Iceland's Women's Day Off in 1975 saw 90% of Icelandic women take time off from their paid and unpaid work, an experience that not only showed women how much they contribute but turned Icelandic men into supporters of gender equality. I aim to achieve the same impact in the UK.

As a young woman working in journalism, I assumed harassment and discrimination came with the territory and that you just had to get on with the job. As I rose to senior positions, it took me awhile to realise that just because I'd survived relatively unscathed didn't mean the younger women joining the profession would do so, and it isn't until you hit a certain age that the reality of ageism - which is much more acute for women - kicks in.

The system isn't working for most people and never has worked for most women.

We are all impacted by the failings of a news media that almost always chooses which stories to cover according to the priorities and perspectives of white men with private educations.

Iceland's Women's Day Off in 1975 saw 90% of Icelandic women take time off from their paid and unpaid work, an experience that not only showed women how much they contribute but turned Icelandic men into supporters of gender equality. I aim to achieve the same impact in the UK.

It is, after all, absurd that in 2017 women are still at best second-class citizens.

I wish I knew how to sleep late! I generally wake horribly early, often with a head full of thoughts and deadlines that propel me to my computer.