What Does It Mean To Balance The Scales?

It can be easy to look at International Women’s Day and ask what more needs to be done. We now have laws in place to protect women’s rights. We have women in politics. We have more and more female CEOs, so where are the scales out of balance? 

I do not doubt that many of these conversations will try to silence nuanced discussions that matter as we approach IWD events happening on March 8th. However, it doesn’t matter if good intentions give the illusion of balance. What matters is how this shows up in real life, in the lived experiences of women globally. 

The theme #BalanceTheScales is not simply a legal or political idea. It is a call to examine what we have normalised, what we excuse, and what women quietly carry to remain safe, respected and easy to be around.

Globally, one in three women will experience physical or sexual violence in her lifetime. Laws may exist, yet outcomes often fall short. The gap between policy and lived experience remains. 

The scales are not yet balanced.

When scales are tipped, the cost is not abstract. It lives in the body. Hypervigilance. Over-responsibility. Self-editing. Over-functioning. The shrinking that fuels disconnection and suppression of self.

I have felt this in my own leadership. Being called “too much” for speaking directly. Saying yes under pressure rather than from alignment. Paying the internal cost of keeping the peace so that others could remain comfortable. These are not personality flaws. They are protection strategies in environments that do not always feel fair or safe.

When the world does not feel safe, women become their own protection system. We balance safety and visibility. Being liked and being respected. Carrying and sharing the load.

But balance is not about women doing it all. It is about women not having to trade safety, wellbeing or selfhood to succeed.

This is where self-leadership matters. We cannot wait only for systems to change. We must also notice where we are still self-abandoning to stay safe. Where have we normalised women paying the price for everyone else’s comfort? What have you called “just how it is” that is actually not okay?

Balancing the scales begins personally. Telling the truth. Setting boundaries. Refusing to shrink.

It continues relationally. Sharing the load. Calling in better behaviour. Believing women the first time.

And it extends into our workplaces and communities. Supporting policies that improve safety and access to justice. Refusing to reward silence. Creating cultures where women can breathe, speak, lead and live without bracing.

Despite concerning trends, we are not powerless. Progress has been made because people chose courage over comfort.

Balance changes more than opportunity. It changes nervous systems. It allows women to move from protection into connection, ease and expression.

Where are you still balancing safety and truth?

And what would it look like to tip the scales, even slightly, towards freedom?