On March 8 every year, International Women’s Day celebrates women’s accomplishments and strengths in all aspects of society. As part of the day, women’s health is discussed, and how to improve the existing system to better meet the needs of women.
Health concerns associated with women are more diverse than those associated with men. They include gynecological concerns, pregnancy concerns, infertility disorders like uterine fibroids, menopause, cancers of the ovary and cervical region, breast cancer, as well as other specific medical issues.
It is also essential that women maintain a healthy heart. The World Heart Federation states that coronary heart disease is responsible for a third of all deaths among women worldwide. Osteoporosis is also more common in women during menopause due to the loss of bone density.
In celebration of International Women’s Day, Shanghai United Family Healthcare highlights some of the inspiring women in its community. These women are blazing trails and charting new courses for generations of women, transforming their families and industries that will benefit thousands of people in their communities and beyond.
We are proud to count them among our hospital family, and grateful for all they do to champion women’s excellence. It is a source of inspiration to us all that the extraordinary is possible when hard work and a strong vision for the future are combined.
Jenny Ni
Pharmacy Department Manager
Shanghai United Family Pudong Hospital
What does International Women’s Day mean to you?
International Women’s Day, to me, is a day meant to celebrate the strengths and accomplishments of women all over the world and throughout history.
Whether in my life or on a broader scale, women have and continue to be a force to be reckoned with, proved time and time again over the course of history.
What it means to be a woman varies from person to person, be it achievements in social or work or family life, but at the core of it all are individuals that care deeply for their world and the people that they share it with.
International Women’s Day recognizes everything that women have contributed to this world, and it is a time to appreciate the women in our lives.
Why is gender balance and having a more diverse workforce important?
Gender balance is essential in order to move towards a more equal and just society.
Women have always been relegated to lower statuses than men in historical and contemporary societies, which is a sentiment that has been engrained into many of our schemas.
Moving forward during a time of progress, having more women in the workforce not only provides opportunity for women to achieve just as much as men, but also gives more space for diverse perspectives to interact and lead to widespread change.
What is one piece of advice to all women who are juggling between home and work?
Prioritize what matters to you the most.
Oftentimes, women with careers are told to spend more time at home, while women at home are shunned for settling in the ‘traditional’ lifestyle.
It doesn’t really matter what other people think, as long as you are fully confident in the routine that you want and can maintain.
How do you engage and empower others?
I always try to be supportive and offer unconditional positive regard to those around me.
It never hurts to be kind and offer words of encouragement; you never know when someone might need it the most.
Kind words & actions can make such a difference.
What are the ways you stay grounded and take care of yourself?
I try to give myself plenty of alone time to provide self-care and the necessary moments to reflect on myself.
Sometimes, even when my friends are out doing something fun, I really just need my own time to recharge and be alone in order to build up myself.
During those times, I read, watch movies, listen to music, and pretty much do anything that I want to do in order to relax and unwind.
Share with us a woman or quote that inspires you most?
Helen Keller— she defied all the odds that were stacked against her and still managed to live her life to the fullest, inspiring along the way and making the world a better place.
Sarah Quirk
HR Vice President
Chery Jaguar Land Rover
What does International Women’s Day mean to you?
International Women’s Day for me is an opportunity to take a pause and celebrate the amazing contribution women make to society.
I use it as an opportunity to give thanks to all of the wonderful women in my life, their successes and struggles.
I also make sure to do something nice for myself and reflect on my own achievements.
Why is gender balance and having a more diverse workforce important?
Having a diverse workforce brings many benefits; different thinking styles and personalities ensure there is a greater opportunity for creativity and innovation.
Working in a diverse environment also helps to create a more open-minded culture, where people are treated as equals and everyone’s voice gets heard.
What is one piece of advice to all women who are juggling between home and work?
You can’t be superwoman all the time! It’s important to feel like you have the right balance, whatever works best for you.
There will be times when you feel like you are juggling to much or failing at something, so my advice would be not to judge yourself too harshly – we are all our own worst critics.
How do you engage and empower others?
I take time to build strong relationships with others, which allows me to understand them better; this helps to create a much more productive working relationship and better results.
I spend time encouraging others to be their authentic selves and learn to value themselves for what they bring to the organization.
Empowering people to be proud of who they are, rather than fit into a mold, is really important to me.
What are the ways you stay grounded and take care of yourself?
Family is very important to me and keeps me grounded; I like to find even the smallest moments for quality time that bring happiness and contentment.
Long walks with my dogs, talking with great friends and going on adventures with my son are all ways I stay connected to what’s important.
In my free time, I love to curl up with a good book and I take care of myself by treating myself to flowers and getting my nails done.
Share with us a woman or quote that inspires you most?
My favorite quote is: “If it doesn’t open, it wasn’t your door to push.”
We can spend far too long agonizing over things that didn’t work out the way we wanted them to, rather than focusing on what we can achieve.
Flora Wang
Director of Development & Community Engagement
Community Center Shanghai
What does International Women’s Day mean to you?
In my work life, every company I worked for offers a half day off on International Women’s Day. So, in a way, International Women’s Day became a reminder to me to practice some self-care!
Why is gender balance and having a more diverse workforce important?
I think people talk about gender balance and diversity so much nowadays because there has been so much unbalance and exclusivity.
I found myself struggling to articulate gender diversity matters clearly, as I was brought up with many gender biased assumptions.
A more diverse workforce means bringing more humanity to the workforce.
What is one piece of advice to all women who are juggling between home and work?
You have to cut yourself some slack from time to time. Being a good enough parent is ok.
How do you engage and empower others?
Simply working on being the best version of oneself is the best way to empower others. Be the lighthouse, not a lifeboat.
What are the ways you stay grounded and take care of yourself?
This would be my aspiration:
When I overthink, write.
When I am anxious, meditate.
When I am tired, take a nap.
When I am sad, exercise.
When I am stressed, go for a walk.
When I am angry, listen to music.
When I am feeling lazy, reduce screen time.
When I feel burn out, read.
Share with us a woman or quote that inspires you most?
Too many women have inspired me: My daughter, my mom, Ruth Bader Ginsburg, Oprah Winfrey, Diane von Furstenberg.
I want to share a book really inspired me a lot: The Cost of Living by Deborah Levy. It is her autobiography she wrote at a time in her life at that I too find myself suddenly thrown up against – mid-life.
Deborah Levy wrote this book after going through a divorce, moving on with her two daughters. At the same time, she must come to terms with her mother’s imminent death from cancer.
Few quotes I really resonate in her writing:
“As everything in my new home became literally smaller (except for the succulents), my life became bigger… I began to realize that what I needed was enough of the right things.”
“To become the person someone else imagined for us is not freedom – it is to mortgage our life to someone’s fear. If we cannot at least imagine we are free, we are living a life that is wrong for us.”
Winnie Wei
Head of Kombucha Project
Head of Kombucha Project
What does International Women’s Day mean to you?
International Women’s Day is a reminder to all women about our own identity; a celebration of being a woman; a chance to look at the obstacles women face in this society and improve it to be a better place.
Why is gender balance and having a more diverse workforce important?
It is like everything, Yin and Yang, core elements of Chinese cosmogony, generally see the opposing qualities of Yin and Yang as integral parts of a whole that complement one another.
What is one piece of advice to all women who are juggling between home and work?
My advice is to invite your partner to ‘share’ responsibilities at home, and asking the same question of your partner.
How do you engage and empower others?
By demonstrating a real example; by showing them one possibility of being a full time working mother of three kids, which is difficult but fulfilling at the same time.
What are the ways you stay grounded and take care of yourself?
Living mindfully. Observing your thoughts, your emotions and your true feelings; accept them, embrace them and respect them.
Share with us a woman or quote that inspires you most?
The woman who inspired me the most is my grandmother.
She went to college and afterward became a high school teacher, which is definitely not a normal path as a woman at that time in a small city in Zhejiang, China.
She created a life when the others couldn’t see the possibility; she was always hard working, she was determined.
She had faith in herself, even in later years when she had a tough life during the Culture Revolution. She fought through with a positive attitude no matter what.
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