08/03/2026
Hier die englische LinkedIn-Version:
International Women's Day. March 8, 2026.
Two grey-haired men's take on International Women's Day.
The UN motto for 2026: "Rights. Justice. Action. For ALL Women and Girls."
Fine words. Once again.
Today, countless posts will be shared, plenty of likes given, great appeals made. From politics, business and associations. And, no doubt, a whole lot of lip service.
That we still need this day in 2026 — in one of the world's most advanced economies — is staggering. Gender equality is not a luxury. It is a human right.
The facts are clear: according to the World Economic Forum's Global Gender Gap Report 2025, it will take another 123 years to reach full gender parity. Women remain significantly underrepresented in senior leadership, hold only 28.8% of top management roles, and continue to be concentrated in lower-paid sectors.
📊 https://www.weforum.org/publications/global-gender-gap-report-2025/
We need International Women's Day. We need a day for people with disabilities. We need awareness days for injustices that should no longer exist. What does that say about our society?
Nearly 10 years ago, we founded the Helga Cup to shine a light on the lack of women in competitive sailing. From June 11–14, it will take place for the 9th time as a Top Ten Event in Hamburg. Proud? Yes. Enough? Far from it.
That things can be different is shown by two women who live this visibility every single day:
⛵ Susann Beucke — Olympic silver medallist, patron of our BAT Sailing Team, and with her campaign "This Race is Female" a role model for women in sailing worldwide.
⛵ Anna Barth — strategist for the Germany SailGP Team and patron of our Heinz Kettler Inclusive Youth Sailing Team. As the only woman in the crew of the "Formula 1 of sailing", she lives gender equality in sport every day.
How far the road still is in sailing, the latest YACHT report makes painfully clear:
👉 https://www.yacht.de/special/menschen/internationaler-frauentag-frauen-im-segelsport-und-ihre-wachsende-beteiligung/
Anyone who works daily for women and people with disabilities in sport sees it clearly: all we ever do is put plasters on the wounds. Real change keeps being postponed. Year after year.
Equality must not depend on the goodwill of individuals. It must be the norm. Everywhere. Every day.
Our call to politicians, associations, businesses, male-dominated lobby groups, churches, media...... Less talk. More action.
Let's tackle these injustices and drive real change. So that one day, the only special days we need are Valentine's Day and National Currywurst Day 🌭😉
Clemens & Sven
Wir sind Wir Inclusion in Sailing e.V.
