The theme for UN International Women's Day (IWD) 2026 is "Rights. Justice. Action. For ALL Women and Girls.”. Here at the University we will be focussing on community, collaboration, and celebration of all the women in our community. Join us for our International Women's Day celebrations taking place over March.
Get involved with our social media campaign and tell us: What is the best piece of advice another woman has ever given you? Find out how to contribute here!
Mythical Witches and Weavers in Literature and the Arts
5 March, 1.15pm
CB 3.5
Open to staff and students.
Join us for a hands-on workshop open to staff and students from across the university. We will take as mythical guides the witch and the weaver – Circe and Penelope – whose will and work challenged the gods, to co-create our own tapestry of women’s expression in arts and literature.
Keynote speaker: Dawn Bonfield MBE, Visiting Professor
11 March, 12.15pm
CB 5.1 and hybrid online.
Open to staff and students.
Dawn Bonfield has developed a national reputation as an inspirational leader in promoting and championing diversity and inclusion in university curricula, the engineering profession, and the workplace. She was awarded an MBE in 2016 for her extraordinary contribution to diversity and inclusion in engineering. Dawn will be speaking to us on the importance of changemaking, community, collaboration and celebration of women. Find out more about Dawn in the oration for her University of Bath honorary degree in 2019.
Celebrating women’s voices: Alumni stories of experience, challenge, and growth
13 March, 12.30pm
Online
Open to students and staff.
Join us this International Women’s Day for an inspiring online alumni panel exploring the realities, challenges, and triumphs of women navigating their careers after leaving the University of Bath.
This empowering conversation brings together some of our exceptional graduates from across sectors who will share honest reflections on confidence, leadership, career transitions, and overcoming barriers in the workplace.
Women's staff networks speed mentoring
18 March, 12.15pm
Chancellors' Building 4.6 and 4.7
Open to members of the women's staff networks (links to join are at the bottom of this page).
Join the 'Women Academics Change Agents (WACA) Network', 'Senior Professional Services Women's Leadership Network' and 'Women's Network: Career, Growth and Community' for their joint speed mentoring event. This is your opportunity to find out about available career paths, potential challenges to face working in Higher Education, or just to discover more about different roles at the University.
Registration for this event closes at 9am on Thursday 12 March to allow time for mentor matching. Book now.
Exhibition guided tour and networking session
25 March, 12.15pm
CB 5.12
Open to staff who identify as a woman.
Chantal Meza, University of Bath Artist Fellow, will give a guided tour of her 'State of Disappearance' exhibition followed by refreshments and networking.
Chantal Meza’s evocative collection 'State of Disappearance’, created over five years beginning in 2017, explores the concept of disappearance in its many forms - physical, cultural, ecological, and ideological. It has now been gifted to the University of Bath for permanent display.
During this event Chantal will give insight to her work, with a particular focus on how the collection emerged in response to the disappearance of women in Mexico and the courageous work of mother and family collectives.
The tour will be followed by a talk on international advocacy work done to support families living with disappearance with a particular focus on the role of women.
The art tour and talk will last around 1 hour. There will then be a 45-minute networking opportunity with food and drink provided.
South West universities women's networks conference
26 March
Online
This online event brings together women's networks from University of Exeter, University of Plymouth, Bath Spa University, and University of Bath. The event runs from 9.15am to 1pm, but you can register for each session individually. Join us for the first event of this network of networks.
#NeverOK
You can tell us if you have experienced any form of discrimination, including microaggressions. Use Support and Report, we listen and take you seriously. We can support, offer guidance, and make change.
Networks
Why not consider joining one of our Women's networks this IWD?
- Women's Network – Career, Growth and Community, aimed at women in grades 2 to 7. Join the Teams group here.
- Senior Professional Services Women's Leadership Network.
- Women Academics Change Agents Network - Join the Teams group here
Library reading lists
The Library has collated online reading lists that showcase Women in STEM, Women in Architecture and a Black Feminist reading collection.