There were stories from across the globe. In Australia, one radio station staged a “Ban the Man” and aired an all-female team for the day, while in the UK the Duchess of Cornwall welcomed female VIP guests to Buckingham Palace.

By the next day all the fuss had died down (largely because most of the above was for a publicity stunt). Which was disappointing, because although we have much to celebrate in the UK with regards to the progress made by women, especially in the last 10 years, we shouldn’t let the subject of gender parity drop. Quite simply, we can’t afford to.

Women in the Workplace is a comprehensive study of corporate America, conducted by LeanIn.Org and McKinsey & Company. One hundred and eighteen companies and 30,000 employees participated in the 2015 study, building on similar research conducted by McKinsey in 2012 and since followed up in 2016.

The findings make for depressing reading. The report cites that “women are still under-represented at every level in the corporate pipeline”, and claims it is incorrect to assume this is because women are leaving companies at higher rates than men, or due to difficulties balancing work and family.

Instead, the analysis in the report tells a more complex story: women still face greater barriers to advancement and a steeper path to senior leadership.

The report states that female leadership is imperative for organisations that want to perform at the highest levels but it warns that based on the slow rate of progress over the past three years, it will take 25 years to reach gender parity at the senior-VP level and more than one hundred years before we can expect parity at more senior levels.

At Advantage, we are supportive to employers and encourage both women and men to be the best they can be. Hard work and striving for excellence are what matters, and it goes without saying that the same job equals the same pay – always!

We support mothers (and fathers) to achieve a work-life balance, and we mentor and emotionally support women who struggle when returning to work. We recognise that it’s sometimes the “invisible” elements that women need support with to integrate back into the workplace; to help rekindle their confidence.

The McKinsey report stated that advancing women’s equality could add $12 trillion to global growth. We have some very talented return-to-work mothers who continue to demonstrate their ability to strike the right balance, benefiting both the business and themselves. I want to keep this talent.

International Women’s Day isn’t just for one day. A diverse workforce that champions equality and supports its people can only mean one thing; happy people, better productivity, happy business.

Julia Lo Bue-Said is managing director of The Advantage Travel Partnership