YWiB SFU hosts its second annual International Women’s Day Conference

The following was submitted by the SFU chapter of Young Women in Business

Last year, the SFU chapter of Young Women in Business (YWiB) had the pleasure of hosting its first annual International Women’s Day Conference. The sold-out event was a truly inspirational day, featuring amazing speakers, a great panel session and plenty of new connections and friendships. YWiB SFU will once again be hosting their signature event, but this year everything is bigger and better!

Following this year’s theme, “Connecting Girls, Inspiring Futures,” the event will be focused on making connections between people and experiences. While most of us are, in fact, “Young Women in Business,” the event is relevant to girls from any industry and faculty. Our keynote speakers will discuss challenges that all women face, such as over-coming adversity and achieving your dreams. The panel will discuss a variety of questions regarding the unique challenges women face in today’s world and ways to overcome them.

This year’s event will also feature entertainment and an expo showcasing entrepreneurs, startups, and nonprofit organizations dedicated to women’s rights and advancement.

For one of our keynote speakers, Anna Rice, the battle for women’s equality continues to be a top priority. As a member of the Canadian National Badminton Team, Anna has been an advocate for women’s equality in badminton for all of her career. One of the main highlights comes from her fight for equal salaries amongst female and male badminton players; it isn’t easy to represent yourself in a world of athleticism dominated by the male superiority.

From the number of male athletes compared to females, to the average salaries between both genders, there are inequalities that still exist in the athletic world today. It used to be that the females would play shorter games than the male players, and that was the justification for the unequal salaries. However, when the rules changes and games became equal lengths, Anna took it upon herself to fight for equal salaries.

Ultimately, this event will give students and professionals alike the opportunity to connect with other like-minded, motivated individuals who are interested in bettering the situation for women everywhere.

For more information about the International Women’s Day conference, check out www.ywib.ca/sfu/iwd.

And be sure to follow @YWiBSFU and #IWDsfu on Twitter for more conference updates!