On Wednesday night, over 30 buildings worldwide lit up in honor of International Women’s Day. As part of the Catalyst Skyline Takeover, offices either projected a red female symbol or illuminated it in their building windows. The goal of Catalyst, the global nonprofit behind the displays, was to showcase a “collective dedication to advancing women in the corporate world,” according to Catalyst’s press release.
“These companies are driving positive change in their workplaces and literally shining a spotlight on the need for all of us to do more because they recognize that progress for women is progress for everyone,” Deborah Gillis, president and CEO of Catalyst, said in a statement.
Buildings in New York City’s Time’s Square; Lima, Peru; Toronto, Canada; and Bogota, Columbia; all participated.
The statement these cities across the world made by showing such outward support for women working in the corporate world isn't misplaced as 56.8 percent of all women in the U.S. participated in the labor force in 2016, according to the Department of Labor. In 2015, there were 17 million people working in management in the United States but only 39.2 percent of that number were women. Also, in 2015, women still earned 17 cents less than a man’s dollar in the U.S., according to Pew Research Center data.
Catalyst hopes that this event will be as iconic as last year’s "Fearless Girl" statue in front of the Charging Bull in New York City.