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What happens if women stop doing the work
Happy Hump Day {{first_name | Toaster}} 🐪 ,
Last year, we did something that raised a few eyebrows. Instead of planning a big International Women’s Day campaign with events across North America, as we did in 2024, we decided to step back. We launched our #WithoutHer campaign and announced that Toast wouldn’t be participating in IWD at all.
We did this because we felt that the same companies that celebrate women for one day were often the same ones that underpay them or expect them to give up their time for speaking engagements for free. The goal wasn’t to protest women celebrating each other, but instead to shift who was doing the work.
The response was incredible. Women told us they stepped down from unpaid IWD panels. Some companies had men step up to plan their IWD programming. Leaders reached out to ask how they could actually support women at work. That was the point. International Women’s Day shouldn’t be another item on women’s to-do lists.
When women step back, the world notices. If women disappeared from the labour force tomorrow, the impact wouldn’t be subtle. Healthcare systems would collapse and schools, and universities would lose the majority of their educators. Tech would feel it too - women only make up a minority of the industry, but their contributions shape products, teams, and the users those products serve. A workforce without women is smaller, less creative, and less profitable.
Women aren’t just participants in the workforce, we are economic infrastructure. And yet, the inequities still persist. Women globally earn about 20% less than men on average (UN Women). Women hold only about 28% of leadership roles in tech (World Economic Forum). Women perform roughly 2.5 times more unpaid care work than men worldwide (OECD).
This is the context behind #WithoutHer. It is not a rejection of International Women’s Day or a dismissal of the history behind it. Instead, it’s a reminder that appreciation without action doesn’t change much.
To be clear, we are not condemning women who participate in International Women’s Day. Panels, events, and celebrations can be meaningful ways for women to learn and connect. Our ask is simple - if companies want women on panels, pay them. If companies want to celebrate women’s contributions, make sure those contributions are recognized year-round. And if organizations truly care about gender equity, it shouldn’t show up once a year in March. It should show up in hiring decisions, compensation conversations, and leadership pipelines.
Here’s what leaders can actually do for IWD this year:
Give women the day off: Offer women a paid day off on IWD. Let them rest, volunteer, attend events, or spend the day however they want. Since IWD falls on a Sunday, March 8th, our team is taking this Friday off.
Plan the events yourself: Men can take responsibility for organizing workplace events. Just make sure you ask women what they actually want before planning.
Pay women to speak on panels: Exposure doesn’t pay the bills, budget for speaker fees.
Audit pay transparency: Take the opportunity to review pay bands, promotion pathways, and compensation data.
Share credit publicly: Use your voice to highlight the work women on your team are doing year-round.
Sponsor women in your organization: Mentorship is helpful, but sponsorship changes careers. Advocate for women when promotions, leadership opportunities, and high-visibility projects are on the table.
If you’re stepping back from IWD this year, we’ve created a few #Withouther graphics here that you can share.
Team Toast 🥂
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Upcoming Events 🗓️
For Women’s Month, we’re not hosting events so we can give our Community Managers the month off.
Celebrating women shouldn’t mean overworking them.
We’ll be back next month with some fresh, toasty new events. ♨️
Community Partner 🤝
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