Breaking the “strong woman” myth: A personal reflection this International Women's Day

Every year on International Women's Day, we celebrate women's achievements, resilience, and impact. As someone working in tech marketing and deeply passionate about Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion, I've often found myself using one word more than any other when describing inspiring women: strong.

"She's so strong."
"She handles everything."
"She makes it look easy."

But over time, I've started to question that narrative… especially for millennial women navigating fast-paced industries, leadership ambitions, and evolving expectations.

Because while "strong" is meant to empower, it can also quietly exhaust.

In the tech and digital economy, strength is often coded as resilience under pressure. Deliver the numbers. Lead the campaign. Manage the stakeholders. Drive revenue. Champion inclusion. Stay composed. Don't take feedback personally. Don't show doubt.

As women, we're frequently expected to excel at our core roles while also mentoring others, advocating for equity, and carrying invisible emotional labor… often without recognition. When we do it well, we're celebrated as strong. When we feel overwhelmed, we question ourselves.

That's the myth. The myth says strength means handling everything without complaint, vulnerability is a weakness, and burnout is just part of ambition.

But here's what I've learned: endurance is not the same as empowerment. True strength isn't about carrying more. It's about knowing what to carry, what and when to put down.

For me, redefining strength has meant allowing space for honesty. It's meant admitting when a quarter feels heavy. Saying no to initiatives that don't align with impact. Asking for support rather than trying to prove capability through overperformance.

In DE&I conversations, we often talk about representation and opportunity but we must also talk about sustainability. If progress depends on women constantly overextending themselves, then the system hasn't evolved; it's just redistributed pressure.

Strength, in a more evolved sense, looks different. It looks like setting boundaries without guilt. It looks like leaving environments that don't value your voice, choosing collaboration over competition and redefining success beyond titles and targets. And most importantly, it looks like choice.

This International Women's Day, I don't just want to celebrate women for being strong. I want to celebrate women for being human… ambitious and uncertain, confident and questioning, driven and sometimes tired. We can be high-performing and still need support, we can be leaders and still seek mentorship, and we can advocate for inclusion and still prioritize our own wellbeing.

Breaking the "strong woman" myth doesn't diminish resilience. It protects it from exploitation. If we truly want inclusive, equitable workplaces, especially in industries shaping the future like AI and tech, we must move beyond applauding women for surviving pressure. We must build cultures where they don't constantly have to.

Because real progress isn't measured by how much women can endure, it's measured by how fully they're allowed to show up without the armor.