By Joanna Griffin, Paralegal, Nursing Care
For International Women’s Day (IWD) we’ve been asking some of our colleagues what IWD means to them. Joanna Griffin, a Paralegal in our Nursing Care team, writes about her role models in the hope of inspiring others.
International Women’s Day is to me a day to celebrate strong women role models.
Historically, women have not always had this celebration and their valuable contributions to the lives of others have been under appreciated and over shadowed.
Take for example Rosalind Franklin, whose ground-breaking research into the structure of DNA was blindsided by Watson and Crick, or the film stars who are paid only a fraction of what their male counterparts make.
While there has been so much progress to #BreakTheBias, there is still much work to be done.
We still see women held to such high standards, which are not always replicated for their male counterparts. We see this daily in the media with criticisms of women celebs for how they dress, their relationships, their latest lyrics.
We see it in the different levels of scrutiny of high-profile politicians. We see it day to day with the double jeopardy women now face with the expectations to work full time but somehow also keep on top of the housework and family life.
This is why it is so important for me to look to those women who may be under appreciated and use International Women’s Day as a day to celebrate them.
I take International Women’s Day to be a day to look at those around me and ask myself who inspires me? Who do I look up to? Who do I appreciate?
Maybe your role model is Baroness Hale or Jacinda Ardern, or maybe it’s a colleague or family member.
This International Women’s Day, my role models are my teammates on a competitive cheerleading team based here in Cardiff. They always encourage each other to be the best they can be and give helpful tips on how to improve.
They inspire me to be more supportive of those around me, to celebrate the small wins and take on challenges which a positive outlook. I see traits in them which I aim to take on and improve in myself.
International Women’s Day is my opportunity to express my appreciation to them, and hopefully inspire others to do the same.
About the Author
Joanna Griffin is a Paralegal in the Nursing Care team.
Joanna completed her undergraduate law degree at King’s College London, graduating top of her class in 2019. During her time there, she was a co-founder and president of the King’s Women in Law student society.
Joanna went on to obtain her LL.M. from the University of Cambridge and began working at Hugh James as a paralegal in January 2021.