Whether you decide to wear a purple ribbon, go on strike, or join the march: there are many ways to show your support this International Women’s Day, 8 March 2017.

Last year, organisations and people around the globe came together for the #PledgeForParity campaign, to show their support for women and girls; find new ways to solve the existing gender-gap issue; challenge bias and discrimination against women, and remove the obstacles which pose a barrier to women and girls achieving their potential.

How you can take part

This year’s campaign #BeBoldForChange will see people from all walks of life coming together for a week of events (like the #March4Women event held this Sunday in London,) which aims to gather momentum in the war against discrimination and show support for women all around the world.

But if marching isn’t your sort of thing, then you can head on over to Seven Dials – one of London’s most exciting shopping hotspots – where a series of events inspired by IWD will take place from 6 to 10 March. The events, which are created in partnership with Dress For Success (a world-renowned charity that aims to provide women with the skills needed to succeed in business,) will feature a series of workshops designed to inspire women and raise awareness about the political, social and economic consequences of the current Gender-gap.

The highlight of the week, however, has to be a panel of female industry professionals who will arrive at the Radisson Blu Edwardian Hotel to talk about their success stories; the panel includes Rosie Wolfenden, co-founder of Totty Devine, and Caroline Rush, head-executive at the British Fashion Council. It is hoped that events like these will help pave the way for a world without gender-gaps, and inspire women to take the necessary steps to succeed in the future.

What does IWD spell for the future of women?

However, whilst small victories have been won since the earliest campaign was held in 1909 (New York City), it seems ever more pertinent that campaigns like IWD continue their work - safe-guarding the future of women in the debate for gender rights.

This is all the more true if we are to believe recent statistics released by the World Economic Forum, which predicts that the gender gap “won’t close entirely until 2186”. This tells me that at some point people are going to have to think about what the end vision is – a world where every individual is equal? I, for one, certainly hope so.

But whether you choose to join a local demonstration, attend a panel discussion, or even submit your own IWD event, make sure you join the conversation this IWD.