In honour of International Women’s Day, Polly Mwangi, HR and Leadership Development Expert with over 20 years of experience across Africa, reflects on the unseen work of women in families, farms, and workplaces and argues that recognition, equity, and voice must now follow contribution under the International Women’s Day theme, “Give to Gain.”
Happy International Women’s Day!
This year’s theme, “Give to Gain,” made me pause and reflect.
Growing up in the village, I watched women carry extraordinary responsibility. They worked on the farms, managed the homes, and raised the children. During coffee and tea seasons, women and their children would spend long days in the fields picking the crops.
But what stayed with me most was what happened after the harvest.
In many cases, once the coffee or tea was sold, the men went to the bank to withdraw the money from the very harvest that women had laboured so hard to produce. The money would be used to pay school fees, and a small amount would be allocated for household expenses.
Looking back, I often felt this was an unfair process.
The women who had invested so much labour, time, and sacrifice rarely had a voice in how the income from that labour was used.
And yet, the women continued to give. They gave their strength in the fields. They gave care to their families. They gave stability to their homes.
That memory makes the theme “Give to Gain” feel especially deep to me today.
Women have always given to families, workplaces, communities, and economies. But giving should not mean giving endlessly without receiving.
True progress occurs when society reciprocates, when women who contribute so much are given opportunities, recognition, a voice, and fairness.
So today, as we celebrate women, perhaps the real question is this:
How are we ensuring that the women who give so much are also gaining?
Empowerment is not about asking women to give more; it is about ensuring that what they give finally comes back to them in opportunity, respect, and voice.
