It is International Women’s Day. It is a day to celebrate women, their accomplishments, and the contribution they make to our world. It is also a day to acknowledge that we can do better as a society to support our friends, siblings, partners, wives, and daughters.

I would be remiss if I didn’t say that International Women’s Day also elicits a fair share of eye rolling and outright derision. Many people will use this occasion to dismiss and explain away the gender pay gap, the gap in retirement saving, and the impact of ‘harmless jokes’ that were taken too seriously by ‘sensitive’ women.

I am a 44 year old heterosexual white man. Many people that share those characteristics have cloaked themselves in victumhood as society tries to address past injustices and structural impediments to equality. I don’t feel the need to apologise for what I am. I also don’t feel like acknowledging that I’ve been blessed with advantages in life detracts from my accomplishments.

People are capable of behaving in ways that don’t align with their values. This is done to fit in or fulfil the perceived ideals of a group. For every person that bemoans living under the yoke of ‘political correctness’ there are ten more that have acted in a way that made them uncomfortable when different societal norms imposed different standards.

Many of the people that use their bully pulpits to spread derision are mocking attempts to fix situations that victimised those very critics. For all their bluster, their behaviour is simply a reaction to the pain they likely have witnessed. They were the children helplessly witnessing their mother’s abuse - whether that was physical, emotional, or financial. I know that feeling very well.

There is a grey area where most of us sit between the oppressors and the oppressed. If we fall somewhere in this grey area don’t we have a responsibility to help make things better? Maybe that is the spirit of International Women’s Day that we all can embrace.

My team creates content for a company dedicated to empowering all investors in achieving their goals. I am evaluated on how this content performs. And I know our focus on empowering female investors means we won’t do well today. I know that if we published articles on the top ASX dividend shares we would perform better.

But can we truly say that International Women’s Day has nothing to do with our mission as a company? Can we not all agree that fostering knowledge for all investors doesn’t help each of us take a step closer to financial independence? Can we not acknowledge that the next generation will be better off if everyone has the financial resources to walk away from harmful situations?

Getting your finances sorted is a step closer to freedom. That may be establishing an emergency fund to lessen the anxiety stemming from financial insecurity. It may be building a multi-million-dollar portfolio. The point is that every step matters.

In celebration of International Women’s Day here are some foundational articles that will help all investors travel a little further down the road to financial freedom.

Establishing a foundation for achieving your goals

Financial independence

Retirement

Housing