Written by Dawn McKinnon
March 8th, 2025 is International Women’s Day (IWD). International Women’s Day (IWD) has been around for over a hundred years, and many of the same issues are impacting women’s advancement. This year’s theme is #AccelerateAction, to emphasize the importance of taking swift and decisive steps to achieve gender equality, both in personal and professional spheres (IWD website).
To accompany IWD, the Redpath Book Display for March includes books by and about female entrepreneurs, who all work more than 9 to 5 to achieve their goals. Check out the list of books to learn about the successes and challenges faced by businesswomen who run the world. If reading the printed page isn’t for you, look for the audiobook versions in the list, so you can hear them roar.
Creativity is a theme amidst the selections – the authors work hard for their money, and many discuss creative ways to earn R.E.S.P.E.C.T. and overcome challenges, including stories from social media star Madeline Pendleton, entrepreneurial consultant Charlene Walters, and Beth Comstock, who held positions in historical companies like GE.
Many titles promote the power and importance of equity and diversity, such as “Promoting a culture of equity in the #MeToo era” where McElhaney et al., share experiences in the workplace, as well as recruiter Patricia Lenkov’s research in “Time’s Up Why Boards Need to Get Diverse Now.”
Time after time, stories from women around the world and of those who came before us help us make sense of the world, so it is important to include selections that provide historical context (Making choices, making do: survival strategies of Black and White working-class women during the Great Depression), as well as the stories of independent women in today’s era (Girls who green the world : thirty-four rebel women out to save our planet).
From steel toes and stilettos to Avon, these books were made for walking you through the pitches, celebrations, and barriers as they rewrite the rules for success. Visit the Redpath Library display to explore these in addition to other works, and view the full list of selected titles.