NTU is proud to be hosting a range of events to mark and celebrate International Women's Day (IWD) 2025.
The IWD theme this year is 'accelerate action' which emphasises the importance of taking swift and decisive steps to achieve gender equality. It calls for increased momentum and urgency in addressing the systemic barriers and biases that women face, both in personal and professional spheres.
This month is for everyone at NTU to be inspired by and get involved.
Events and activities
Explore the schedule of events and activities happening throughout March and find out how you can get involved.
International Women's Day Menopause Café – Brackenhurst
Wednesday 26 February 12 - 1 pm, Main Hall, MH103, Brackenhurst Campus
Open to: NTU colleagues who identify as female and non-binary
At this informal gathering, we'll be looking at how we can inspire ourselves and others to understand and value the conversation around menopause to make it more inclusive. This forum offers the opportunity to share experiences in a safe and supportive environment and you're welcome to attend whether you're going through the menopause, peri-menopausal, have yet to do so, or been there and got the t-shirt.
Find out more about the International Women's Day Menopause Café.
Tailleferre Ensemble at University Hall
Monday 3 March, 7 pm, University Hall, City Campus
Open to: All NTU students, colleagues and the public
Join NTU Arts for an hour-long concert featuring UK-based classical music chamber collective, Tailleferre Ensemble. Their programme is themed to platform female composers and players, including Louise Farrenc's Sextet in C Minor for Woodwind and Piano. Limited free tickets for NTU students, with pay what you decide pricing for everyone else.
Find out more about Tailleferre Ensemble and book your ticket.
ADBE International Women's Day exhibition
Tuesday 4 - Friday 21 March, Arkwright building, ARK 016 link corridor, City Campus
Open to: All NTU students and colleagues
This exhibition celebrates the contributions of women within our School of Art, Design and the Built Environment (ADBE) community, including colleagues, students and alumni. We'll also be showcasing student submissions to our EDI Competition. The exhibition will be on display in our Arkwright building. We look forward to seeing you there!
Women's Staff Network (WSN) breakfast for International Women’s Day
Tuesday 4 March, 8 - 9 am, Grumpy Mule Coffee Shop, Students Union, City Campus
Open to: NTU colleagues who identify as female and non-binary
Join the WSN for breakfast to celebrate International Women’s Day. This is an informal chance for NTU women to connect with one another over breakfast.
Find out more about the WSN breakfast
Justifications of Misogynist Incels: Victimhood and Blame
Wednesday 5 March 2.30 pm, MS Teams
Open to: All NTU students and colleagues
Join us for International Women’s Day as Dr Lisa Sugiura from the University of Portsmouth, an expert in cybercrime and gender, explores the justifications of misogynist incels, victimhood, and blame. A leading voice on online gender-based violence, Lisa’s research sheds light on the digital spaces fueling extremism and misogyny. Don’t miss this insightful talk on a critical issue affecting society today.
Find out more about the event and access the MS Teams link.
International Women's Day: Nurturing Women's Ambitions
Wednesday 5 March 4 - 5 pm, online
Open to: All NTU students and colleagues
At this event, we’ll discuss systemic barriers to women’s progression in careers and leadership roles, the importance of intersectionality when understanding these barriers, and the role of mentoring, allies and role models.
Our inspirational panel is made up of students and colleagues form the University of Chester, but discussion will extend beyond education to consider women in the professions and how gender and race intersect in women's lives.
The panel includes:
- Angie Standish: Head of Careers and Deputy Director of the Directorate for Access, Skills and Apprenticeships
- Toyosi Oyinloye: Deputy Head of Division, Computer and Engineering Sciences, University of Chester
- Hussna Waka: First Year Student (International) and Student Race Advocate, University of Chester
- Interviewed by Prof Hannah Bacon, Professor of Feminist Theology and Kathryn Leighton, Diversity Festival Coordinator, University of Chester
Reserve your place on the Nurturing Women's Ambitions event.
International Women’s Day 2025: Celebrating you
Friday 7 March, 10.30 am - 4 pm, Nottingham Women’s Centre, 30 Chaucer St, Nottingham NG1 5LP
Open to: All NTU students and colleagues
Celebrate self-care, activism and community with us on International Women’s Day! You'll have the opportunity to engage in arts and crafts, dance, workshops, speakers, stalls and food.
Find out more about the event at Nottingham Women's Centre.
EDI webinar series: Gender inclusion
Friday 7 March, 12 - 1 pm, online
Open to: NTU colleagues
In this session we'll explore:
- gender diversity and terminology
- barriers for women in the workplace
- intersectionality and microaggressions
- allyship in society and at work
- creating gender inclusive organisations.
Reserve your place on the EDI webinar.
IWD Tree of Life
Friday 7 March, 1 - 3 pm, Student Services Centre, Clifton Campus
Open to: NTU colleagues
Pop in to write a inspirational message on our Tree of Life linked to this year's IWD theme and chat to a member of the WSN Exec Committee about the network.
Accelerate Action is a worldwide call to acknowledge strategies, resources, and activity that positively impact women's advancement, and to support and elevate their implementation.
Find out more about the IWD Tree of Life event.
NTU meetup at parkrun
Saturday 8 March, 8.30 - 10 am, Forest Recreation Ground, Gregory Blvd, Forest Fields, Nottingham NG7 6HB
Open to: NTU colleagues
Celebrate International Women's Day by meeting up with colleagues from NTU. We'll be meeting up at Forest Rec parkrun (in front of the pavilion) from 8.30 am until the start of the parkrun at 9 am. If you'll be walking or running, make sure you sign up to get a barcode before you start, but of course you can also come along and cheer!
Women's Staff Network - everything you wanted to know but were afraid to ask!
Monday 10 March, 12 pm, MS Teams
Open to: NTU colleagues who identify as female and non-binary
Come along to this online information session of the NTU Women's Staff Network (WSN) which is open to both members and non-members. We'll touch on what we're all about, our achievements and explore the next steps for the network.
Find out more about the WSN event and access the MS Teams link.
Training for line managers: Supporting menopause in the workplace
Monday 10 March, 11 am - 12 pm, Newton building, NEWN 46B, City Campus
Open to: NTU colleagues
In collaboration with NTU Wellbeing Team, ADBE Athena Swan will be hosting an in-person menopause training session for line managers across NTU.
This session will provide essential information and guidance on menopause in the workplace, equipping you with the knowledge to better support colleagues and create a more inclusive team environment.
Find out more about the supporting menopause in the workplace event.
ADBE Athena Swan Change Collective: Opportunities with TILT
Wednesday 12 March 11.30 am - 1 pm, Newton building, NEWN 41, City Campus
Open to: NTU colleagues
Each month, the Athena Swan Self-Assessment Team will host the ‘Athena Swan Change Collective’. This is an opportunity for colleagues in the school to get together in an informal setting to discuss a variety of topics around gender equality. All NTU colleagues are welcome.
Our next session will give you the opportunity to find out more about opportunities with TILT from Laura Stinson, Senior Academic Practice Developer. Coffee and cake will be provided - we look forward to seeing you there!
Find out more about the opportunities with TILT event.
Cake & Draw
Wednesday 12 March, 1.15 - 2.30 pm, Arkwright building, ARK111 (Architecture Studio), City Campus
Open to: All NTU students and colleagues
Students and colleagues are invited to come along to ‘cake & draw’ where we will produce a collaborative drawing based on this year’s International Women’s Day theme ‘accelerate action'.
Find out more about the cake & draw event.
Wellbeing panel event
Thursday 13 March, 11 am - 12 pm, NTU's wellbeing platform, Spectrum Life
Open to: NTU colleagues
Celebrate women’s achievements and explore ways to foster equality and inclusion. This dynamic panel discussion will feature inspiring stories, expert insights, and actionable strategies to support and empower women in all areas of life, from workplaces to communities.
If you've not visited the wellbeing platform before, use your usual NTU email address and the Organisation Code ‘NTUStaff’.
Find out more about the wellbeing panel event.
NTU Employability - Women's Development Programme celebration event
Thursday 13 March, 6 - 8 pm, Dryden, City Campus
Open to: All NTU students and colleagues
Join us for a special event to celebrate NTU Employability's Women's Development Programme! This exciting event will feature our key-note speaker Mawuena Akator, CEO and Founder of Corporate Collective. Mawuena is an expert at empowering students and young professionals for career success.
Come along for networking opportunities, and a chance to connect with like-minded individuals. Let's celebrate women's empowerment, diversity, and the power of unity.
Light food and refreshments will be provided!
Book your place on the Women's Development Programme celebration event.
Reflections on this year's theme
We asked our colleagues to share their thoughts on this year's theme 'accelerate action' to raise awareness and encourage others to make their own commitment to accelerate change.
Visit our EDI SharePoint site to see all our profiles.
Knowing I'm working within an environment which is striving for gender equity makes me feel confident that the next generation of women will be one step closer to promoting and valuing equity in their own lives.
Tina Thompson, Associate Equality, Diversity and Inclusion Partner
As a female architect and a mother of two boys, I believe accelerating change starts with breaking barriers, challenging norms, and designing a future where inclusivity shapes every space. By inspiring more women to join the built environment and championing women in leadership, we can create a more diverse environment for everybody.
Holly Mills, Senior Lecturer in Architecture
Spotlight on...
Congratulations to Nottingham Business School on its successful application for a Bronze Athena SWAN award, conferred by Advance HE under the new charter in January 2025.
In particular, the reviewers highlighted two areas of good practice: the quick response to issues around bullying and harassment through the creation of NBS Wellbeing Champions and the School's approach to policy review and update.
NBS' priorities going forward include improving female representation in its professoriate and across its undergraduate and postgraduate taught programmes. Its action plan also includes ideas for increasing engagement in the school's strategic decision making.
Championing women in research
Here at NTU, we are championing equality in research. All of our academic schools are filled with driven and dedicated women researchers who are working hard every day to make our world a better place. Explore their stories and some of their work below.
Meet the women behind the research
Our women researchers come from a variety of backgrounds, and they all have a powerful story to tell. Discover what inspires them and how they are making the world a better place.
Listen now: are we erasing women's experiences?
Our women researchers come from a variety of backgrounds, and they all have a powerful story to tell. Discover what inspires them and how they are making the world a better place.
Inspirational stories from our women alumni
Hear from just some of the brilliant women who have studied at NTU and what they have gone on to achieve below.
Our community
Our Women's Staff Network welcomes all NTU colleagues who identify as women and its purpose is to create a supportive, aspirational and motivational space for women. It first launched on International Women’s Day 2017. The network will be hosting a number of activities as part of International Women’s Day. Join the network here.
NTU is proud to hold an Athena SWAN Institutional Bronze Award. Athena SWAN is a charter managed by AdvanceHE which recognises and celebrates good practices in higher education and research institutions towards the advancement of gender equality: representation, progression and success for all.
Women in Leadership
Our hugely successful Women in Leadership course, funded by the European Social Fund (ESF) has recently concluded. However, we are thrilled to announce our ongoing offering of the Women as Transformational Leaders course. The programme is delivered by leading academics from Nottingham Business School and is designed for women working in or aiming for leadership and management roles. What's more the course is accredited at Level 7, meaning that participants can earn 10 credits towards a Postgraduate Certificate in Leadership and Management Practice.