The Sun Sets

Finished the work cycling challenge today, managed to get my 200 miles. After last year's Covid travails and overwhelming fatigue, it's nice to feel like there's some light at the end of the tunnel. 

The challenge was timed to end on International Women's Day, on which I wrote this elsewhere (the cartoon referred to in the extras).

Today is International Women's Day (also known as 'International When Is International Men's Day' to some*), which means organisations the world over will be sending out messages of support, hosting talks with inspirational stories, and talking about the undoubted benefits of equality and equity. And then tomorrow will be happy to have ticked the box for another year, and hope no-one notices their Gender Pay Gap Report.

If you want an instant look at the absurdity of it all, especially today, follow PayGapApp on Twitter, a bot which responds to posts by (presumably) mining a company's own report. If you're an organisation thinking about posting, then really REALLY think about it. In particular whether you're better spending your time and effort actually 'making' the changes needed, rather than crowing about things you haven't actually done.

This cartoon of mine is at least 5, maybe 6, years old, and is still easily relevant, we've got a long way to go...

* p.s. if your response to International Women's Day is to respond (sarcastically, it's always in a sarcastic tone), "But when's International Men's Day, hmmm?", it's November 19th. I'll presume, in (misplaced) good faith that you're asking because you want to start organising events to celebrate the day. Because, frankly, if you don't then you might as well wear a t-shirt today proclaiming yourself to be the massive misogynistic hypocrite that you clearly are.

You may trip up. You may get things wrong. But there is NO harm, and only benefit to society (and the workplace) by always 'trying' to be an ally.