Balance the Scales: What Does Balance Look Like?

Balance the Scales blog series cover featuring Katie Lynch and the headline 'What Does Balance Actually Look Like?' — Balance the Scales is this year’s International Women’s Day theme. This series explores what balance looks like in everyday life.

When I first read this year’s International Women’s Day theme, Balance the Scales, announced by UN Women Australia , I found myself wondering what balance really looks like in everyday life.

The phrase sounds simple, but the reality is far more complex.

Many conversations around gender equality focus on statistics, policies, and justice systems. Those things are incredibly important. But balance in society is shaped by more than laws alone. It is influenced by the way we speak about each other, how we express emotions, the strength of our communities, and the systems we build around us.

So rather than focusing on just one piece of the conversation, I found myself exploring balance from several different angles.

Questions Worth Sitting With

What happens when women are labelled “difficult” for speaking up?
What role does emotional expression and mental health play in the struggles both men and women face?
What happens when the community spaces that once connected people begin to disappear?
What role do the systems we rely on, including schools, workplaces, and economic structures, play in shaping the pressures people experience every day?
And how might we better support the next generation so that the scales begin to balance earlier in life?

These are not simple questions, and I certainly don’t claim to have all the answers.

But I do believe that meaningful change begins with curiosity, conversation, and a willingness to explore the deeper forces shaping our society.

Editorial illustration of Katie Lynch balancing scales symbolising community, communication, education and equality — Balance is shaped by more than policy. It also lives in our communities, communication, education, and sense of equality.

So in honour of International Women’s Day, this series is simply an exploration of what it might mean to truly balance the scales. Not only between women and men, but within the systems, communities, and conversations that shape all of our lives.

Looking at the Language We Use

The first place I found myself reflecting on balance was in the language we use to describe women who speak up.

Recently, a simple one word response in a public interview sparked a national conversation. The word used was “difficult”.

Which raises an interesting question.

What does it really mean when women are labelled as difficult?

Katie Lynch

Katie Lynch is the founder of Katie J Design & Events, an Australian online store specialising in personalised party decorations, custom clothing, stickers and gifts.

Based in Brisbane, QLD, Katie designs and prints party products in-house and ships Australia-wide, with international shipping available to New Zealand and the United States.