• Super Admin
• 08 Mar, 2026

On International Women's Day, beyond the hashtags and purple graphics, here's what "women supporting women" can truly look like for women everywhere Every year on March 8, the world marks International Women's Day (IWD). There are campaigns, speeches, social media tributes, and carefully designed graphics celebrating women's achievements. But long before the month was created to spotlight the achievements of women, solidarity and support among women were already taking shape. Sometimes you can see it happen when a colleague pulls you aside to recommend you for an opportunity, when a friend sends you money you didn't ask for, or when a sister shows up with food after childbirth. It's in those moments when a neighbour watches your child after school till you're home from work. It shows how women have always built informal systems of care for one another -- sometimes out of love, sometimes out of necessity. International Women's Day invites us not just to celebrate women, but to reflect on the power of that solidarity -- and the responsibility we carry to extend it. Because "women supporting women" is more than a slogan. It is a practice. Beyond the slogan "Women supporting women" has become one of the most repeated phrases around International Women's Day. Yet in many workplaces, industries, churches, friend groups, and creative spaces, women still compete for the one available seat at the table. In our community, the scarcity mindset runs deep. For decades, systems built by patriarchy positioned women as exceptions rather than equals. When there is only "room for one," women are subtly trained to guard their access instead of widening the door. Supporting women, then, is not about performative praise. It is about dismantling the belief that another woman's success threatens your own. Read also: "We weren't close, but she paid my entire tuition": How women are reinforcing the power of sisterhood isterhood/ Support is mentorship -- and sponsorship There is a difference between cheering for a woman and advocating for her. Support looks like: recommending her for the role, sharing her portfolio without being asked and saying her name in rooms she cannot enter. It also includes correcting someone who takes credit for her ideas. In many professional environments, men are still more likely to sponsor other men. In the 2023 Nigerian elections, only about 1,552 of 15,307 candidates were women -- roughly 10% of all candidates. Women supporting women means understanding that access multiplies when shared and learning the power of entering into spaces where we make up a small percentage. Read also: To help women build wealth one stock at a time, I spoke to a financial expert on how long-term investing can unlock financial freedom Support also means accountability Support is not flattery without nuance; it is growth. Real solidarity is not blind loyalty -- it is accountability delivered with care. It is telling your friend she deserves better, challenging internalised misogyny when we hear it. It is also refusing to laugh at jokes or compliments that degrade other women. Support is mentoring younger women without insecurity and celebrating another woman's success loudly. It requires emotional maturity. It demands that we confront the ways we may have unconsciously upheld systems that harm us all. Support is economic Vulnerable employment among women is 78.9%, and among men is 54.3% in Nigeria as of 2023. Workers in vulnerable employment are the least likely to have formal work arrangements, social protection, and safety nets to guard against economic shocks; thus, they are more likely to fall into poverty. Where we spend our money matters. Buying from women-owned brands. Hiring women creatives. Paying women fairly. Citing women in research and panels. Telling your friend her rates are too low. In fact, women own about 41% of Nigeria's micro, small and medium businesses -- yet many still struggle to access capital and markets. Economic solidarity shifts power. It is one thing to celebrate women on social media. It is another thing entirely to fund their work. Read also: Meet 15 African women in STEM driving real-world change in healthcare, AI, renewable energy, and education Support is intersectional Not all women experience womanhood the same way. Race, class, disability, sexuality, religion, nationality and geography shape opportunity and vulnerability in different ways. The realities of a woman in a corporate office in Lagos may look very different from those of a woman running a business in Nasarawa. Supporting women means recognising these differences -- and acknowledging that some women carry complex realities and layered barriers. A woman may be navigating sexism alongside poverty, disability stigma, or cultural expectations that restrict her choices. Intersectional solidarity asks us to listen to experiences different from our own, without defensiveness. It asks us to question the systems that make some voices louder and others easier to ignore. It also means amplifying women who are often sidelined in mainstream conversations -- women in informal labour, rural communities, migrant spaces, or living with disabilities. Because solidarity that only works for a certain kind of woman is not solidarity at all. Support is refusing the "strong woman" myth Women are often praised for their resilience while being denied the rest that resilience requires. From an early age, many are expected to carry the emotional labour in relationships and shoulder the bulk of unpaid work at home. Not excluding the invisible responsibility of holding families and communities together. According to Nigeria's Time Use Survey, women spend around 21% of their day -- five-six hours -- on unpaid domestic and care work, compared with about 1 hour for men. Because this happens, strength becomes the expectation rather than the choice. If Nigeria counted unpaid care work economically, women's unpaid labour could be worth up to $111 billion per year, between 10% and 39% of Nigeria's GDP. The "strong woman" narrative can sound empowering, but it often normalises exhaustion. Society expects women to endure, manage everything, and keep going without appearing overwhelmed. Women supporting women means resisting that pressure. It means normalising boundaries, rest, and asking for help. It means checking in on friends beyond their achievements and believing women when they say they are tired. Empowerment is not constant performance. Sometimes the most meaningful solidarity is allowing another woman to be human. Read also: "Nobody tells you how much of a toll motherhood takes on you" Nigerian mothers open up about burnout and the struggles of raising children We are each other's first responders When a woman leaves an unsafe relationship, it is often another woman's house she runs to. When childcare leads to burnout, it is a sister, neighbour, cousin, or colleague who steps in. When heartbreak hits, when money is tight, when harassment happens at work, when postpartum feels unbearable -- it is often women who gather first. With food, advice, professional help, prayer, and silence, when it is needed. And the need for that solidarity is not abstract. When systems fail to protect women, women often become each other's safety nets. On International Women's Day -- and every day after International Women's Day should not be the only time we speak about solidarity. The true measure of women supporting women is what happens on March 9, April 12, and October 27 -- when no one is posting purple graphics. Allow me say something uncomfortable: Women supporting women cannot only apply to women who look like us, think like us, worship like us, or live like us. It cannot stop at brunch feminism, and it cannot only show up online with curated hashtags every March. Supporting women means defending the single mother and the married woman. The corporate executive and the market trader. The conservative woman and the feminist. Not forgetting the girl who made a mistake and the woman who changed her mind. Solidarity becomes real when we decide to give comfort, approval, and convenience. Women need to collaborate rather than compete; industries change, families shift, and generations benefit from our combined effort. Perhaps that is the deeper call of International Women's Day. Not just celebration -- but commitment. A commitment to expanding the seats at the table. Commitment to economic and emotional solidarity and to making space where we once fought for scraps -- because when women support women, we build the space to accommodate our differences to propel each other forward. Read more: With International Women's Day around the corner, this is exactly what I deserve as a woman living in Nigeria Author Oyindamola Adebiyi Writer by day, book enthusiast by night. Crafting stories that make you laugh, cry, and nod your head in solidarity. View all posts Lifestyle & Culture Writer React to this post! 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