Choose to challenge

An image of UQ's Associate Professor Yasmina Sultanbawa with colleague.

International Women's Day
8 March 2021


Every year on 8 March, communities around the world celebrate International Women's Day (IWD) to recognise women's significant contributions and achievements, and rally to accelerate gender equity in a range of social, cultural, political and economical arenas.

In 2021, the global IWD theme is 'Choose to Challenge'.

At UQ, we are incredibly proud of our brilliant, resilient, intelligent and inspiring women – the students, staff, alumni, and members of our broader UQ community. They are not only working proactively to challenge the University’s culture and systems through initiatives like the substantial, university-wide SAGE Athena SWAN program, but they also create positive, significant change every day through award-winning teaching, pioneering social and cultural initiatives, and research that has impact around the world.

You can listen to or read a selection of the many stories from UQ women below (including a series where researchers provide advice they'd have given their 16-year-old selves – although intended for teenagers, these are poignant reflections for women of any age), and learn about some of the many UQ initiatives that support women's progress in their professional and personal lives.

UQ teams will also be celebrating IWD 2021 on campus with several events for staff and students.

Background image: Female symbols on a purple background
Background image: female icon on purple background