International Women’s Day 2026: Give to Gain - How kindness, confidence and culture help women thrive at work

At one of our Design Clubs in 2024, we talked about Wonder Woman. The iconic superhero with the famous “power stance”. It’s a stance we often refer to when discussing confidence, visibility and feelings of power at work.

We used words like empowerment, assertiveness, bold and self-assured. Words that carry weight and expectation. While it has subsequently come under some scrutiny, original research by Amy Cuddy suggested that adopting an open, expansive “power pose” for even two minutes can increase feelings of confidence and control.

Confidence affects us all. But research highlighted in the Harvard Business Review shows that leaders often attribute a lack of career progression, particularly for women, to a lack of confidence. Women are frequently told to “be more assertive”, “stand their ground” or “fake it till they make it”. All while balancing expectations to remain likeable, unintimidating and not “too much”.

This confidence narrative places responsibility for career progression firmly on women themselves, rather than on organisational culture, systems or structural barriers. And that creates yet another blocker to women’s professional development and personal wellbeing.

As we reflect on International Women’s Day 2026 and this year’s theme, Give to Gain, it feels especially relevant. Because while women are often told to gain more confidence, far less attention is paid to how organisations, and other women, can give support, time, knowledge and flexibility in ways that build confidence naturally.

Confidence, wellbeing and the reality of women’s lives

High self-confidence and self-esteem are associated with better mental health, stronger social relationships and healthier coping mechanisms. In the workplace, confidence enables us to ask questions, challenge ideas, speak up and trust our abilities.

But confidence is a balancing act. Overconfidence can damage relationships and trust. Vulnerability and humility, on the other hand, are humanising. They create psychological safety and make us more relatable. Nothing undermines confidence more than feeling unable to say what you need, express how you feel, or ask for help without fear of judgement.

For women in particular, there are life experiences that can significantly affect confidence:

All while building or sustaining a career.

As a woman in the menopause stage, I find the effects often difficult to manage. Hot flushes and brain fog are just two symptoms that impact my confidence and self-esteem. It’s difficult to give a presentation when you’re raging hot, struggling to concentrate and can’t recall the right words.

For Emily, confidence wobbled when she returned from maternity leave:

These experiences are not about individual weakness. They are about the reality of women’s lives and the need for organisations to respond with understanding rather than judgement.

Give to Gain: how women support each other

One of the most powerful ways women build confidence is by giving to each other.

Women give:

When a colleague checks in and really listens. When someone shares how they navigated menopause, maternity leave or a difficult leadership conversation. When a senior woman opens up about her own uncertainty. These acts are not small. They shape the culture.

Giving in this way is not transactional. It is rooted in generosity and solidarity. And the gain is collective: stronger relationships, increased resilience and greater confidence across teams.

Peer-to-peer mentoring, honest conversations and shared reflection spaces allow women to see that they are not alone. Confidence grows not because someone has been told to “be more assertive”, but because they feel understood, supported and safe.

How organisations gain when they give to women

The Give to Gain theme also applies at organisational level. When organisations give women flexibility, autonomy, trust and support, they gain better work, deeper loyalty and stronger performance.

So how can organisations support women’s confidence?

With kindness.

Kindness is not soft or weak. It is a deliberate choice to act in ways that help others without expecting something in return. It is about authenticity, compassion and trust.

A kind organisation:

For women balancing careers with caregiving, menopause or major life changes, flexibility is not a perk, it is essential infrastructure.

When organisations create cultures where women can do meaningful work and manage personal responsibilities, everyone gains. Retention improves. Engagement increases. Experience is not lost and confidence grows organically.

Is it useful to talk about confidence?

Individually, we can all take steps to build confidence. But organisations must also examine whether they are reinforcing unhelpful narratives.

The Harvard Business Review recommends that unless organisations are certain the “confidence gap” narrative is not harming women, it should not dominate feedback, performance reviews or promotion discussions. Instead, employers should examine structural barriers and redesign systems that prevent women from progressing into leadership.

What we do at Unboxed

As a small organisation with over 50 per cent women in our team, we think carefully about how we talk about confidence and how we create a supportive workplace culture.

We want everyone to thrive, both professionally and personally.

In my own experience, I have appreciated the understanding and flexibility of colleagues while managing menopausal symptoms. An open and transparent culture makes me feel confident enough to talk about my experiences. I can work from home if I need to. I can ask for help. I don’t have to pretend everything is fine.

Emily felt:

Bereavement affected Rhian deeply:

Dawn, returning from maternity leave, shared:

We don’t always get this right. But our values, especially of care and attention, healthy relationships, openness and transparency help to guide us.

We build prosocial behaviours into our culture:

Understanding and enabling people to play to their strengths builds confidence. Knowing you can say “I don’t know” without fear builds resilience. Being able to ask for help without judgement builds better solutions.

Kindness builds confidence and better work

If International Women’s Day 2026 reminds us of anything, it is this: when we give time, trust, flexibility, knowledge, empathy, we all gain.

Women gain confidence.
Organisations gain loyalty and performance.
Teams gain stronger relationships.
Clients gain better outcomes.

Kindness is not peripheral to business success. It is foundational. And when we create cultures that give to women so they can thrive, the whole team benefits.