International Women’s Day (IWD) is a global celebration of women’s achievements, a call to action for gender equality, and a time to reflect on the progress made and the challenges that lie ahead. This year, as we commemorate International Women’s Day, it is essential to recognise the incredible strides women have made and the work still needed to create a more inclusive and equitable world for all.

The theme of International Women’s Day 2024 is, ‘Inspire Inclusion’, acknowledging the need to inspire others to understand and value women’s inclusion and encourage women themselves to develop a sense of belonging, relevance, and empowerment in every part of their lives.

Turtle Tots Co-Founder, Caroline Sparks says, “At Turtle Tots, we believe that we have created a strong platform for women to feel valued and empowered. A community that, for the past 12 years, has supported many women in realising their dream of owning their own business through franchising.”

“We have witnessed them grow and develop their commercial skills, reach key business milestones, and support thousands of families through our fun-filled, award-winning programme that, not only teaches vital water safety and swimming skills, but supports each child’s physical, social and emotional development, and encourages bonding between parents and their little ones.”

“In turn, those women have helped many others to develop meaningful and successful careers as baby & toddler swimming teachers and business administrators and have continued to uphold our key values of supporting equality and diversity throughout our communities.”

“We are incredibly proud of everyone at Turtle Tots. However, celebrating International Women’s Day is not just about honouring the achievements of women; it is also about shining a spotlight on issues such as gender inequality, unequal pay, limited access to education and healthcare, gender-based violence, and underrepresentation in leadership roles.”

“International Women’s Day gives us the opportunity to evaluate and renew our commitment to breaking down the barriers, empowering women, and girls, mentoring the next generation of business leaders, and ultimately being brave enough to challenge stereotypes and biases in our everyday lives.”

“We are committed as a company to ensuring that all our business leaders, employees, and partners, regardless of gender, race, ethnicity, sexuality, disability, and socioeconomic status are treated fairly, have the same opportunities to achieve their goals, feel safe at all times, and are rewarded equally for their contributions.”

“Today, we encourage all our fellow business leaders to double down on their commitments to strive for a world where every woman and girl can live free from discrimination, pursue her dream, and contribute her talents fairly and equally.”

Happy International Women’s Day!