If you are six foot tall, in a group of strangers do you tend to speak first to people of a similar height or do you go looking for the smallest person in the room? Why is that? Unconscious bias is innate within each and every one of us. Our instinct will often seek out people we assume are similar to us.

The coalition government has provided nearly £40 million of ring-fenced funding for specialist domestic and sexual violence services, and national helplines. We've invested in changing attitudes and behaviours. You may have seen the UK television adverts we've launched to tackle rape and relationship abuse amongst teenagers. We've reformed our legislation, introducing two new stalking offences to better protect victims and better support the police and prosecutors who bring about justice. But we can and must do more.

The relentless representation of beauty's limited aesthetic is denuding. Variety is effaced with uniformity, not just the uniformity of this year's fashion but the imperative of size, shape, color, height, skin tone. Instead of relishing in the diverse beauties that cultures all over the world engender, we are dominating them with our own.

Violence against women is an iceberg under the surface of society. Every day millions around the world live in fear.

As well as recognising the achievements of women, let's use International Women's Day to encourage more men across the world to join the fight for true equality. After all, the result if we succeed is not just a better world for women but a better world for everyone.