THE World Economic Forum predicts the gender gap won't close entirely until 2186.

This means women will continue to be paid less for doing the same work as men for another 169 years.

This is too long to wait.

Around the world, International Women's Day, which is being marked today, is hopefully a catalyst and vehicle for driving greater change for women and moving the world closer to gender parity.

There are events happening in almost every town this week, including Gympie, with our local Quota Club hosting a breakfast this morning with guest speaker and LifeFlight volunteer Mary Ernshaw the inspirational speaker.

The Gympie Women's Health Centre is putting on a luncheon at The Decks, with the guest speaker Tenille Nugent from Destiny Rescue, which helps rescue women and young girls from life on the street.

On Saturday, I will join former councillor Rae Gate, business woman Sam Bradshaw and rural advisor Karen Jarling as guest panellist at a women's leadership series at the Gympie Community Place on the barriers facing women entering leadership positions.

For full details on these and other events go to our website and look in our whatson container.