By Maria Maalouf
International Women’s Day always arrives with a dual impact. I feel a surge of pride for the women who have pressed against limitations—those who have constructed, created, resisted, and flourished despite challenges. However, I also experience a persistent frustration that, in the year 2025, we are still striving for an equity that should have been secured long ago. Whatever the theme is this year—empowerment, inclusion, or dismantling barriers—it represents more than a fleeting phrase to me. It is a summons to forge a future in which every woman, regardless of her journey, receives the same opportunities as anyone else. I am not prepared to wait for approval to bring this vision to life.
Women are present in all places, engaged in all endeavors. We are the individuals working through extended hours, presenting proposals in environments that do not always value our input, and capturing aspirations in the edges of a society that frequently overlooks us. We are not identical—our experiences intersect in countless ways—but we are united by this: the understated determination to demand more, to recognize our worth. Equity is not an abstract concept; it is the foundation. It is receiving compensation equivalent to the value of our efforts, not a lesser amount due to our identity. It is being acknowledged without the need to raise our voices twice as forcefully. It is moving through existence without the burden of constantly validating our presence.
This pursuit extends beyond us—it encompasses everyone. When women are granted an equal opportunity, the entire framework improves. Research supports this: studies, such as those from the McKinsey Global Institute, indicate that closing the gender gap could contribute trillions of dollars to the economy. Trillions. Yet, it is not solely about financial gain—it is about integrity. It is the opportunity for every woman—whether she is laboring in a factory, directing proceedings in a courtroom, or outlining her next significant project—to prosper without confronting a structure designed to disadvantage her. When this occurs, the advantages do not conclude with us; they extend to every segment of society.
I am weary of partial efforts. This International Women’s Day, I do not desire superficial compliments or another cycle of remarks about resilience. I seek tangible progress: legislation that does not merely acknowledge equal pay but mandates it, workplaces that do not treat us as exceptions but embrace us fully, and environments where every woman—cisgender, transgender, from any origin—can exist confidently, not cautiously. Men have a responsibility here as well—not to intervene as rescuers, but to collaborate with us, to question the outdated patterns that constrain us all. Equity is not a concession; it is an essential requirement, and it is the duty of everyone to construct it.
I envision a future where no woman’s capabilities are diminished—where her ambition is not deemed excessive, her gentleness is not considered a flaw, and her voice is not labeled disruptive. That is what I am forging for, not only for myself, but for all of us who have ever faced an undeserved refusal. This March, let us abandon courteous appeals and commit to action—become the intensity, the instrument, the strength that reshapes the world toward fairness. We are not merely imagining; we are achieving.
Here is to every woman. Here is to all of us.
