International Womens’ Day 2026 (8th of March)
Written by Caitlin Daley (Physiotherapist)
International Womens’ Day is a day to recognise and celebrate women. This year the theme is “Give to Gain” and aims to forge ahead with gender equality through abundant giving.
“When women thrive, we all rise”
You may be interested to learn that the first International Womens’ Day was held in 1911, where more than a million people turned out across Europe to join in peaceful rallies.
Today, we stop to recognise how much progress has been made for women since the 1900’s, however, we also must recognise how far there is to go.
One area where there is much work to be done on equality is in the field of Scientific Research.
Up until 1993 women were rarely included in clinical trials, because our bodies were considered ‘atypical’.
As recent as 2019, women only accounted for 40% of participants included in studies examining the diseases that most commonly affect women (cardiovascular disease, cancer, and psychiatric disorders).
In the speciality of Pelvic Health, we are inspired by researchers such as Dr. Christina Prevett, Dr. Margie Davenport, Grainne Donnolly, Dr. Lori Forner, and many more – who are forging ahead and bringing new information in Women’s Health, in particular pregnancy, postpartum, and exercise.
There are still many questions that Steph and I answer every week with regards to our patients, where the research is not yet sound enough to offer advice with absolute confidence.
This highlights there is so much more research needed in Women’s Health.
Following my email last week on the signs of stroke, one of our clients emailed to suggest sharing the unique signs of stroke in women, as they can go unnoticed.
I’ll finish off this blog post with this important information:
The most common signs of stroke are facial and or arm weakness, and difficulty with speech, however other signs may include:
Weakness or numbness or paralysis of the face, arm or leg on either or both sides of the body
Difficulty speaking or understanding
Dizziness, loss of balance or an unexplained fall
Loss of vision, sudden blurring or decreased vision in one or both eyes
Headache, usually severe and abrupt onset or unexplained change in the pattern of headaches
Difficulty swallowing
Becoming aware of our health, and always seeking medical attention for any changes in our normal (or that of our friends/family) is something we are strong advocates for at Caitlin Daley Physio.
References:
https://strokefoundation.org.au/about-stroke/learn/signs-of-stroke
https://www.aamc.org/news/why-we-know-so-little-about-women-s-health