News and Analysis | Author: Victoria Redsell | October 14, 2022

Our day at the Women of the World’s International Day of the Girl event in London

Have you heard of the International Day of the Girl celebration? It’s a global movement and festival to celebrate women, girls and non-binary people as well as to promote gender equality.

Organised by the United Nations, the annual event is now in its tenth year and has helped accelerate the rights of all genders over that time, with more work still needed to see it reach full fruition.

On Tuesday we were in London – at the London Eye and County Hall – to help showcase girls’ rights and the unique challenges facing girls around the globe as part of the Women of the World’s own event celebrating the International Day of the Girl. Myself and Path paraplanner, Scarlett Cooper-Wall, attended.

This year’s event focused on speed mentoring – a day where mentors from across different industries and sectors provide expertise, advice and support to 180 secondary school girls aged 13 to 19 from across London and beyond. 

Each girl was partnered with three different mentors for a 15-minute session while two rotations of the London Eye happened. Those providing support and guidance were from companies such as Amazon, Google and YouTube, as well as across sectors such as journalism, finance and politics. The girls got an insight into women and non-binary people who are already making an impact and how they can get involved in the future to do the same.

We got involved as part of our year-long women and finance campaign, which was launched at the WOW Festival on London’s Southbank in March. We support the WOW movement as it helps to build on our commitment to empower women and to reduce gender inequality; we’re resolute in our mission to achieve these things.

Jude Kelly, the founder of WOW – and a member of our steering group – began the day with a talk on breaking the glass ceiling; an inspiring speech on how women and girls can reach for jobs and leadership roles traditionally reserved for men. Other notable attendees included Laura Bates, the author of Everyday Sexism, Stella Creasy, the MP for Walthamstow, and the CEO for Refuge, Ruth Davison.

The young girls who attended the event from the Notre Dame School were a credit to both themselves and the school; asking inquisitive questions and showing a real interest in Path’s work, our positive impact on pensions and investments, and how we can benefit communities and society. It was great for us to meet these bright young girls who are so passionate about the planet and making a difference; their desire to make the world a better place was clear to see throughout the day and we know these girls are going to go on to do amazing things.

The event, overall, was great for us at Path to attend. As a B-Corp and forward-thinking company, we are committed to helping women take control of their finances. 

And we’re particularly keen to highlight the disparities facing women when it comes to the gender pension pay and gender pay gap. Women, for example, often have to juggle low-paid work with other responsibilities around care and their family. This can have an adverse impact on their life and financial situation. 

As we say, by women not talking about their money and not asking the right questions, we are inadvertently giving up control. And that cannot be a good thing.

So, if you’re unsure about your finances and want support and guidance, get in touch with an adviser at Path today. We help women understand their investments and what’s being done with them so they can make choices they are happy with. In a nutshell, we help women align their money with their values.