Christine Lagarde, managing director of the International Monetary Fund, has released a video message in celebration of International Women's Day.

In the short video, she tells of her hope for a more equal and better represented future and says she is today celebrating the women and men who support this cause.

She told the BBC that she has always believed women should "not imitate men" and that women should develop their own individuality.

50 women who changed the world

Speaking about the banking crisis and the collapse of the Lehman Brothers in 2008, she said she believes women tend to have an acute sense of risk.

While she admitted she was cautious of over-generalising, she thought that the risk-taking profile of women was empirically demonstrated as being different to that of men - which could have altered the crisis.

She said that if women ruled the world it would be better balanced, there would be more peace, and health and education would become higher priorities

WATCH CHRISTINE LAGARDE'S IWD VIDEO MESSAGE:

IMF chief's message of hope for women