Celebrating the achievements of women journalists on IWD

Members of the WiJ Scotland committee. L-R: Raj Gill, Anna Burnside; Jan Patience; Catriona MacPhee; Gabriella Bennett and Georgia Edkins

Our co-chair Gabriella Bennett writes about the parallels between International Women’s Day and Women in Journalism Scotland

For more than 100 years International Women's Day (IWD) has strived to celebrate female achievement, raise awareness against bias and take action for equality.   

Those objectives are also the bedrock of what we do at Women in Journalism Scotland (WiJS). I joined in 2019, although becoming a WiJS member had been on my to-do list for years. When I finally got in touch with co-chairs Jan Patience and Catriona MacPhee it was to see if we could collaborate on a mentoring scheme. The scheme was something I’d wanted to launch for ages before WiJS empowered me with the tools, structure and support I needed.   

The first thing that struck me was how warmly I was welcomed. It can be tough to make new friends in your thirties, especially within an established group, but here were dozens of brilliant women journalists who were just as great in person and on Zoom as their Twitter personas suggested. Time after time I saw how they lifted each other up while pursuing shared and individual goals. It made me want to do the same.  

Since then I’ve been able to see just how much support the organisation provides on a daily basis. In fact, I’d say that support was WiJS’s leitmotif. Before I joined the committee I wasn’t entirely sure what WiJS did, only that I liked the idea of a body that supported women in the industry. Now I know that alongside more visible campaigning – organising events, facilitating training, researching discrimination and so on – an enormous amount of work goes on behind the scenes. I had no idea that members could contact the committee for tailored tips on career progression, for example. Or that those experiencing difficulties at work could receive guidance.  

Then, in the summer of 2021, when the marvellous Jan stood down as co-chair, I took on the role. Catriona, my fellow co-chair and partner in crime, showed me the ropes while inspiring me to go the extra mile with her drive and determination. Catriona and I also work together on the WiJS mentoring scheme, which we were able to get off the ground just a few months after I joined. I had a mentor early in my career and have seen first-hand how transformative the relationship can be. Our mentors help their mentees bag bylines in international publications, secure new jobs and fortify confidence. Mentors say the process reminds them how much helpful advice they have to give. 

None of what we do at WiJS would be possible without each other. On the committee we’ve got decades of experience; there’s no issue someone hasn’t already faced. And on the rare occasions we do find ourselves in new territory the committee problem-solves with cool logic. They’re like a twelve-headed agony aunt, except with faster shorthand.  

Being part of WiJS is the best thing I’ve done in my career. While we still have work to do to in the activism goals we share with IWD, today we celebrate the remarkable achievements of women journalists. They’re what keep us going and have been especially precious during the pandemic. WiJS's successes are a direct result of the collective power of women. That spurs me on just as much on IWD as it did the day I joined.