International Women’s Day (IWD) – on 8th March – offers an opportunity to celebrate amazing, resilient and awe-inspiring women across the globe. IWD commemorates the social, economic, cultural, and political achievements of women, and is a day that belongs to all who care about gender equality. 

But whilst IWD has been celebrated for over a hundred years, many of the issues impacting women’s advancement still linger. For example, across the UK women occupy roughly 35% of senior leadership roles. The gender pay gap in the UK is just over 11%, reflecting the high proportion of women in part-time roles, with finance and corporate sectors reporting higher gaps. It’s statistics like these that reinforce why IWD is so important – it’s a day to raise awareness about discrimination and to take action to forge gender parity.  

The theme of this year’s IWD is Give to Gain - encouraging generosity, collaboration, and collective action to drive gender equality. When people, organisations and communities give support, share knowledge, and challenge bias, everyone benefits. From an organisational perspective, this means offering the right career opportunities and continuing to invest in women in the workplace.  

For Migrant Help, the vital role women play in shaping the work is made clear every day. From front-line workers to senior leaders, women are a driving force in the day-to-day operations of the organisation and play a key role in the future of the charity. 

In fact, one of our senior leadership team, Daisy, spoke on how early in her career, women leaders inspired her to be “brave enough, to look at what we could do, the art of what’s possible, and to persevere.” 

This left a lasting impression on Daisy, and the charity is better for it.  

The Migrant Help Way  

At the heart of Migrant Help is a unique blend of passion and compassion. Whilst trying to operate as efficiently as possible, staff at the charity never lose sight of the mission to care deeply for those who rely on the organisation’s support. It’s this mission and these values that are core to so many at Migrant Help.  

When Daisy first started in the charitable sector, one of the biggest challenges she faced was “having the confidence to know I deserved to be where I was.” First starting in the contact centre on a six-month contract, and now over a decade with Migrant Help, Daisy never strayed too far. The helpline has been Daisy’s home in various roles.  

Recently, with support and input from a dedicated team, Daisy achieved something truly remarkable. As demand on our services grew by about 25% compared to last year, Daisy took responsibility for creating a plan to manage the increased workload. Working with external consultants, Daisy built a new operational function from the ground up. This not only enabled us to use our funding more mindfully, it ultimately helped us to better support our clients.

Daisy said her goals and aspirations when she first started with Migrant Help were to “make a difference. Whether that was one person, ten people, a hundred people - I wanted to be able to say I made a difference.” 

Years later, Daisy’s work has directly improved the outcomes for hundreds of thousands of people seeking asylum — people who depend on Migrant Help's services. 

The ‘Migrant Help Way’ is about embracing continuous improvement, high performance, and excellence - whilst always leading with empathy and kindness. Daisy is a living example of the Migrant Help way in action.  

Investing in the Future of Women 

Daisy’s senior role isn’t unusual at Migrant Help, in fact, Migrant Help’s senior management team is 77% women, far beyond industry norms. Daisy spoke on how this is “absolutely something to be proud of. It’s empowering.”  

In addition, 2025 figures show a median pay gap of 0% and a mean pay gap of just 1% at Migrant Help. Meaning Migrant Help’s gender pay gap is minimal, and significantly lower than the UK average. These results reflect our strong commitment to gender equality.   

But gender parity doesn’t happen overnight, and it’s not something that one programme can fix. Whilst Migrant Help’s minimal gender pay gap and policies related to maternity leave and menopause are steps in the right direction, women’s advancement in the workplace requires constant attention and action. A progressive culture, opportunities for career growth, and consistent investment in women are key areas for change.  

Daisy recalled being inspired by other women when she first started. Saying it was important to be bold and to “look at what we could do,” and not what we couldn’t. Whilst Daisy’s experience represents the right culture in place for women’s advancement in the workplace, it’s important to be vigilant on ways to continue to support women just like Daisy.   

This is what the Give to Gain theme for this International Women’s Day is all about – how everyone has a role to play and how constant investment in women is needed to achieve gender equality.