International Women’s Day 2021

International Women’s Day takes place on Monday 8 March and this year’s theme is “Choose to Challenge”. The theme focuses on the idea that we can choose to challenge and call out gender stereotypes and bias, and we can choose to seek out and celebrate women’s achievements to collectively create an inclusive world. From challenge comes change.

To celebrate International Women’s Day, Northumberland County Council asked Healthwatch Northumberland to create a short video on this year’s theme which will be part of a live streamed event on the day.

Our Project Coordinator, Derry Nugent, talks about some of the health inequalities and bias that women face. For example, did you know coronary heart disease kills twice as many women as breast cancer in the UK? However due to a common misconception that heart disease is a man’s disease, women face inequalities in awareness, diagnosis, treatment and care following a heart attack.

Hear what Derry has to say on the video below, along with Stephanie Edusei, Chief Executive of St Oswald’s Hospice, and Fareeha Usman, Founder and CEO of Being Woman.

Watch the video here

If you would like to know more about the issues raised in the video, you can read more at the sources below:

British Medical Journal

British Heart Foundation

Mental Health Task Force