News flash: We write about women in business every day, not just IWD

“Dear Eloise, With International Women’s Day just around the corner, I wanted to check whether you’re planning – or interested in considering any quotes, answers or commentary from Australian women leaders?”

This was the opening line of one of the first emails I read when I checked my inbox this morning. It’s a very familiar question, and one I know other journalists and editors will also receive over the coming weeks. 

I know because I’ve been getting the same emails each February and March for the almost 10 years I have worked at SmartCompany. 

It is not unusual, and that’s the problem. 

Every week and every month is a good time to pitch stories about women entrepreneurs and women in business. 

So, please don’t only pitch these stories in the lead-up to International Women’s Day.

You don’t need to save these stories for March 8, or the days leading up to it. 

Yes, we need to celebrate the success of these women, and yes, we need to talk about the persistent barriers that women face in the business world. 

But those conversations should be the norm, not the exception. 

When I shared this same message on LinkedIn on Tuesday, the response was overwhelming – from fellow media professionals and from women business owners and leaders who share the same view. 

At SmartCompany, we want to tell the stories of women in business – and we strive to do this every day, every week, every month. 

We know the share of venture capital going to women founders is exceedingly low, and yet one in three small businesses in Australia are now run by women. We also know – as others have argued more eloquently than me – that businesses with diverse leadership teams consistently outperform those that don’t. 

And yet, too often these stories are overlooked, underreported, and worse, reserved for a single day in the year. 

It goes beyond what and who gets featured in the media too. 

Now is the time many organisations will be planning IWD events and initiatives, likely with some pink cupcakes thrown in. 

Many of these events or promotions will be slapped with the wrong label (the UN’s theme for this year’s IWD is “Count Her In: Invest in women: Accelerate progress” and not “Inspire Inclusion” – go on, look it up), include women who won’t be paid for their time, and some may even focus on men (yes, that really happened last year). 

Without proper thought and consideration, and meaningful follow-through afterwards, these events can be just as tokenistic and demeaning as a single day or week of media coverage of women entrepreneurs. 

So, to answer the person who emailed me this morning. Yes, I am interested in quotes, answers and commentary from Australian women leaders. But I’m interested in them every day.