Independent Women’s Day 2024 – Inspire Inclusion – events in Edinburgh this week
It is International Women’s Day on 8 March annd many events are taking place in the next few days. Our list below is not exhaustive and if we have missed out an event that you are involved in then please let us know either in the comments section below or by Sharing your Story here.
The theme of the day is aimed at inspiring others to “understand and value women’s inclusion”.
Questions to be posed and hopefully answered include “When a woman is not present we must ask why not?”
Events today
if you have visited the new Scottish galleries at the National Gallery of Scotland at The Mound you will have seen that the work of Phoebe Anna Traquair has been given prominence in the display of The Progress of a Soul.
Later this morning at 10.30am there is an online event when biographer Elizabeth Cumming will talk about the work of the Scottish artist who was a key figure in the Scottish Arts and Crafts movement.
This event is free if you book a taster session at the link below.
Women Leading Change In the Digital Economy
- Monday 4 March, 3pm-5pm
- Rivers Suite, Craiglockhart Campus
Hosted by The Business School, this event will showcase the success stories of female leaders in the digital tech sector, including managers, researchers and policymakers that are leading change in the digital economy. By sharing their experiences and perspectives, our speakers will provide new insights into how we can all contribute to foster diversity, equality and inclusion in the digital era.
Book your place for Women Leading Change In the Digital Economy.
Events on Wednesday
The UK Government’s office on Sibbald Walk are hosting an event about investing in women along with the Institute of Directors and Women in Public Affairs. The evening is all about empowering women with economic activities and the panel will talk from experience about eliminating barriers for women.
A spokesperson said: “Join us for what is sure to be an enlightening evening featuring distinguished speakers Nathalie Agnew, Managing Director of Muckle Media; Lesley Brydon, Founder and Managing Director, Clark Communications and Zahra Hedges, Chief Executive Officer of Winning Scotland. The event will be expertly moderated by Julie Ashworth, Chair of IoD Scotland and Ellie Wagstaff, co-chair of WiPA Scotland.”
Free event but do book a place.
Museum tours with Dr Jenny Nex will take place on 5 March at St Cecilia’s Hall from 2 pm. Jenny will show visitors round and explain how women were instrumental in creating many instruments.
Events on Thursday
Women Working in TV & Film
- Thursday 7 March, 5.15pm
- The Glassroom, Merchiston Campus
Hosted by the School of Arts & Creative Industries, this event promises to inspire and challenge attendees through a panel of industry guests who will talk about their experiences of working across the screen industries. There will be lots of opportunity to share discussion with the panel in the Q&A, followed by time afterwards for networking, drinks and nibbles.
Book your place for Women Working in TV & Film.
Tribe Porty are holding a terrazzo mini tray workshop to help you unleash your creativity. In this workshop you will learn what’s terrazzo, how to work with Eco-resin, how to mix pigments, make terrazzo pattern and turn into a mini tray. It’s a great introduction to this trendy resin art, whether you are a craft newbie or an experienced crafter.
Events on Friday
Get up early and go for a swim this International Women’s Day. Meet at the Picnic Box at Longniddry Bents at 6.30am for a sunrise swim.
The InfraSisters mass cycle ride – Blooming Mad in Bloomers – which departs from Middle Meadow Walk begins at 7.30pm. Ride with a group of women campaigning for safer cycling infrastructure and safer streets for women and girls at night.
International Women’s Strike Edinburgh are organising a march which leaves from a location to be confirmed at 5pm but will end at The Scottish Parliament at 6pm to hear “speeches and performances”.
Trojan Women is a project which began ten years ago with refugees telling their stories through drama. On Friday there will be a screening of Trojans UK 22 at 50 George Square at 4pm.
Tickets here
Women in music will be celebrated at St Cecilia’s Hall with an evening to showcase the diversity which women introduce to the music scene featuring music from Shamanic to folk songs.
The Institute for Advanced Studies are holding a free afternoon event at 1pm on Friday in the Edinburgh Futures Institute. The talk is all about the theme for the day Inspiring Inclusion.
The University of Edinburgh International Women’s Day Lecture will be delivered by Amina Shah who is the National Librarian and Chief Executive of the National Library of Scotland. She will tell the stories of women who have inspired her and what challenges might be faced in the next 50 years.
Female Future
- Friday 8 March, 2pm-4pm
- Online
Join a virtual roundtable with Edinburgh Napier alongside an international group of universities, incubators, and businesses promoting female founders. The event is open to all and will include top tips for creating podcasts followed by a more traditional roundtable discussion format.
Join the Female Future roundtable online via Teams.
The cost of being a woman
The cost-of-living crisis continues to affect our finances, yet the impact is not felt equally.
The cost-of-living crisis emerges as yet another pressing challenge disproportionately affecting women. Like the pandemic, it serves to amplify the entrenched structural disparities experienced by women, rendering them vulnerable to its impacts. This jeopardises progress in advancing economic and social equality for women and sending it into reverse.
For International Women’s Day 2024, the Royal Society of Edinburgh and Young Academy of Scotland brings a panel of experts from academia and practice to dissect this challenging topic. They will explore the historical context of systematic inequalities that persist today and some solutions required to address the imbalance, from workplaces to the law.
This discussion has been inspired by the RSE’s recent policy advice paper to the UK Parliament’s Women and Equalities Committee inquiry examining the impact of the cost of living crisis on women.
Meadows Tennis Club are holding open social sessions on courts 5 and 6 on Friday evening from 7pm to 9pm for women to play, also in their own way recognising International Women’s Day.
At The Causey
The Causey invites you to Southside Community Centre (EH8 9ER) from 7.30pm on Friday 8 March, for refreshments before Our Streets’ unfolds across The Causey from 8pm.
Our Streets’ will include projections to pick out some of the local architecture, alongside a specially designed soundscape. This is a multimedia project which supports active travel and is about reclaiming urban spaces for pedestrian use.
Award winning artists – Marta Adamowicz and Robert Motyka (Beetroots Collective CIC) present the event in association with Causey Development Trust.
This is the second projection event created in collaboration with local artists, schoolchildren and residents that supports The Causey Development Trust commitment to transforming the area into somewhere that promotes people and active travel.
Events on Saturday
The Healthcare Awards and Elsie Inglis Charity Ball take place at the Royal College of Physicians on 9 March 2024. The EMMS International’s inaugural Global Women in Healthcare Awards will mark International Women’s Day and celebrate the impact of women in healthcare. The Dr Elsie Inglis Award champions sex equality in the medical profession.
Tickets may still be available. See here https://www.emms.org/global-women-in-healthcare-awards
Scottish women writers in Edinburgh- a walking tour
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