Every year on 9 August, we celebrate Women’s Day in South Africa - commemorating the thousands of women who marched to the Union Buildings in 1956 to demand freedom and justice.

But somewhere between the corporate breakfasts and “empowerment” hashtags, the deeper question often gets lost:
What does supporting women actually look like in the workplace today?

Here’s what it isn’t:
• A Women’s Day email that praises resilience… then ignores biased systems
• A panel on female leadership… with no follow-through
• A shoutout to “strong women”... while silencing their contributions in meetings

Words matter. But so do actions.

Supporting women means making sure their voices aren’t just heard but also respected.

This Women’s Day let’s move beyond admiration and towards action.

• Do women on your team feel safe to speak up or do they edit themselves before they start?
• Do your training programmes help women develop lasting communication confidence or just tick the “empowerment” box”?
• Are you investing in tools that help women lead or just perform?

I don’t have all the answers. But I believe this:
When we give women the tools to express their value clearly and naturally in their own voice, we don’t just create better teams, we create better organisations.

That’s something worth celebrating and building on every day of the year.