International Women's Day (March 8th) is a global day celebrating the social, economic, cultural, and political achievements of women. This day marks a call to action for equality, to raise awareness against bias and celebrate women’s achievements.
Team UpCircle’s workforce is 80% women. This includes an all-women warehouse and a female co-founder. It is encouraging to see so many women across different fields of expertise. Every day at UpCircle HQ difference is valued and celebrated. This year our team wanted to bring a spotlight to some of the women who have helped forge their paths. This is what some of them had to say…
Laura - Marketing Master:
Margaret Attwood challenges everything from environmental disaster right through to reproductive rights and has done so throughout her entire career, enabling women to reflect on their own position in society. Reading her books at an early age opened up my mind massively.
Anna - Co-founder:
I really don't have one specific icon, but there are people whose opinions I value or who I think always answer interviews brilliantly. Rihanna would be one of those people. I get interviewed daily and asked a LOT about entrepreneurship, being a leader and my confidence generally. I often think about one interview clip where Rihanna was asked "What do you do on those days where you don't feel confident?" and she just replied, "Pretend". Which I just loved. I find her so relatable and so impressive.
Michael - Money Man:
Grace Tame was voted 2021 Australian of the year. As a sexual abuse survivor, she created the #LetHerSpeak campaign in Australia. She ignited a passion in Australians and people alike to protest the abhorrent rape that occurred in the Parliament of Australia. She has shed more light on grooming and the stigma women face from sexual assault in the workplace and so many other places in society. Tame is a fierce force in the fight for women’s rights.
Juliana - Operations Officer:
Nawal El Saadawi was an Egyptian feminist writer, activist, physician and psychiatrist. Having just read one of her many books, [Woman at Point Zero] and learning about her life, she now holds a very special place on my women icons list.
Sophie - Customer Care Champion:
Dolly Parton - all day every day! Dolly makes great music to start with - that alone would make her an icon but she does so much more with so much philanthropic work. Her Imagination Library provides free books to children all over the world to help them learn to read - especially in deprived areas. She offers scholarships for college to many young people from her home town as well as giving everyone in her home town who finished high school $500 to reduce dropout rates. Dolly Parton uses her voice and platform to support and protect marginalised communities. Also, her style is iconic - it might not be to everyone's taste but she dresses how she wants and for herself. All around an icon!
Will - Co-founder:
I'll go with the predictable but true answer of my mum. I think it’s clear my Mum has influenced me a lot with regards to the person I’ve become. She just never stops and I think some of her work ethic has rubbed off on Anna and me! It’s what’s enabled us to grow so quickly since starting UpCircle.
Iza - Global Sales
Laverne Cox is an amazing Actress, Activist and LGBTQ trailblazer! (You might know her from “Orange Is The New Black” or “Inventing Anna”, but also by being the executive producer on 'Disclosure'; a Netflix documentary on Hollywood & the trans community). She is the first trans woman to be nominated for a Prime Time Emmy Award in an acting category. First transgender person to feature on the (iconic) cover of Time Magazine, Cosmopolitan and to have their own wax figure at Madame Tussauds. All the while, she continues to uplift (trans) women (of colour) through activism, press, her acting work and social media!
Sophie J - Key Accounts Manager
My woman is Emily Ratajkowski, she is an all-around goddess with incredible fashion sense! Beyond that, her Book 'My Body' explores feminism, sexuality and the power of men's treatment of women. I think she is a great advocate for women and breaking the bias. 
Katy - UK Sales Sensation
My International Women’s Day Icon is my mum, Angela. As a teacher & headteacher, she hasn’t just influenced my life but thousands of others and is always praised for being fair, kind & considerate. She worked more than full-time & raised 3 children, but always made time if anyone needed her. She taught me to be kind & conscientious, and how important it is to help others. She also made me argumentative & fiercely independent - even if she might regret that now! Thanks, mum for all the amazing things you do!
Gloria Steinem, world-renowned feminist, journalist and activist once explained "The story of women's struggle for equality belongs to no single feminist nor to any one organization but to the collective efforts of all who care about human rights." Make International Women's Day your day and do what you can to truly make a positive difference for women. Collectively we can all #BreakTheBias.
