Over 30 female staff and community members as well as 55 girls participated in the event at Melville High which included speeches from the girls, a Welcome to Country, a scrumptious morning tea spread and a raffle – all coordinated by the girls.

“Our mission is to encourage our girls to grow in confidence, develop good communication and resilience skills, and to become strong young women,” said Melville Girls Academy Program Manager Robyn Townsend.

“Today is a very important day as it recognises women of all walks of life,” the girls said in a speech.

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“We would like to thank the entire Melville High School executive, teaching and support staff for their help and support with our education and guidance to being strong individual young women for the future,” they said.

Why it’s important to celebrate International Women’s Day

Figures show that globally, women’s education, health and violence towards women is still worse than that of men.

A man working in a full time job earns nearly $27,000 a year more than a woman working full-time with significant pay gaps between women and men in same or similar roles, according to the Australian Government Workplace Gender Equality Agency.

It is estimated that gender equality across the world will take over two centuries, 217 years to be exact, according to data from the World Economic Forum’s Global Gender Gap Report.

On International Women’s Day, women across the world come together to force the world to recognise these inequalities – while also celebrating the achievements of women who have overcome these barriers.