Choose Equal.

In downturns and disasters throughout history, women always bear a heavy cost – more of the jobs lost, more of the frontline care, and often – more of the burden at home. The COVID-19 pandemic is no exception, but today we have another chance for equality if we all choose to step forward as equals and set a higher standard to care equal, hire equal, pay equal, do equal and Choose Equal.

Women are leading on the frontlines of the COVID-19 crisis, and they continue to shoulder more of the burden of unemployment, financial loss and disruption to education since the pandemic began a year ago. However, there is hope. The new ways we have adopted for living, working, learning, and leading with one another during COVID-19 reminds us that anything is possible – and that we can make rapid change when we need to step up in a crisis.

At P&G, we aspire to build a better world for all of us – one that is free from gender bias, with equal voice, equal opportunity, and equal representation for all individuals. In honor of International Women’s Day and Equality & Inclusion Month at P&G, here are a few of the steps we’re taking to continue to support, celebrate and act for women around the world:

When women progress, the world progresses, and as a founding contributor to the Women’s Economic Future Fund, we are proud to continue our commitment by increasing our cumulative donation to $1 million. Created by Seneca Women and Rockefeller Philanthropy Advisors in 2020, the fund is designed to support 10 women-led non-profits that are providing economic, health and education assistance to women around the world. Learn more and give here.

Women and girls make up the majority of the 1.4 billion people living in extreme poverty. To help end poverty, we are supporting CARE®’s #IMEVERYWOMAN campaign, which will unite female leaders in the gender equality movement with a modern rendition of the iconic women’s anthem, “I’m Every Woman.” We’re continuing our strategic partnership with CARE that focuses on removing barriers to education and economic opportunities for women and girls, as well as improving access to clean drinking water and proper hygiene. To join the movement with CARE, sign up for the March speaker series, watch the music video or get involved, click here.

Building on the TIME 100 Women of the Year Project from IWD 2020, on March 8 we’ll be co-presenting the Voices of the Future Women’s Summit with TIME on Splash. Together, we will celebrate the many contributions and achievements of women from around the world and convene leaders, activists, and celebrities – including Dr. Jane Goodall, Alicia Keys, Amanda Gorman, Cate Blanchett and Dolores Huerta among others – to discuss the continued movements for women’s rights, equality and justice. You can register to join the event here.

Inside P&G, we hosted our annual #WeSeeEqual Forum virtually. The event featured a diverse array of artists, activists and P&G leaders, including David Taylor, Chairman, President and CEO, and Carolyn Tastad, Group President – North America and Executive Sponsor – Gender Equality, as we continue our efforts to tackle gender bias and accelerate progress toward a more equal world.

Alongside our corporate actions, P&G brands are also leading with love and committed to using their voices to help spark conversations, change mindsets and drive real societal change through a number of acts of good:

With 65% of homes reporting that the chores are done by one household member, usually women, Dawn and Swiffer are calling on households to "Come Clean to Close the Chore Gap.” When ‘Come Clean to Close the Chore Gap’ is the selected cause through the P&G Good Everyday program, a cleaning product will be donated to help a family in need close their own chore gap.

As part of Secret Deodorant’s $1 million pledge to help foster gender equality, Secret Deodorant is helping to pay for childcare and workforce development programs for more than 100,000 women and their families across the YWCA network. Secret continues to #RaiseItUp for women by providing relief and spotlighting moms as real-life superheroes through the #SecretSuperheroMoms campaign.

This year, Always U.S. will celebrate "Period Heroes" who are leading non-profit organizations working to help #EndPeriodPoverty. In addition to highlighting these inspiring leaders throughout the month, Always will be providing product donations to each organization to continue supporting their efforts year-round.

By 2030, Olay aims to double the number of women in STEM careers and triple the number of women of color in STEM careers. As part of this effort, Olay released a special-edition #FaceTheSTEMGap jar inspired by Alyssa Carson, the world’s youngest astronaut in training, and is offering free downloadable STEM lessons at Olay.com/ScienceKit.

To support female founders, who in 2020 received only 2.2 percent of all venture capital funding, P&G Ventures has leveraged strategic partnerships and its own platforms to promote, mentor and advocate for women-led businesses.

Whisper  India launched the next wave of its “Keep Girls In School” initiative, pledging to double the impact of its existing menstrual hygiene education program by 50 million girls by 2022. To do so, Whisper unveiled a new partnership with the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO) and will continue to work with NGOs across the country to reach as many girls as possible.

This International Women’s Day, Pantene and OLAY in China are releasing their brand videos produced by two young female directors as their very first commercial works. Under the theme of “Dare to Shine” (Pantene) and “Fearless to be Real Me” (OLAY), the directors added their unique perspectives to these inspiring stories. They encourage women to challenge biases, refuse judgement, dare to shine and be their real selves.

On March 8, Pantene Latin America will launch a new campaign dedicated to giving space to women’s voices and make a financial contribution to local non-profits supporting women’s causes. Their donation will increase for each consumer that participates in the campaign up to a maximum of $250,000.

The extraordinary events of 2020 have shone a light on inequality around the world, and they’ve made it clear that brands and companies have a responsibility to society – and that we can do even more, shaped by the love and compassion we have for each other. That’s why we are proud that many of these partnerships contribute to our commitment to Lead with Love by doing 2,021 acts of good in 2021 for our communities, for equality and for the planet we call home. Please join us as we #LeadWithLove at P&G Good Everyday.

There’s never been a better time to come together, step forward and choose equal in the pursuit of gender equality. Because when we choose equal, economies grow, communities are healthier, businesses can thrive, and the world is a better place for everyone.