International Women’s Day

Every 8 March, we celebrate International Women’s Day. It is a global celebration of the achievements and contributions of women, but also a call to action for reinforcing efforts towards gender equality and addressing the challenges that women continue to face worldwide.

The global theme of the 2025 edition is “Accelerate Action”, which is in line with this year’s United Nations theme “For ALL women and girls: Rights. Equality. Empowerment”. 

“This year’s theme calls for action that can unlock equal rights, power and opportunities for all and a feminist future where no one is left behind. Central to this vision is empowering the next generation —youth, particularly young women and adolescent girls— as catalysts for lasting change.” — United Nations, 2025.

International Women’s Day serves as a reminder that gender equality is not just a goal, but a shared responsibility that requires collective action from us all. European University alliances have an important role in building a more egalitarian society through education, research, innovation, equality and work-life balance policies and plans.

Universities take on the challenge of generating and transferring knowledge free of stereotypes and gender roles, with innovation projects that promote democratic values and equality. This entails upholding a gender perspective, implementing effective work-life balance and equal opportunities. Higher education institutions consolidate their responsibility by committing to the elimination of gender gaps, especially in STEM areas, and the recognition and visibility of women’s academic and professional work.

For the Arqus Alliance, this day highlights the importance of promoting diversity, inclusion, and equality within higher education. We recognise it is crucial to not only celebrate the accomplishments of women but also to actively work towards dismantling systemic barriers that hinder equity and gender parity.

The Arqus Inclusion and Diversity Hub continues working towards having Equality, Diversity and Inclusion as a transversal enabler element and as one of the main distinctive features of the Alliance, by practising gender equality, pro-actively embracing diversity and fostering inclusion in all Arqus activities and structures. The Inclusion and Diversity Action Plan guides the Arqus community’s collective responsibility. Through the Common Charter on Gender Equality, Inclusion and Sustainability, Arqus has proposed a series of plans with several lines of action, underscoring how universities have a responsibility to provide inclusive education.