Women’s History Month is an opportunity for workplaces to move beyond symbolic recognition and toward education, context, and meaningful engagement. While March is the designated month, effective Women’s History Month programming focuses on historically accurate storytelling, elevating overlooked contributions, and connecting the past to modern workplace realities.
For companies, schools, and organizations, the most impactful approaches center learning, not performative gestures, and create space for reflection, discussion, and continued growth.
Quick Answer: How Should Women’s History Month Be Celebrated at Work?
Women’s History Month at work can be celebrated through expert-led educational events, storytelling that highlights overlooked women leaders, and programming that connects historical progress to present-day workplace experiences. The most effective initiatives go beyond celebration to provide historical context, learning, and relevance.
A few of our favorite Women’s History Month ideas:
- Learn about female innovators and women inventors throughout history
- Host custom virtual events to learn about Women’s History Month
- Gift your team members a box of goodies from women-owned businesses
- Play Women’s History Month trivia with your team
- Host a Pecha Kucha style presentation session
- Celebrate women’s history on social media
- Honor influential female artists and creatives
Host Expert-Led Women’s History Month Events at Work
One of the most effective ways to engage employees is through live, expert-led programming facilitated by historians, educators, and trained storytellers.
Expert-led events:
- Reduce the burden on internal teams and ERG leaders
- Ensure nuanced, well-researched storytelling
- Create a shared learning experience across departments and locations
Further, Women’s History Month was created to address historical gaps. For generations, women’s contributions were excluded from textbooks, leadership narratives, and institutional memory.
Meaningful workplace programming prioritizes:
- Historical accuracy and context
- Stories beyond a short list of well-known figures
- Representation across race, class, profession, and geography
Educational experiences help participants understand why Women’s History Month exists, not just that it exists.
This is why many organizations choose expert-led Women’s History Month events, rather than internal presentations or surface-level activities.
1. Book a Virtual Team-Building Session to Celebrate Female Innovators
Available for a limited time only during Women’s History Month in March!
Unexpected Virtual Tours & Training offers a series of Women’s History Month virtual events for work that are specifically designed for workplace audiences. These live experiences combine historical scholarship with engaging storytelling and guided discussion, making them accessible for both in-person and remote teams.
Get your team interested in Women’s History Month with She Innovates, an interactive virtual team building event, created just for teams like yours to learn about and celebrate Women’s History Month at work! Watch a minute-long promotional trailer in the video above. During this engaging virtual session, your team will hear the untold stories of female inventors, artists, and leaders from the 1800s to the present day. A highlight of this experience are the live character guides based in the 1800s and 1900s, as your team plays “Historic Shark Tank.” (We promise, this session won’t be cheesy or eye-roll inducing!) And, you will get to see important sites and stunning murals related to Women’s History Month from a live-streaming guide in Chicago.
This unique virtual event is NOT a lecture, but an immersive and interactive experience that showcases the triumph of female invention. It is a unique celebration of Women’s History Month. Learn more and book your She Innovates session for Women’s History Month!
2. Explore Online Exhibitions with the National Women’s History Museum
Learn about incredible women throughout history with fascinating online exhibits from the National Women’s History Museum.
During this activity, your team can explore online exhibitions on a variety of topics related to women’s history. For example, delve into the history of the women of NASA, women in social justice, women in STEM, female soldiers in WWII, and more. Read primary documents, view video clips, see historical photographs, and learn about important and influential women in history.
View the online exhibits and start planning your virtual tour.
3. Share Women’s History Month Quotes
Sharing a powerful quote is a great way to capture your team’s attention and inspire them.
A few of our favorite Women’s History Month quotes:
- “A feminist is anyone who recognizes the equality and full humanity of women and men.” -Gloria Steinem
- “If you don’t see a clear path for what you want, sometimes you have to make it yourself.” -Mindy Kaling
- ” I am not free while any woman is unfree, even when her shackles are very different from my own.” -Audre Lorde
- “Like most who are underestimated, I have learned to over-perform and find soft but key ways to take credit. Because ultimately, leadership and power require the confidence to effectively wield both.” – Stacey Abrams
Find more quotes in our blog post: Quotes for Women’s History Month.
Highlight Overlooked Women Leaders and Changemakers In the Workplace (And Outside)
Women’s history is often reduced to a narrow set of familiar names. Expanding beyond those narratives allows participants to see the full scope of women’s leadership and impact.
Strong programming highlights:
- Women innovators, inventors, and entrepreneurs
- Labor organizers, educators, and community builders
- Artists, activists, and leaders whose work shaped institutions and movements
1, Celebrate Women in Music With Music Evolution: She Rocks!
For a different way to honor Women’s History Month, delve into the Music Evolution: She Rocks! experience which is all about the women in music who have trailblazed, sung their hearts out, and shattered glass ceilings in their industry. Events like She Rocks by Unexpected Virtual Tours focus specifically on women who challenged norms, reshaped industries, and built power in spaces where they were historically excluded. These stories help employees understand leadership, innovation, and resilience through a broader and more accurate lens.
During this fast-paced 60-minute event, your team will learn all about the women of gospel, folk, rock-and-roll, and more. Your team will have a blast participating in musical trivia tracing the history of women’s contribution to music with our vibrant and knowledgeable guides. Plus, our Nashville virtual tour guide will give your team a LIVE look at Music City, USA!
2. Make a Women’s Empowerment Playlist
Celebrate the power of womanhood with an empowering playlist!
For this activity, ask everyone on your team to add their favorite song to honor Women’s History Month. Then, everyone can listen in during the month of March and all year long.
Empowering songs to include on your Women’s History Month playlist:
- Respect by Aretha Franklin
- Run the World (Girls) by Beyoncé
- Most Girls by Hailee Steinfeld
- Brave by Sara Bareilles
- I Am Woman by Emmy Meli
- Stronger by Britney Spears
- Superwoman by Alicia Keys
3. Plan a “Pecha Kucha” Session for Women’s History Month
Have you heard of a “Pecha Kucha” presentation session? This is a simple and fun way to learn something new with your team. “Pecha Kucha” is Japanese for “chit-chat.” During a Pecha Kucha session, everyone takes turns presenting on a topic they’re passionate about.
Traditionally, each presentation includes 20 slides that each appear for 20 seconds. That means that each speaker will lead a fast-paced, engaging story that lasts 6-7 minutes.
For this activity, ask your team members to each prepare a Pecha Kucha presentation on a topic related to Women’s History Month. The idea is to explore varied topics and learn something new. During the process, you’re sure to spark discussion, questions, and maybe even a friendly debate.
Women’s History Month Pecha Kucha topic ideas to spark some inspiration:
- The history of female beer brewers
- The powerful women behind some of history’s most well-known male figures
- Women leaders in the Civil Rights movement
- Connections between persecution of witchcraft and female empowerment
New to the idea of Pecha Kucha? Learn more about this fun and impactful presentation style here.
Taking Action to Support Women at Work and at Home
Connect Women’s History to the Modern Workplace
Women’s History Month is most impactful when it connects historical experiences to present-day realities. Many challenges women navigate today are rooted in longstanding systems, policies, and cultural norms.
Effective programming draws connections between:
- Historical barriers and modern workplace dynamics
- Past advocacy and current progress
- Leadership pipelines, representation, and opportunity
1. Volunteer with a Nonprofit that Empowers Women & Girls
These days, it’s easy to find virtual volunteer opportunities for your remote team. During Women’s History Month, consider offering your team time to volunteer with an organization that empowers women and young girls.
For example, here are a few ways you can put your skills to use to help nonprofits serving women and girls:
- Mentor and tutor students virtually
- Deliver an impactful and motivational speech
- Help host a virtual baby shower for a new mom
- Put together and send care packages to deployed female service members
- Facilitate virtual discussions for LBGTQ+ women’s groups
This list was inspired by current volunteer opportunities listed online. But, if you feel you have other skills or talents to offer, reach out to a nonprofit you’re interested in! In some cases, an organization may need the help. But, they might not have thought to post a volunteer opportunity aligned with your unique skills.
To find volunteer opportunities near you, visit VolunteerMatch.org. From there, you can view available volunteer roles in your city, or explore virtual volunteer projects.
2. Advocate for Intersectionality
Women’s History Month is undoubtedly a time to celebrate all women and fight for women’s rights. In addition, it’s important to remember that this includes trans women, people who identify as women, women with disabilities, BIPOC women, and so on. Celebrate women of all religions, sizes, and sexual orientations. And, celebrate women whether they have children or spouses or not.
Above all, celebrating Women’s History Month at work is about equity and inclusion. By bringing an intersectional lens to your activities, you’ll more fully embrace the spirit behind the occasion. And, you’ll deepen your team’s learning while also creating an affirming, welcoming space for all your employees.
This being said, this Women’s History Month idea for work does not necessarily mean that you need to spotlight people within your own organization. Only spotlight women if they agree to that spotlight.
You can find a wide variety of resources and activities on intersectional inclusion here. Another good jumping off point is this article: How bell hooks Paved the Way for Intersectional Feminism.
3. Examine How Women Are Underrepresented in Business
While society has made progress toward advancing women’s rights, there’s still a long way to go. That’s because women are not adequately represented in many industries, and in the governing bodies of many countries.
To learn more, play an interactive quiz game with your team. Ask them to guess about the percentage of women who hold leadership roles in various industries or government branches.
A few Women’s History Month facts that might surprise you:
- In 2021, a record number of women led Fortune 500 companies. However, that record included only 41 women out of 500 CEOs. In other words, only 8.1% of Fortune 500 CEOs are women.
- Around the world, women comprise just 4.6% of the Global 500 CEO list. In other words, only 23 out of the 500 CEOs on this list are women.
- More women than ever before are also serving in the 117th United States Congress. But, representation for women in this important branch of government is still far from equal despite some advances throughout American history. Currently, just under 27% of Congress is female.
- Throughout U.S. history, only 3.1% of all members of Congress have been women.
- Globally, just 10 countries have a woman Head of State. Additionally, 13 countries have a woman Head of Government.
Use a service like Kahoot to set up your interactive team quiz and learn more together.
Recognizing Women in the Workplace
1. Explore Women’s History in Your Organization
Delving into your own company’s history can be a powerful way to explore Women’s History Month at work. For instance, if your company was founded or has been led by a woman, this is an opportunity to learn more about her story and ethos and become inspired. This is also a great idea for work for Women’s History Month because it helps your team connect with the company.
On the other hand, maybe your company has historically been led by men. Perhaps women have been actively excluded from your company’s industry or leadership roles in the past, or present. Additionally, maybe your company’s success has relied on the unpaid labor of women in the home, as they provide the domestic care and stability needed for male executives to build the business.
Taking an honest look at this history can help team members recognize where the organization aims to do better in the future. After all, it is only by addressing our history that we can learn how to shift it toward a better future.
2. Support Women-Owned Businesses
As you celebrate employees’ birthdays and work anniversaries this Women’s History Month, consider diversifying your vendor list and buying from woman-owned businesses.
Whether you seek out local vendors or browse woman-owned shops on a site like Etsy, this is a great way to support female entrepreneurs and business owners while celebrating employees, from desk plaques and decor to mugs, stationery, tablet covers, and more!
Browse gifts from woman-owned businesses on Uncommon Goods, a website featuring unique and creative gifts.
3. Share About Inspirational Women in Your Life
It’s important to take the time to learn about female inventors, authors, and leaders. But, it’s also important to acknowledge the women in our own lives who have helped support, empower, and encourage us along the way.
During the month of March, give each team member the microphone to share about a woman who has had an impact on their life. This might be a caregiver or sibling, a teacher, mentor, friend, or partner. With this Women’s History Month idea for work, your team will have the opportunity to research and enlighten their team.
This is a great way to get to know your team members better while also celebrating the important role that women have played in our lives.
4. Gift Feminist Treat Boxes
During Women’s History Month, gift your team members a beautiful box of unique gifts. Unexpected curates our Empower Gift Boxes with thoughtful items from female owned and BIPOC-owned small businesses.
These gift boxes are perfect for celebrating women’s history or year-round birthdays, anniversaries, graduations, and other milestones.
Choose from 3 different Empower Gift Boxes:
- Feminist Foodie Box: filled with delicious food treats, featuring images of iconic women!
- Empower RBG Box: celebrate the memory of your favorite SCOTUS judge, Ruth Bader Ginsburg, with a box of gifts honoring her legacy.
- Empower Frida Box: tap into your creativity with a box celebrating Frida Kahlo.
Browse our Empower Gift Boxes on Unexpected’s Amazon Store, with free Prime shipping.
Promoting Leadership & Workplace Equality
1. Host a Women’s Leadership Panel
Hearing from successful women leaders can be inspiring and moving for employees of all genders. This March, give your women executives and rising stars the opportunity to share about their career and life experience.
Arranging a video call panel discussion is a great way to amplify the voices of multiple women during one session. Be sure to allow plenty of time for a Q&A at the end! Then, invite all of your employees to join the call and participate.
Questions to ask speakers during a women’s leadership panel:
- Have you faced discrimination in your career, either due to being a woman or something else? What was that like?
- How can we uplift and support women in our workforce?
- Do you think that women in your field face any unique or particular challenges? Can you tell us about them?
- Complete this sentence: “Women are _________.”
2. Examine Pay Parity in Your Company
The 19th, a nonprofit organization, found that in 2023, women were “earning 77 cents for every dollar earned by white men.
This Women’s History Month, make sure your organization is putting its money where its mouth is! As you organize team building events and celebrate women’s history, be sure to review your internal processes that affect women, including pay equity.
It’s a good idea to review employees’ compensation periodically, to see how your company is keeping pace with the market and ensure everyone is paid fairly. Women’s History Month is a great time to revisit this and ensure that people are paid appropriately for their work, regardless of gender. This can be done in consultation with an outside advisor, HR firm, or consulting agency.
3. Make Programming Accessible for Remote and Hybrid Teams
As more organizations operate with distributed teams, Women’s History Month programming must be accessible across locations and time zones.
Virtual experiences allow organizations to:
- Engage remote and hybrid employees equally
- Offer consistent programming company-wide
- Record sessions for continued learning
Unexpected Virtual Tours’ live virtual events are built specifically for remote and hybrid teams, making it easy to host Women’s History Month programming without geographic limitations while still maintaining engagement and interaction.
Host Women’s History Month Happy Hours
Encourage employees to mix and mingle during a virtual Women’s History Month happy hour event! This is one of the best Women’s History Month ideas for work to get your team interacting and engaging.
While it’s a good idea to be inclusive of all genders for this event, you can focus event discussions and topics around women’s history. For instance, choose one of the activities or games above in this list to keep everyone entertained and engaged.
Share a fun invitation letting everyone know the happy hour theme and topics! Then, encourage team members to show up on camera with their favorite snacks or drinks as well as casual attire. To encourage deeper connections, you can set up breakout rooms for more intimate discussions.
Looking for a turnkey virtual experience for Women’s History Month? Book Unexpected Virtual Tours’ She Innovates team building session, created especially for corporate teams celebrating Women’s History Month!
Women’s History Month 2026: Honoring the Past & Inspiring the Future
Women’s History Month, observed each March, is a time to honor the remarkable contributions of women throughout history and recognize their ongoing fight for gender equality. In 2026, the theme is “Leading the Change: Women Shaping a Sustainable Future,” highlighting the collective strength of women dedicated to education, mentorship, and leadership. This theme emphasizes how these women have inspired transformative change across generations.
Why Women’s History Month Matters in the Workplace
When women’s history is oversimplified or treated as symbolic, it reinforces the very gaps Women’s History Month was created to address. Thoughtful programming challenges incomplete narratives, highlights systemic patterns, and fosters a more accurate understanding of leadership and history.
Organizations that invest in expert-led, educational experiences demonstrate a commitment to learning that goes beyond surface-level recognition, and employees recognize the difference.
When and Where is Women’s History Month Observed?
Women’s History Month is recognized in the United States, the United Kingdom, and Australia throughout March. In Canada, it is observed in October to align with Persons Day on October 18—the date in 1929 when women were legally recognized as “persons” in Canada. Additionally, International Women’s Day is celebrated globally on March 8, highlighting the achievements and rights of women worldwide.
What are meaningful Women’s History Month ideas for work?
Meaningful ideas focus on education, historical context, and expert-led learning. These include facilitated events, storytelling experiences, and programming that connects women’s history to modern workplace realities.
How can companies celebrate Women’s History Month respectfully?
Companies can celebrate respectfully by avoiding performative activities, compensating external experts, and not placing the responsibility for programming on women employees. Expert-led events help ensure accuracy and depth.
Should Women’s History Month focus on history or current issues?
Both. Women’s History Month should explore historical foundations while connecting those stories to present-day experiences. Understanding the past provides context for current workplace dynamics.
What are the origins of Women’s History Month?
The roots of Women’s History Month trace back to International Women’s Day, first celebrated on March 8, 1911. In 1978, a school district in Sonoma, California, introduced Women’s History Week, which gained national attention the following year through collaborations among institutions like Sarah Lawrence College, the Women’s Action Alliance, and the Smithsonian Institution. In 1980, President Jimmy Carter officially declared the week of March 8 as Women’s History Week. By 1987, Congress expanded the observance to the entire month of March, establishing Women’s History Month. Since then, U.S. Presidents have issued annual proclamations honoring the month.
How long should Women’s History Month programming last?
While March is the focal point, effective programming often extends beyond the month through recordings, follow-up resources, or additional sessions. Women’s History Month works best as a starting point rather than a one-time initiative.
What is the 2026 Women’s History Month Theme?
The 2026 theme, “Leading the Change: Women Shaping a Sustainable Future,” expands our understanding of sustainability beyond just environmental concerns. It encompasses financial sustainability, community resilience, leadership succession, and intergenerational equity. Whether developing green technologies, advancing economic justice, strengthening education systems, or building civic power – women are designing blueprints for sustainable transformation. This theme affirms that shaping a sustainable future means fostering systems that support both people and the planet.
According to the National Women’s History Alliance, this theme highlights the collective strength of women in advocating for sustainability as key drivers of progress. Consider participating in events, workshops, or discussions that align with this theme.
Explore Women’s History Month Events by Unexpected Virtual Tours
Unexpected Virtual Tours & Training designs expert-led Women’s History Month programming grounded in historical research, primary sources, and real-world context. Our experiences are researched by trained historians and educators, ensuring accuracy, nuance, and meaningful engagement for workplace audiences.
These events are:
- Led by passionate and informed hosts
- Researched by trained historians and educators
- Designed for workplace audiences
- Accessible for remote and hybrid teams
- Grounded in historical research and real-world context
Popular experiences include:
- She Innovates, a unique experience focused on women innovators who changed our world, with live-streaming views of Chicago
- She Rocks, a dynamic storytelling experience highlighting women who challenged expectations and reshaped music, with live-streaming views of Nashville
Organizations can choose a single event or build a full Women’s History Month programming series.
We wish you and your team a celebratory Women’s History Month filled with learning and fun!
Located in Atlanta? Check out Unexpected Atlanta Tours & Gifts