This article is written by our guest author – Anton Van Dyck, Human Rights Campaigner
Today is International Women’s Day, but ‘celebrating’ might not be the right word. Yes, we can honour the achievements of women worldwide, both known and unsung. But more than a celebration, IWD must be a rallying cry – for women, for men, for everyone.
The Backslide of 2024
Last year saw more simultaneous elections than any other recorded year in history. It was a turning point, yet one where many nations chose regression over progress, wrapping old inequalities in fresh packaging. The consequences are clear. In 2025, over 200 million women will face reduced access to sexual and reproductive rights. The outdated notion that women belong in traditional roles is gaining political traction. Weak leaders will push for power structures that restrict women’s choices.
It’s easy to feel angry about this. And that anger is justified. This fight isn’t just about gender, race, or politics—it’s about fairness. And fairness isn’t only about laws; it’s about innovation. Laws can be repealed, books can be burned, but ideas cannot be erased. They resurface in unexpected places, like progress playing an endless game of whack-a-mole. And that idea should embolden us.
The dip you can’t buy
The global economy increasingly relies on female labor, across all sectors. Suppressing half the workforce doesn’t just set back individuals; it wrecks economies. Keeping women professionally active ensures financial agency, and with that agency comes a push for more space, more rights, and more influence—rightfully so.
Women innovate differently, and that difference has led to products and services that better serve (at least!) half the population. Companies and countries that empower everyone, regardless of gender, don’t just create better products. They also generate stronger social impact, which in turn reduces the need for government intervention. Fewer corrective programs lead to healthier budgets, and stronger budgets fuel better economies.
Meanwhile, populist policymakers fail to grasp the reality of today’s job market. Or perhaps they’re choosing to ignore it. The war for talent is more intense than ever, stretching far beyond neighbouring countries. Now, people can take their skills anywhere—to places with better climates, more opportunities, and more progressive values. Limiting social and economic prospects while other nations offer an appealing alternative is a recipe for losing the very people needed to build a country’s future. Nostalgia for a past that never existed won’t deliver the results its proponents promise.
A Nation Without Borders
For digital nomads, this raises an important question: what are our options?
Our global community is growing every day, both within our company and beyond. Right now, we have the opportunity to shape history. We can build a nation without borders, one where fairness and equality are ingrained in its very foundation. We can create spaces—oases in every country—where people are empowered regardless of where they were born.
This will take effort. And we’ll need to push hard. Companies like WorkNomads must continually work to lower the barriers to this lifestyle, and we must learn from each other along the way. But that’s okay. History has shown that nations with a shared purpose can achieve greatness. The nomadic way is about making more room for more people, and that is something worth fighting for.
So let’s raise our rallying cry. Let’s become our own leaders. No matters the gender, the sexual orientation, the religion – we can look forward to equality and based on that to build better businesses and better world to live in.