International Women’s Day (IWD) on March 8 is an occasion to reflect and celebrate the social, economic, cultural and political achievements of women. The day also marks a call to action for accelerating gender equality.
The 2025 global UN Women theme for International Women’s Day is ‘March Forward’. The theme reminds us that progress is not just about reflection but about taking decisive, bold steps to turn our commitments into action.
In the spirit of the #marchforward theme, you can find the below list of IWD events happening across our campuses and online:
Join LIMS to celebrate International Women’s Day
The La Trobe Institute for Molecular Science (LIMS) warmly invites you to celebrate International Women’s Day at the LIMS IWD 2025: March Forward Panel Discussion and Q&A.
Join us for this inspiring panel discussion by four leading women in STEM, which will explore this year’s International Women’s Day theme, ‘March Forward’. Hear their stories, learn about their advocacy work, and find out about we can to continue to make progress in supporting women to march forward into successful STEM careers.
Wednesday, 5 March 2025
10am–12pm: Panel discussion and Q&A
12pm–1pm: Barbecue lunch and IWD cupcakes
Where: Agora Theatre, La Trobe University Bundoora (Melbourne) campus and online* via Zoom
(*panel discussion only)
Panelists:
- Keynote speaker: LTU Alumna Julia May (Co-founder, Visibility Co)
- Dr Sandra Gardam (Deputy CEO and Superstars of STEM Program Manager, Science & Technology Australia)
- Dr Suzie Lavoie (Associate Professor, Research Data Strategy Lead, Orygen; University of Melbourne)
- Dr Emma Grant (La Trobe University; Superstar of STEM 2025 – 2026)
- Host: Professor Stephanie Gras (Deputy Director, La Trobe Institute for Molecular Science)
People of all genders are welcome at this event and it is open to all students at all levels. If you’re a supporter or ally of women in STEM, we would love to see you there!
BEYOND THE SURFACE: The Unacknowledged Value of Unpaid Caregivers a conversation with Alexandra Drane
The Care Economy Research Institute (CERI) and the Australian Research Centre in Sex, Health and Society (ARCSHS) look forward to welcoming Alexandra Drane, this International Women’s Day for a discussion on how ARCHANGELS is reframing the narrative around ‘care’ ensuring that supporting and celebrating the work of caregivers is seen as vital to the health of a nation and its economy.
Thursday 6 March 2024
10am – 11am AEDT
Where: Online via zoom
Championing gender equality all year round
At La Trobe, while we have much to celebrate, there is always more work to be done. Millions of women and girls still face systemic inequalities, rising violence and economic disparities that hold them back from reaching their full potential.
We acknowledge that taking action to improve gender equality issues is required every day of the year. Recently, we celebrated International Day of Women and Girls in Science with a ‘Meet the Enviro Scientist’ event, featuring La Trobe alumni and PhD students talking about their incredibly varied career journeys as women working in science.
The University is currently in the top 10 in the world for championing gender equality according to the Times Higher Education Impact Rankings which assesses universities against the United Nations’ Sustainable Development Goals.
Our La Trobe Equality and Inclusivity Plan launched in 2020 and is designed to improve the coordination and efficiency of equality work. Central to the plan is an intersectional approach, recognising we are all diverse in so many ways.
We maintain our commitment to a culture that is diverse, safe and inclusive for all.