International Women's Day 2023
Celebrate this year's International Women's Day with events on campus and elsewhere in York.
This year’s International Women's Day takes place on Wednesday 8 March. It is an opportunity to imagine a gender equal world, free of bias, stereotypes and discrimination. A world that's diverse, equitable, and inclusive. A world where difference is valued and celebrated. Together we can forge women's equality. Collectively we can all #EmbraceEquity.
Events
You'll find details below of the events that we're organising; you can also find them on our Celebrating Diversity Events Series calendar - and if you subscribe to the calendar (at the bottom of the page), or to individual events, the details will be added to your own Google calendar so you don't miss things that you're interested in!
The Centre for Women's Studies is supporting and contributing to the programme of events offered by York International Women’s Week (YIWW), which runs from 4 to 12 March 2023. This year's full programme is available on the York International Women's Week website, or you can follow the YIWW Facebook page for updates.
Some of the events below require booking - follow the links for more details.
Monday 6 March 2023
Monday 6 March 2023, 1pm - 3pm
York Law School, Campus East
In honour of International Women's Day, York Law School is hosting the wonderful Maryam Namazie for a talk focusing on the feminist revolution in Iran. It is free to attend, but please do reserve your place here as the lecture theatre has limited seating.
Tuesday 7 March 2023
Tuesday 7 March 2023, 1pm - 2pm
C/A/122, Department of Chemistry, Campus West
To celebrate International Women's Day 2023, the Chemistry Equality and Diversity Group will be screening an archive recording of the amazing Equality Diversity and Inclusion lecture given by Chemistry Nobel laureate Prof Carolyn Bertozzi of Stanford University.
Prof. Carolyn Bertozzi is the Anne T and Robert M Bass Professor of Chemistry at Stanford University, an Investigator at the Howard Hughes Medical Institute, and Co-Director of Stanford ChEM-H. She was jointly awarded the Nobel Prize for Chemistry in 2022 for the development of Click chemistry and bioorthogonal chemistry. She has strong ties with the department - in 2020 she was made an Honorary Graduate of the Faculty of Sciences and visited the department in 2018 to give a keynote and public lecture at a celebration to mark 10 years of Chemistry Athena SWAN Gold.
In her fantastic Beacon public lecture "The long game of STEM diversification", Professor Bertozzi talks powerfully about her own life and career experiences including what it means to be a gay woman in Chemistry in the US. It is just as moving and relevant today (if not more so).
This event is part of the Department's activities to mark International Women's Day. It was initially arranged to coincide with International Day of Women and Girls in Science and LGBTQ+ History Month but was rearranged due to industrial action.
All Welcome. Tea & coffee will be provided. Feel free to bring your lunch and a mug.
Watch the recording below:
Tuesday 7 March 2023, 5.30pm - 7.30pm
LMB030, Law and Management building, Campus East
Visit the Law and Management building for our performance art gallery event, where we will explore feminism, women's rights and female resistance. Featuring immersive theatre that allows performers and visitors to unite in a series of acts and displays, celebrating and amplifying women's voices and highlighting the importance of solidarity, the event can be joined in person, or via the zoom link below.
This event is part of York's International Women's Week (YIWW). Find out more and see the full programme.
Tuesday 7 March 2023, 6.30pm - 7.30pm
BS/005 (Bowland Auditorium), Berrick Saul Building, Campus West
William Morris - poet, designer, Socialist - was one of the most dynamic figures of the Victorian age. But his beautiful wife Jane has often been overlooked. George Bernard Shaw called her ‘the silentest woman I ever met’. And Henry James said she was ‘an apparition of fearful and wonderful intensity’. Should we accept that these images reflect the reality of Jane’s life and character?
Jane built a network of female friends and colleagues. She hosted writers, anarchists and artists at her homes in Kent, London and Oxfordshire. For the first time, in this new joint biography, we can see how she and William Morris worked together to develop a radical household. As he said, ‘the true secret of happiness lies in taking a genuine interest in all the details of daily life’.
Wednesday 8 March 2023
Wednesday 8 March 2023, 9:30am - 11:30am
Heslington Hall, Campus West
Join the celebrations which are being hosted by Professor Kiran Trehan and our students. There will be live music, speakers and refreshments. See our official invite to find out more and book your place.
Wednesday 8 March 2023, 10am - 11am
Online
In a 1h webinar in celebration of International Women’s Day, we will introduce N8 CIR and our WHPC chapter, explain our goals and key objectives, and present some of our activities and initiatives since the foundation of our chapter.
More information and registration:
Wednesday 8 March 12:30pm - 3:30pm
ENV/105X, Environment Building, Campus West and Online
The 5th Annual Women in Research Network Conference is part of our university IWD celebrations and our theme is ‘Embrace Equity’. The conference is supported by Professor Kiran Trehan and Professor Matthais Ruth. The conference will begin with a networking lunch followed by short talks on lived experiences from four of our outstanding women researchers here at York at different stages of their careers. The conference will be closed by Dr. Helen Niblock, Head of Regional Engagement – North East, Yorkshire and Humber, EPSRC and co-founder of the WiR Network.
Wednesday 8 March 2023, 1pm onwards
Biology Atrium, Department of Biology, Campus West
The department of Biology is celebrating the achievements of women who have contributed to advances in Biology, including academics, scientists, campaigners and communicators.
Come and view their display of inspirational women in the Biology Atrium and around the Department.
Wednesday 8 March, 4.30pm.
Bowland Auditorium, Berrick Saul Building, Campus West.
Presented by Avtar Brah (Emeritus Professor, Birkbeck) on the occasion of International Women’s Day. Followed by a drinks reception. No booking required.
For more information please see
t: @UoYCWS; e: cws
Thursday 9 March 2023
Thursday 9 March 2023, 11am - 4pm
Kings Manor, York
UPDATED: This event has unfortunately been cancelled due to inclement weather forecasts.
Join feminists across York for an art exhibition - The Clothesline Project - outside of Kings Manor York in collaboration with Mexican feminist activist and artist Monica Mayer.
Anyone is welcome to contribute to the art project.
In collaboration with York International Women’s Week (YIWW) and the Centre for Applied Human Rights.
Ongoing events
Tuesday 28 February - Friday 10 March 2023
Ground and first floor, Department of Environment and Geography, Campus West
On the event of International Women’s Day 2023, the Department of Environment and Geography invites everyone in the building to view our 'celebration walls' celebrating all the wonderful women in the department. Walls will be on display.
Resources and more
- The University Women in Research Network provides a space for women and those who self-identify as women to discuss the particular issues they experience in the research domain. The Network has a programme of events and organises the annual Women in Research Network Conference to celebrate International Women’s Day.
- Find out more about how the University is supporting women and working towards gender equality.
- There are a number of policies, guidance documents and resources available via the Equality, Diversity and Inclusion web pages.
Watch again
We have some recordings from previous International Women’s Day events and other related awareness dates on the calendar, all available for you to watch again via the University’s Celebrating Diversity and York Ideas YouTube channels. Revisit some of the following:
Events from the ‘Of Women’ strand of the York Festival of Ideas 2022:
- The Hidden Women of Ramayana (Parts one, two, three and four).
- The Last Witches of England: A tragedy of sorcery and suspicion
- Career and Family: Women’s century-long journey toward equity
- Different: What apes can teach us about gender
Athena Swan talks from the York Festival of Ideas 2021:
Other recent talks across the University:
- Gentleman Jack: The life and legacy of Anne Lister
- Escaping persecution - LGBT+ stories of asylum, past and present
- The Log Books: We are family - stories of LGBTQ+ people feeling at home
The University Events team have compiled an International Women's Day playlist with talks from the York Festival of Ideas.