by Head of School Andrea Kassar

In advance of International Women’s Day (March 8), I visited the IWD website to see their theme and main ideas this year and to check out any recommended resources. The website is filled with informative articles from various sources. A few things caught my eye. The first is that their campaign theme this year is #EmbraceEquity. I couldn’t help but feel inspired and happy about this coincidence—as you may know, last summer, our Associated Student Body chose “embrace” as Westridge’s theme for the year.

And of course, “embrace” has two main connotations: to embrace physically as a sign of affection (on their website, there is even an IWD #EmbraceEquity “pose” to go with this campaign); and to embrace by accepting or supporting a belief or theory or change willingly and enthusiastically (Oxford Languages online dictionary). The concept of embracing the belief/theory/change of gender equity is fundamental to Westridge, which was founded 110 years ago to give girls access to the same level of excellence in education as their brothers were getting.

With our school founding in mind—and with Alumnae Weekend coming up—I return to something I spoke to faculty, staff, and some students about at the start of the school year: the lyrics to our school song "Surgere Tentamus (We Strive to Rise)." The second verse, in particular, is thought-provoking:

“Yet within our Latin motto
Lies a hidden meaning, too,
And we’ll strive to learn its lesson
In whatever things we do.”

The “hidden meaning” is certainly intriguing. Perhaps the “hidden meaning” is striving to rise to full citizenship, to the vote, to the aspiration of true gender equity; and perhaps that meaning is “hidden” because embracing gender equity in the fullest sense was not something one could be explicit about at the time; perhaps being “hidden” was more effective and strategic; perhaps subversive.

The concept of embracing the belief/theory/change of gender equity is fundamental to Westridge, which was founded 110 years ago to give girls access to the same level of excellence in education as their brothers were getting.

The article that stood out for me the most on the IWD website is one entitled, “Global gender gap narrowing, but still 132 years to reach parity” from the World Economic Forum’s Global Gender Gap Report 2022 which benchmarks four key areas of gender equity (economic participation & opportunity, educational attainment, health & survival, and political empowerment). The report reveals that U.S. ranks 27^th out of 146 countries studied in overall gender equity.

The article states that, “In 2022, the global gender gap has been closed by 68.1%” and that “gender gaps in the workforce are driven and affected by long-standing structural barriers, socioeconomic and technological transformation, as well as economic shocks.” It highlights inclusive hiring, internal mobility, and flexibility as the three key areas where we must do more. And while it seems discouraging that global gender parity will take this long, the article also notes that female founders are starting their own businesses at a faster rate than men. Much like founding a girls’ school 110 years ago that incorporated a “hidden meaning” in striving to rise, so too are women around the globe founding their own companies on their own terms.

In all this discussion of embracing equity and the global journey towards gender parity, it’s hard to imagine that girls’ schools—and other organizations and programs that support women and women leaders as part of their fundamental mission—aren’t catalysts. Catalysts make reaction times faster. What a clear reason for me—and all of us—to embrace Westridge.

About the author:

Andrea Kassar is the head of Westridge School. She has more than 20 years’ experience as an administrator and teacher at girls’ schools in New York, and is a graduate of Brearley, a K-12 girls’ school in Manhattan. She holds a B.A. in English and psychology from the University of Chicago, an M.A. in English and comparative literature from Columbia University, and an M.A. in psychology from the New School for Social Research. She is also the parent of three children—Lucy '25, Billy, and Cecily.