Why you need to #speakup .. NOW!

Why it is important for not just women but also men to #speakup for women. 

When Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau was asked to explain his gender parity promise after he formed a gender equal cabinet, his response was,"Because it's 2015."

Well, it's 2017 now but gender parity across the world remains a distant dream, one which only hard work can turn into a reality.

We don't need to climb mountains — all that is needed is to move the needle, bit by bit, and the best way to do it is to talk, #speakup, and encourage conversations. Giving voice to feelings and thoughts and putting them out there for others to ponder and act upon is the first step to change.

HerStory's Women's Day meetup held on March 6 revolved around the theme #speakup and the importance of voicing what one feels. Here is what some of our participants had to say:

The march to equality is not about women alone. It is only if men come along for the ride that things can change.

The key takeaway from the meetup was that when it comes to women's issues, things are rarely black or white, but mostly shades of grey, which is why it is important to #speakup — the more we talk, debate, and discuss, the faster we will be able to bring about the change we want to see.

Share your thoughts with us and in the comments section below tell us why we need to #speakup. Let's keep the conversations flowing.

For those of you who missed the event, here is a glimpse of how it unfolded.