education also suffers, with 130 million girls out of school, and in the workplace, women still earn only 77 cents for every dollar men earn, with just 1 in 3 leadership positions held by women..

This year on Women’s Equality Day, empowHER India hosted an engaging conversation between two powerful advocates for gender equality: Anamara Baig, CEO of empowHER India, and Smita Bharti, Executive Director of Sakshi. Their discussion emphasized the urgent need to empower adolescent girls—our future women leaders—with the skills to challenge and dismantle traditional gender roles.

Smita Bharti, a passionate advocate for gender equity, stressed that real change requires more than policy reforms:
"If we are talking about Women’s Equality, we need to be talking about equity. Just creating change in policies or institutions is not enough. What is important is bringing an attitude and behavioural change."

She highlighted the need to go beyond surface-level fixes to ensure that real, transformative change reaches the heart of societal norms and behaviours.

Similarly, Anamara Baig reflected on the importance of giving women an active voice in decisions that shape their lives:
"Women need to be consulted on matters that impact their lives. They cannot be mere spectators watching their lives unfold. It's our collective responsibility to build an ecosystem where this is possible."

Their conversation underscored a critical message: empowering young girls today ensures that they become the empowered women of tomorrow. Smita Bharti and Anamara Baig shared personal stories and offered practical advice on how we, as a society, can create pathways for adolescent girls to lead with confidence, break free from traditional roles, and push the boundaries of what women are “expected” to do.

At empowHER India, we believe that conversations like these are essential in driving real change. They open the door to action, ignite inspiration, and foster a world where women and girls can thrive as equals—every day, not just on Women’s Equality Day.

The road ahead may be long, but with collective effort, we can create a future where equality is not just a dream but a reality.

In case you missed the conversation, you can watch the full video here

ABOUT empowHER India:
empowHER India is an NGO based in Maharashtra, India. The organisation has been working at a grassroots level for the past 30+ years to provide women and adolescent girls with their basic needs and help them gain the necessary knowledge and resources to empower themselves through life skills education. We work in the following locations - Karjat, Pen, Alibaug- and recently expanded to Chhatrapati Sambhajinagar (Aurangabad). The programs also extend to the school level, where we focus on WaSH (Water, Sanitation, and Hygiene) and toilet construction, as well as providing education to underprivileged children at Rakesh Jain Madhyamik VidyaMandir in Shivkar, Mumbai.