International Women’s Day: Time to do more than talk
International Women’s Day is a time to celebrate women and tackle gender inequality. However we need to move beyond echo chamber panel discussions and performative Instagram posts if we’re to make any kind of difference, writes Becky Paskin.
It’s that time of year when whisky brands take to social media celebrating the women in their teams and other high profile individuals who have contributed to the industry. For one day, we see women featured prominently across Linkedin and Instagram – until 9th March, when things return to business as usual.
March also sees a flood of brand-led ‘women in drinks’ events, usually in the form of an all-female, caucasian panel discussion where participants share their struggles to an all-female echo chamber, without any tangible follow-up. To rub salt in the wound, women participating in these panels are too often asked to do so without compensation, which ironically only contributes to the gender pay gap.
While raising awareness of the challenges women face in our industry, these kinds of events and initiatives have become a predictable cycle, and frankly, they’re getting a little tired. We seem to be regurgitating the same line of questioning, discussing the same points and settling back into our daily lives without any meaningful action being taken.
For too many brands, International Women’s Day has become nothing more than a poorly-thought out marketing opportunity. If companies want to show genuine support for women, it’s time to move beyond these surface-level gestures and take real action.
“We seem to be regurgitating the same line of questioning, discussing the same points and settling back into our daily lives without any meaningful action being taken.”
This isn’t to diminish the progress the industry has made already. When OurWhisky was founded in 2018, drinks industry panel discussions about DEI barely existed, neither did social media posts about International Women’s Day – just 17 of the top 150 global whisky brands mentioned it on Instagram that year (according to OurWhisky’s Representation in Social Media report).
Back then, when I would speak at conferences about OurWhisky’s research into the experiences of women in whisky, too many people rolled their eyes. They’d rather walk out of the room (yes, that actually happened) than understand the devastating challenges their colleagues faced.
I’m grateful and proud that the industry has moved forward since then – there are a growing number of initiatives engaging women across the drinks industry, but as Maya Angelou said: “Do the best you can until you know better. Then when you know better, do better.” We can’t afford to be complacent any longer.
This year’s International Women’s Day theme is Accelerate Action, emphasising ‘the importance of taking swift and decisive steps to achieve gender equality’. Unfortunately, despite the whisky industry's incredible progress, panel discussions and a single annual post highlighting female achievement is no longer enough.
“by next year, whisky brands could have a whole new story to tell – one that reflects genuine change and progress, not just a fleeting moment of recognition.”
International Women’s Day isn’t just about showing support for women; it’s about creating meaningful change. You only need to read the results of OurWhisky’s Do You Even Like Whisky? survey to see how badly it’s needed. It’s time to stop lazily using women’s voices as a marketing tool and start putting real resources behind our fight for gender equality.
We need to see more impactful initiatives like Hendricks’ USA Roadtrip, where a portion of every drink sold at nationwide events is donated to a local community charity selected by bartenders; Scotch Malt Whisky Society’s annual IWD outturn, where 5% of proceeds are donated to charity (OurWhisky is the current beneficiary); or the Pot Still Whisky Girls’ annual IWD lunch in Glasgow which donates proceeds to a different charity each year.
Think what could also be achieved if brands’ IWD marketing and events budget was instead funnelled into activity to address gender equality year-round. This could involve providing bias training for teams, leadership training for women within your organisation, sponsoring women-only community groups or support for nonprofit organisations already doing the work through promotion, collaboration and financial aid.
At the OurWhisky Foundation we’re grateful for the ongoing annual support from our corporate partners including Whyte & Mackay, the Glenmorangie Company and Brown-Forman, as well as the fundraising efforts of so many others. This year-round funding enables us to provide life-changing career guidance for women in the global whisky community, to challenge bias among consumers and trade, provide DEI training workshops and raise awareness of women’s vital contributions to our industry.
Brand-sponsored panel discussions and Instagram posts have their place, but we should be asking if they serve a meaningful function with tangible benefits, or are simply pinkwashing initiatives.
By focusing on improving gender equality year-round with meaningful actions, by next year, whisky brands could have a whole new story to tell – one that reflects genuine change and progress, not just a fleeting moment of recognition. It’s time to show up, not just on 8th March, but every day.
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