While recognizing women and their great accomplishments is part of Women Leading Travel & Hospitality’s DNA, we’re excited to join the rest of the world in recognizing International Women’s Day, which is observed annually on March 8 and celebrates the global “social, economic, cultural and political achievements of women,” according to the International Women’s Day website. The day, which also calls for action to advance gender equality, was born out of the women’s rights movement in industrializing countries during the early 1900s.

This year’s campaign theme — #BreaktheBias — asks the world to call out instances of bias against women in the workplace, at school and at home. “Whether deliberate or unconscious, bias makes it difficult for women to move ahead,” the International Women’s Day website reads. “Knowing that bias exists isn’t enough. [A]ction is needed to level the playing field. Are you in? Will you actively call out gender bias, discrimination and stereotyping each time you see it?” The campaign also asks people to show their support for this year’s theme by posting selfies to social media posing with their arms crossed along with the hashtags #BreaktheBias and #IWD2022.

So, what can we do, collectively, to “break the bias” that exists toward women in the travel and hospitality industry, tomorrow and every day? Here are just a few actions you can take:

  • Remove bias and discrimination from your hiring processes. In this article from Women Leading Travel & Hospitality, Rathi Murthy, chief technology officer and president of Expedia Services at Expedia Group, notes that Expedia is dedicated to creating an inclusive environment for everyone. As a result, “we’ve innovated our talent attraction and hiring process by driving inclusivity and removing bias and discrimination from the process. One small but powerful example is mandated mixed-gender interviewing for candidate slates and interviewing teams.”
  • Read as much as you can on all types of biases. In another article from our site, Elga Sickler, corporate director of people and culture at Makeready, a firm that creates, manages and operates independent hotel brands across the U.S., recommended “The Conversation” by Dr. Robert Livingston as a must-read book. “He dives into the science of racism and bias,” wrote Sickler.
  • Commit to ongoing education. In this Women Leading Travel & Hospitality article, author Kelly Kuhn writes that while organizations now offer anti-bias training, “consider ways to bring that training to life within your team, including this free assessment from Harvard’s Project Implicit. Ask clarifying questions, communicate helpful tips and information, facilitate mentorship opportunities and, most importantly, invite people to share their stories.”

These are a just a few small ways we can join the movement and work to break the bias against women this year and beyond!