The University of Edinburgh - International Women's Day Lecture 2025

International Women’s Day (IWD) has been around for over a hundred years, as have many of the issues that still impact women's advancement today. More than ever before, we need to celebrate our successes while continuing the fight for equality. Days come and ago. Themes come and go. Initiatives come and go, but inequalities remain. With this year's multiple themes, including #ForAllWomenAndGirls and #For ALL Women and Girls: Rights. Equality. Empowerment  we dive into the purpose of this awareness day, the relevance of the themes, and why now, more than ever, we must keep pushing for change.

Biography

Naeema Yaqoob Sajid studied a SNC in business studies, and later a HND in legal studies, before resitting her Highers to gain entry to study for a law degree at the University of Edinburgh. She completed her law degree with two young children and escaped academia for a short period. Her role as a parliamentary researcher, and later an advisor, within the reconvened Scottish Parliament in 1999, further whetted her appetite to pursue a legal career.

Naeema has over 20 years of experience in the Scottish legal sector. She commenced her career as a Procurator Fiscal Depute, and later moved to the private sector where she specialised in child and family law and became a partner of a large Scottish law firm.

Naeema is an avid campaigner for change and is particularly passionate about making improvements in the legal sector. Her specialism lies in diversity, equity and inclusion and the additional barriers intersectionality can create. She uses her lived experience, interpersonal skills and business insights to navigate positive change to workplace cultures and structures. With that in mind, Naeema created Diversity+, a bespoke consultancy firm designed to assist organisations specifically within the legal and financial sector to make improvements in their diversity and inclusion footprint.

Naeema is also a co-founder of The Scottish Ethnic Minorities Lawyers Association, ‘Look Up and Beyond’ (a project designed to better retain and advance female talent in the legal sector), ‘D+ in the Classroom’ (a collaboration with Developing Young Workforce Scotland, to help encourage school pupils from less advantaged background into law) and D+ Law Academy (a programme designed to help law graduates from diverse backgrounds secure a training contract). Most recently, Naeema has created the first-of-its-kind EDI certification course in collaboration with the Law Society of Scotland and was honoured with a doctorate degree from the University of Edinburgh in 2024.

Event Details

This event is presented by the University of Edinburgh, and is supported by the Institute for Advanced Studies in the Humanities and GENDER.ED, the cross-University hub for gender and sexualities studies from an interdisciplinary perspective.

The lecture will be followed by a drinks reception. The lecture will be recorded for permanent archiving, and photographs will be taken during the event.

This is a free event, which means we overbook to allow for no-shows and to avoid empty seats. While we generally do not have to turn people away, this does mean we cannot guarantee everyone a place. Admission is on a first-come, first-served basis.

Registration

Click here to register via Eventbrite.

Accessibility

This event will take place in lecture theatre G.03, 50 George Square, Edinburgh, EH8 9LH.

People with mobility difficulties arriving by vehicle can access 50 George Square from Potterrow, Chapel Street and Crichton Street. There is level access to 50 George Square from the pay and display parking areas via a cobbled road and two dropped kerbs. Please note that all pay and display parking is situated on a cobbled surface and is only recommended for wheelchair users with assistance.

There are two disabled parking bays located close to 50 George Square and ample parking to the front of the building for disabled badge holders. The first disabled parking bay has a level paved surface and is located adjacent to the Informatics Forum. There is level access to the front of 50 George Square from this disabled parking bay via a tarmac road with a dropped kerb and a long paved footpath. The second disabled parking bay has an uneven cobbled surface and is located within the University car park to the rear of Appleton Tower. Please note that this disabled parking bay is located outwith 100 metres of 50 George Square and is only recommended for wheelchair users with assistance.

There is a wheelchair accessible level access entrance to the building with automated doors. Entrance to the lecture theatre includes a wide door, and there is a gender neutral and wheelchair accessible toilet— all level access. The room itself has fixed tiered seating down to the stage, so wheelchair users typically sit in the back row; there are usually additional moveable seats in the front row.

There is an induction loop in G.03.

See the full access guide here (opens as PDF). See also AccessAble.