How My Mother Raised Me to be a Global Advocate for Girls and Women - Global Moms Challenge
The first leader I ever met was my mother. Her life is a series of sacrifices that society often writes-off and disguises as the necessary duties of any woman. At 19, my mother left her own family and moved to Canada, a country where she didn’t know the language, or the people. By my age, now 26, she had lost a daughter, and she had me, her seventh child. I am what some academics call “the radical middle” … And what some parents call, the “malignant middle.” As a young child I was a handful – I was curious and inventive – my mom not only tolerated that, she fostered it. Not the telling tall tales part, but the ambition. The curiosity.
My childhood was riddled with daily evidence of my mother’s courage. I saw my oldest sister, Amera, graduate from medical school at 22 and go on to become a renowned pediatric plastic surgeon, inspiring myself and my entire community. I saw my older sister Ahlam choose to be a stay at home mom, and go on to create the same environment for her own children that my mother had created for me. In both these cases – opposite life paths, they received the same enthusiasm and support from my mom. Her definition of leadership was to nurture the necessary confidence and build the skills for her daughters to make their own decisions.
Diversity is good for business
Increasingly, corporations and politicians are realising the benefits of increased diversity. Diversity makes the business and political world go round. It simply "makes bottom-line business sense", writes Sangeeta Bharadwaj Badal, primary researcher for Gallup’s Entrepreneurship and Job Creation Initiative, commenting on a recent Gallup study, which found that hiring a demographically diverse workforce can improve a company’s financial performance.
Men and women have different viewpoints, ideas, and market insights, which enables better problem-solving, ultimately leading to superior performance.
Despite the overwhelming evidence in its favour, however, gender equality is taking one step forward and two steps back.
A study by tax and assurance company Grant Thornton unearthed distressing results: little progress is being made globally to highlight gender advancement in business leadership. And in SA, only 23% of senior management positions are occupied by women, while just less than 40% of companies have no women at all in leadership positions.
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Islamophobia Has Become So Bad That Some Muslim Girls Are Afraid to Wear Their Hijabs
No matter their religion or personal reasons, everyone deserves to feel comfortable to express themselves and dress how they wish. Unfortunately; bigotry, Islamophobia, sexism and a host of other biases keep many Muslim girls and young women from being able to be true to themselves. One writer explores the issue in an article from Teen Vogue last month: The struggle to fit in, how her identity is politicized in ways that others' identities and styles aren't, even outright hostility she and other Muslim women or girls face due to terrorist attacks that have nothing to do with them. Whether Muslim women shed their hijab or choose to embrace it, they deserve respect and understanding; just like everyone. That this even bears stating is disheartening.
It's time to focus on the women, not what they choose to wear.
Click through for the full article.
teenvogue.com - I remember when I started to feel uncomfortable with my body: I was 11 and suddenly became very aware that there was a “right” one and a “wrong” one. I wasn't sure where I fit in, and even though I was probably completely average or normal, I couldn't see that then through my preteen haze. This is common for many girls that age, but for me it was compounded because when I turned 12, I started to wear the hijab, and became even more uncomfortable in my own skin.
There were days that I was too anxious to leave home because the idea of people staring at me was too much to think about. I still have bad days, but for the most part my hijab is now intrinsic to my identity. For some Muslim women, however, the external impacts of wearing a veil become too much for their mental health. Amidst a growing climate of Islamophobia, many Muslim women who wear a headscarf are choosing to remove their veil. Even though many Muslim women, including myself, still wholeheartedly embrace and wear the hijab with joy and pride, others are voluntarily choosing to remove it due to external pressures. Debra Schubert, for example, who lives in Quebec, chose to stop wearing a hijab after feeling physically unsafe on multiple occasions. "One time when I was living in Montreal, a man followed me into my apartment and yelled at me that I was living in Canada and didn’t need to dress like this," says Debra. Her decision was as much for her mental health as it was out of fear that harm might come to her.
Read more here.
9-Year-Old Girl Completes Insanely Hard Race, Becomes Hero in Fight Against Bullying
Bizzotto became youngest competitor to complete the BattleFrog challenge, which is "an obstacle race designed by U.S. Navy Seals and includes running 36 miles, swimming an 8-kilometer course, and 25 obstacles, for six laps," according to Cosmopolitan.
Read more and watch a video interview at the link.
Cosmopolitan - You may want to press pause on your Netflix marathon and put down your package of Peeps because you're about to be schooled in the ways of health by a preteen.
CBS Miami reports on Milla Bizzotto, a 9-year-old Miami girl who is so freaking fit that she completed a 24-hour U.S Navy obstacle race meant for very fit adults. Not only that, she's using her platform to inspire her generation to love their bodies and to be as active as they can be.
This past Friday, Milla was the youngest competitor to complete the 24-hour BattleFrog challenge, which is an obstacle race designed by U.S. Navy Seals and includes running 36 miles, swimming an 8-kilometer course, and 25 obstacles, for six laps. Dang.
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Girls on the Run celebrates 20 years of empowerment
soapboxmedia.com - Girls on the Run (GOTR) International is celebrating 20 years of empowering young females, and the organization is calling on the public to help celebrate. By using the hashtag #GOTRBorntoRun and sharing what one believes she was born to do, joining the festivities is made simple.
Girls in grades 3-8 make strides toward self-discovery throughout the program, as they train with coaches who incorporate physical activity, along with confidence and character building to prompt self-love.
The nonprofit began in Charlotte, N.C. with 13 eager participants, but throughout the past 20 years it’s expanded to include 225 councils serving more than 1 million girls.
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‘SOLD’ sheds light on global issue of human trafficking
The fastest-growing product for sale in the world isn’t a crop, oil or even new technology. It’s children.
Twelve-year-old Lakshmi, whose story is told in Patricia McCormick’s award-winning novel “SOLD” and in a heartbreaking new movie by the same name—being released in the United States April 1—represents just one of 3 million children lost to human trafficking each year. We talked to the film’s director and producer, who have been working tirelessly over the last few years to shed a light on this issue abroad and at home.
Sold into slavery Lakshmi’s story is one of despair and hope, as it follows her from her village in Nepal, to being sold into a brothel in India, and her fight for freedom.
Countless children—typically girls about 13 years old—are taken from their villages, often by someone they trust. They are promised better lives and the chance to work in the city, and instead, are sold into brothels.
Directed by Academy- and Emmy-award winner Jeffrey D. Brown, produced by Jane Charles and executive produced by two-time Academy Award-winner Emma Thompson; “SOLD” has started a campaign to bring more awareness to the issue of commercially and sexually exploited children–from Southeast Asia to the crew’s own backyard in Seattle.
Putting Faces to an Issue It’s been a learning journey for Brown and Charles, who optioned the book seven years ago and have been researching trafficking, meeting survivors and advocating for victims ever since.
“Making this film broke my heart. I met about 2,000 survivors of the sex trade,” says Brown, who plans to use the film as a vehicle for activism and awareness raising around the world. They have already partnered with Childreach International to launch the #TaughtNotTrafficked campaign, which aims to child trafficking in Nepal through education and keeping children in school.
Brown and Charles met with non-governmental organizations during writing and filming the movie to learn more about the global issue of child trafficking.
“We learned so much about the issue just from the NGOs and experiencing firsthand the stories of all these girls,” says Charles.
Once they had cast the movie–including Niyar Saikia, who plays Lakshmi and turned 13 during filming–they took the cast to meet survivors as well. Sushmita Mukherjee; who plays Mumtaz, a madam; was introduced to a madam in a brothel in India.
“Everyone on the film really dove in and spent some time with it because they cared; they wanted it to be very authentic,” Charles says. “Niyar got it right away.”
Star Power It was an issue and project that touched Emma Thompson, and the star was eager to sign on.
“Because of ‘SOLD’s’ marvelous script and courageous and brilliant cast, it is a story that we can all watch–so that we may understand the processes of slavery in modern India and feel able to act without feeling the kind of rage and hopelessness that gets in the way of doing anything,” Thompson says.
Actress Gillian Anderson–known for her work in “X-Files,” “Last King of Scotland” and more–plays Sophia, whose character is based on photographer Lisa Kristine, whose photography has helped expose slavery and other human rights issues around the world.
“Working on this sensitively told film and with young women who have themselves experienced the unbelievable trauma of trafficking has opened my eyes to the horrors these young people face on a daily basis as well as the often life threatening danger those working at the charities put themselves in to free these innocent victims from modern day slavery,” says Anderson. “We also need to work on tackling the causes of trafficking. Education is key, which is why I’m proud to support the #TaughtNotTrafficked campaign with Childreach International.”
Taking Action Human trafficking can seem overwhelming, but “SOLD’s” lens on Lakshmi as she struggles to maintain her humanity and escape from the brothel helps audiences connect to the issue.
“We’ve always looked at the movie as a tool for change and a large entry point to the issue of human trafficking. And then what we want to provide with our outreach as we release the film, is a way for people to engage in their own communities, a way for them to find out more information, a way for them to tell other people about the film, which we’ll do in many different ways,” says Charles. The film, which has been translated into 32 different languages, is already helping to raise awareness.
In the same way, the “SOLD” team is working to make addressing the issue of trafficking–globally and in the United States–more accessible to community members.
“Listening is important,” Charles says. “In the United States, every community is different so you’ll really need to find out what services are already there, what’s needed, by the service providers, so they can better serve the commercially sexually exploited children of that community, and then find a way to provide that.
Their journey has led Charles and Brown to found Stolen Youth, a 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization formed in Washington State, to support commercially sexually exploited children through advocacy and fundraising. The group has raised about $800,000 annually at its luncheons and works with efforts like Seattle’s Organization for Prostitution Survivors. They also support creating safe spaces for survivors, educating and vocationally training girls to keep them out of prostitution or vulnerable positions, and changing laws so girls can be better protected.
Educating Communities Human trafficking, while a problem in every country, looks very different depending on the community. In the United States, girls aren’t tricked and kidnaped into brothels–however, pimps prey upon runaways and abused teens at places like malls. Girls will be coerced by older men they believe to be their “boyfriends”–and by the time they discover the truth, they’re often too ashamed or trapped to escape.
There are some similarities. In all cases, education can increase a girl’s chance of staying out of prostitution by 80 percent. In all cases, the average age a girl is first trafficked is 13 years old. And in all cases, raising awareness and changing the conversation to care for and listen to girls helps.
“Things are changing,” Charles says. “It used to be that 14-year-old prostitutes were seen as criminals. Now with a lot of work on the part of the NGOs and senators like Jeanne Kohl-Welles in Seattle, laws are changing and also the police officers are getting educated about human trafficking, so that when they bring in a young girl, an underage prostitute, they understand that she’s a victim.”
Education is crucial—for girls and young women so they can take the lead in their own lives, and for communities, men and women everywhere.
“It’s really important for us to educate the boys early that it’s not OK to marginalize girls and objectify girls. And education both for boys and girls on this issue is important,” says Charles.
It’s a hopeful approach, and one that can be seen in the movie, where throughout her ordeal, Lakshmi doesn’t lose her spirit or determination.
“That was really important to us, Charles says. “That there’s hope; there’s a way out, and people can see that the human spirit isn’t broken in this situation. It’s such a horrible place to be, but when these girls do get out, when they’re back in their own community or they’re back in a shelter and with kids their own age, you see them coming back and you see that they really are just kids.”
Millennial men want parental equality – will anyone let them have it?
theguardian.com - I am not sure when I get to say I am a man, even though I am 23. The perpetual adolescence I am living through has made me suspicious. It’s not that I want to become a Man with a capital M, a bare-chested, sexually aggressive cliche, but I do want to be a dad. I want a good career, a loving relationship and a family in which I am both a homemaker and provider. But is that a realistic aspiration? Can millennial men really have it all?
Take a glance at the British Social Attitudes survey, and it might seem as if the British public still supports the traditional family model. But look more closely, and it’s clear that change is coming. When asked whether they agree with the statement: “A man’s job is to earn money; a woman’s job is to look after the home and family”, only 4% of men and women aged 18 to 25 agreed. There was little difference between the genders. Attitudes toward parental leave reveal a similar change. Asked whether paid leave should be divided between the mother and father, 44% of those aged 18 to 25, and 26% of those aged 26 to 35, agreed that it should, compared with just 13% of over-65s. Yes, baby boomers, your kids turned out all right. But we can’t start celebrating just yet.
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Amandla Stenberg To Star In New Film Inspired By Black Lives Matter
- Amandla Stenberg
The 17-year-old actress has landed a lead role in an upcoming film titled “The Hate You Give,” according to The Hollywood Reporter. The movie, which is inspired by the Black Lives Matter movement, is based on a young adult novel written by Angela Thomas.
Stenberg is set to play Starr, a 16-year-old girl who grew up in poverty and now attends a suburban prep school. The character witnesses a police officer shoot her unarmed best friend and must share her testimony in court, which comes with serious challenges and consequences.
Stenberg shared the exciting news on Instagram Wednesday:
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Girl Crush: Rowan Blanchard and Cecile Richards
“Girl Meets World” star Rowan Blanchard and Planned Parenthood President Cecile Richards discussed feminism, social media, and more last month; in PAPER Magazine's “Girl Crush” series. It was an ideal match--a quickly rising television star and young progressive voice and a longtime advocate for women's reproductive rights--and Blanchard mentioned Richards as one of her role models, while Richards praised the use of social media among today's young women as a way to get stories out and help mobilize people. “Whether it was their own sexual health stories, their own things that have concerned them, the issues they’ve dealt with as a woman,” she says in the interview. “It can be a really democratizing force.”
The entire discussion is fascinating. Click through to read the entire interview.
papermag.com - In our 'Girl Crush' series, women with mutual admiration for one another get together for conversations that offer illuminating looks into what it's like to be a woman right now.
Back in August, Rowan Blanchard posted an impressively thoughtful essay to Instagram about the importance of intersectionality in feminism, catapulting the 14-year-old Disney Channel star of Girl Meets World into becoming a rising voice of her generation. Her poise, eloquence, and commitment to promoting equality and understanding are traits also shared by Cecile Richards. The president of the Planned Parenthood Federation of America was recently in the spotlight for the way she intelligently and gracefully testified before Congress during a House hearing that included accusations and bullying from GOP lawmakers attempting to cut federal funding from the organization. A few months after these events, Richards and Blanchard got together to discuss why it's more important than ever that young women receive information about reproductive health, and why despite this fraught political landscape, there's a lot of reason for hope.
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Wow! Etsy now offers 26 weeks of paid parental leave
blogs.babycenter.com - Another big tech company has joined the generous parental leave policy club!
On Tuesday, Etsy announced that any employee who becomes a parent will have 26 weeks of paid time off work, effective in April.
One of the cool aspects about this new policy is it includes new moms and dads — regardless of whether or not the baby was adopted — and it includes parents who used surrogates.
“Many traditional parental leave policies don’t treat people equally, including single parents, adoptive parents and parents who use surrogates,” Etsy chief executive Chad Dickerson wrote in a company blog post. “While we recognize the unique toll of giving birth, we believe that all members of a family benefit from generous, inclusive leave. We’re proud to be a pioneer in building a diverse, inclusive workplace and helping to shape how U.S.-based companies think about parental leave and gender equality.”
Parents at Etsy will be able to spread their 26 weeks of leave over the two years following the birth or adoption of their child. At least eight of these weeks are required to be taken continuously within the first six months. The 18 remaining weeks can be used flexibly over two years.
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5 Traits All Powerful Millennial Women Have In Common
elitedaily.com - When it comes to their career and lifestyle choices, Millennial women know what they desire and value the most. Millennials believe they have the power to create the life of their dreams, and that every day is a new creation. They keep going until they’re proud of the achievements and life they’ve designed for themselves and others.
Here are five traits most of today’s Millennials have in common:
1. They know their worth.
To own your confidence and have an optimistic point of view about yourself, you have to be open to different life situations. Be ready to explore yourself, meet new people and learn to connect with your inner power.
Focus on your talents and strengths because you are there to use your gifts. When you master your talents, life will give you opportunities. Sooner or later, you will get rewarded for the work you put in.
Millennial women let their challenges educate them. A bit of “shaking” will not break you. Embracing your vulnerabilities will allow to you to grow, so make it clear that you are stronger than you might think.
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NOW celebrates 50 years of grassroots feminism in 2016
After 50 years of advocating for women, the National Organization of Women has seen the dialogue on women's issues evolve from the front lines. We have made great strides—but there's still so much more to be done. Whether you're in-the-know about feminist theory or just starting your journey, NOW is a great resource to learn more about the issues or to get involved. This year the organization will celebrate its 50th anniversary at a gala and conference June 24 to 26 in Washington, D.C. Read below or click through for more details.
NOW - Washington, DC - The National Organization of Women ( NOW ), the iconic activist organization that promotes equal rights for women, will be celebrating its anniversary at the 50th Anniversary Gala and NOW Conference, June 24 to 26, 2016.
NOW's celebrations will recognize not only its history of cutting-edge activism on behalf of women, which include some of the most significant victories of the 20th century, but also the important work ahead as the organization pushes forward with its cutting-edge, intersectional and multi-agenda advocacy for the 21st century. As the largest feminist grassroots organization in the nation, with hundreds of thousands of members and activists and hundreds of chapters around the country, NOW conducts national awareness, grassroots organizing, and legal campaigns and lobbying to lead societal change for equality.
NOW was founded by feminist pioneers, including Betty Friedan and Pauli Murray, who saw the need for a civil rights organization specifically focused on women's rights. NOW led the charge in some of the first battles against sex discrimination in the courts and through attention-grabbing demonstrations and boycotts. It played key roles in the passage of the Family and Medical Leave Act, the nomination of the first female Supreme Court justice, and the House passage and long fight for the Equal Rights Amendment to the Constitution. It made front-page news with historic marches and mass demonstrations including a record-breaking 750,000 person March for Women's Lives in 1992.
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Girl summit to focus on child nuptials
kathmandupost.ekantipur.com - Mar 21, 2016- The Girl Child Summit begins on Wednesday with focus on combating child marriage, contributing to the government’s move to end child-, early- and forceful marriages by 2030.
The Ministry of Women Children and Social Welfare, with support from UNICEF and the DFID, is hosting the summit in Kathmandu, where around 60 children from Nepal’s 15 districts where child marriage is prevalent will present their views on the practice.
Morang, Saptari, Udayapur, Makwanpur, Rautahat, Kapilvastu, Rupandehi, Nawalparasi, Kalikot, Banke, Dailekh, Surkhet, Bajhang, Baitadi and Doti are the 15 districts with high prevalence of child marriage. The 60 children who will attend the summit have already held district consultations and pre-event workshops.
“Experience tells us that formulating law alone is not enough to wipe out this harmful practice. We can do it only by changing the social perception and we hope this summit will go a long way in helping us fulfill our commitment to ending child marriage by 2030,” said Shankar Prasad Pathak, acting secretary at the ministry.
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Woman President Shows Malawi the Way
Malawi’s President Joyce Banda took office during a difficult time economically and politically, in addition to being first woman to be head of state in southern Africa. She is a true leader, for her country as well as for women: Banda has appointed women to key positions since taking power, and even before taking office she spearheaded efforts such as founding National Association for Business Women.
She sat down with IPS News to discuss the link between women's empowerment and sustainable development, health care and education for women and girls, upcoming legislation that will empower and protect women, and much more.
ipsnews.net - Malawi’s President Joyce Banda knows a thing or two about women’s empowerment. After all she is the first female southern African head of state.
But she has not had it easy. Banda had a tough job fixing a sputtering economy after taking over from her predecessor Bingu wa Mutharika who died in office on April 5, 2012. In 2011 the country witnessed nationwide protests against Mutharika and the failing economy. The United Kingdom, Malawi’s largest donor, had suspended $550 million in aid after Mutharika expelled its ambassador for calling him an autocrat.
But she did succeed. Since taking office she has implemented of a number of austerity measures, which included selling the country’s presidential jet for $15 million and taking a 30 percent cut in her salary. She also embarked on a range of reforms that not everyone has agreed with. The most controversial has been cultivating closer ties with international financial institutions like the International Monetary Fund, which is known for its heavy-handed austerity plans.
But in June, the World Bank said the country’s economy was recovering, with manufacturing expected to grow 6 percent and agriculture 5.7 percent.
In September 2012, the International Bar Association’s Human Rights Institute reported that since Mutharika’s increasingly autocratic rule ended, respect for democracy and human rights has returned to the country under Banda’s presidency.
Read more, including excerpts from the interview, here.
UN: Empowering Women Helps the World
The Women’s Empowerment Principles, a joint initiative of the UN Global Compact and UN Women, are a set of standards aiming to set a foundation of equality and to advocate for workplace rights for women. In this post by the UN Global Compact, learn more about the principles and how empowering women to participate fully—both economically and professionally—helps raise the standard for business and society.
Article by UN Global Compact
In collaboration with UN Women, the UN Global Compact is a strategic policy initiative for businesses that are committed to aligning their operations and strategies with 10 universally accepted principles in the areas of human rights, labor, environment and anti-corruption. By doing so, business, as a primary driver of globalization, can help ensure that markets, commerce, technology and finance advance in ways that benefit economies and societies everywhere.
A key component to achieving several initiatives for 2015 is the empowerment of women in communities and in the workplace.
Women's Empowerment Principles are a set of principles for business offering guidance on how to empower women in the workplace, marketplace and community. They are the result of a collaboration between the United Nations Entity for Gender Equality and the Empowerment of Women (UN Women) and the United Nations Global Compact.
The Women's Empowerment Principles are: 1. Leadership promotes gender equality 2. Equal opportunity, inclusion and nondiscrimination 3. Health, safety and freedom from violence 4. Education and training 5. Enterprise development, supply chain and marketing practices 6. Community leadership and engagement 7. Transparency, measuring and reporting
The Women's Empowerment Principles—Equality Means Business is a joint initiative of UN Women and the UN Global Compact. The Principles outline seven steps for business on how to empower women in the workplace, marketplace and community. The Principles highlight that empowering women to participate fully in economic life across all sectors and throughout all levels of economic activity is essential to build strong economies; establish more stable and just societies; achieve internationally agreed goals for development, sustainability and human rights; improve quality of life for women, men, families and communities; and propel business' operations and goals. Learn more at the WEP’s Website. For a full list of companies that have signed the CEO Statement of Support for the WEP’s click here: WEPs Company Database
This year, a number of global milestones—the twentieth anniversary of the Beijing Platform for Action (PfA), the Post-2015 Development Agenda and anticipated Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs)—provide a unique opportunity to ensure that the business community commits, contributes and is a key partner to achieving gender equality.
The all-female patrol stopping South Africa's rhino poachers
Across Africa, rhino poaching is up. However, one brave group of conservationists is winning awards and recognition for their success in protecting the endangered, iconic animals. Patrolling the Balule Nature Reserve in South Africa, the Black Mambas--an all-women group--are not only eliminating poaching across the reserve but are also building trust and making connections between the local community and officials trying to protect the wildlife. Read more about their amazing efforts at the link. theguardian.com - “The Black Mambas are winning the war on poaching,” insists Siphiwe Sithole. “We have absolutely zero tolerance for rhino poaching and the illegal wildlife trade. The poachers will fall – but it will not be with guns and bullets.”
Sithole and Felicia Mogakane are members of South Africa’s Black Mambas, the world’s first all-female anti-poaching unit that has captured the public’s imagination. But it’s their success in reducing rhino deaths and breaking down the barriers between poor communities and elite wildlife reserves that is their most powerful weapon in the war on poaching, and has seen them pick up their second international conservation award this week.
The two women have travelled to London to receive the inaugural Innovation in Conservation award from UK charity Helping Rhinos. The award recognises projects “with an inspiring and innovative approach” that have shown positive results in protecting rhino populations.
Since forming in 2013, the Black Mambas have seen a 76% reduction in snaring and poaching incidents within their area of operation in Balule nature reserve in the country’s north-east. As well as the famous big five of rhino, lion, elephant, buffalo and leopard, the 40,000-hectare private reserve is home to zebra, antelope, wildebeest, cheetah, giraffe, hippos, crocodiles and hundreds of species of trees and birds.
Read more here.
#ShareTheLoad: This award winning campaign video is questioning the issue of gender stereotype in many homes
Even though they are working out of the home in increasing numbers, women in India--like in much of the world--still do the majority of work around the home. A new advertisement for laundry detergent used the ad as an opportunity to challenge India's patriarchal traditions, with a message from a father to his adult daughter recognizing her tireless work and pledging to #ShareTheLoad. Read about it and watch the video below, and click through for more information.venturesafrica.com - “Why is laundry only a mother’s job?” asked Ariel India at the end of their recent campaign launched with the hashtag #ShareTheLoad. Since its launch, the video has garnered over 10 million views, with over 200 thousand shares, and hundreds of comments with varying opinions on Facebook. Clearly, the video has touched a nerve to gain such an enormous amount of attention.
The two minute video details the complexities in the life of women who juggle being wives, and mothers, while working a job, with no help from their partners, and how parents (fathers) are responsible for passing on these cultural stereotypes from one generation to another.
Sheryl Sandberg, the Chief Operating Officer of Facebook has described the video as one of the most powerful videos she had ever seen. As a big advocate for social change, Sandberg said that the video shows how stereotypes hurt everyone and has failed to evolve overtime due to parental negligence. “When little girls and boys play house they model their parents’ behaviour; this doesn’t just impact their childhood games, it shapes their long-term dreams,” she said in a Facebook post.
Read more here.
Gender Still Matters
Madeleine May Kunin; former governor of Vermont and author of “The New Feminist Agenda, Defining the Next Revolution for Women, Work and Family;” discusses why gender is still a crucial issue—we have come a long way, but we still have a long way to go.
huffingtonpost.com - Gender bias continues to hover over both male and female voters as they assess a woman's credentials for the presidency. Bias is so subtle that even feminists may not find it in themselves. Today, some women pride themselves in believing that we live in a post feminist society, where there is no longer a need to support women, just as some claim that we live in a post racist society. We may be seeing a new phase of liberation where people can proclaim that they do not have to loyal to either gender or race.
Wait a minute. Yes, progress in both racial and gender justice has been enormous. Once upon a time, when I served in the Vermont legislature, married women couldn't have their own names in the telephone book or obtain a mortgage in their own name. Times have changed, but one look at any group photo of the global leaders tells us who rules the world. If it were not for the suits and German Chancellor Angela Merkel's skirt, then they could pass for a men's soccer team.
The number of women in the United States Congress is at a record high at 19.4 percent. We still are obliged to include decimal points to boost the number. We cannot stop promoting (qualified) women in leadership until the number reaches 50 percent, not just because of gender, but because political leadership will look more like American voters. Studies have shown that corporations which have a significant number of women and people of color on their boards did better than all white male boards during the 2008 recession. Diversity in the workplace mirrors diversity in political leadership; it is guaranteed to produce different outcomes in some areas.
Read more here.
Why This Organization Wants to Help Get More Latinas Elected to Office
Especially in an election year, the fight for inclusion and representation is essential. One group, Emily's List, is working hard to get Democratic women elected--and they're looking to be more inclusive of non-white women as well, advocating to get more Latina women elected to office. Learn more about their efforts at the link. latina.com - Latinas are vastly underrepresented in U.S. government, and Emily's List, one of the largest organizations for women in politics, is starting a new initiative to help change that.
“As the nation’s largest resource for women in politics, we understand the power Latinas hold – at the ballot box and on the ballot itself. While Emily’s List has played a role in electing every Democratic Latina currently serving in Congress, we know we need to do more and now is the time,” said Stephanie Schriock, president of Emily’s List, in a press release. “The stakes in this election could not be higher — for Latinas and for all of us. With Donald Trump leading the Republican fight to divide our nation and roll back opportunities for women, Latinas will not sit on the sidelines. Together, we will work to break down barriers, not build walls.”
The group has already established a national Latina Advisory Council, where leading Latinas in politics, business and civil rights services work together to get pro-choice democratic mujeres elected to public office by reaching out to voters.
Read more here.
A Challenge to Emma Watson (and All Feminists): Learn about Challenges for Women with Disabilities
Actress, activist and UN Women Goodwill Ambassador Emma Watson has long had our admiration for her moving speech at UN Headquarters in New York City to launch HeForShe, but it's perhaps even more admirable that she's learning feminism and activism as she goes--just like all of us--and is allowing fans to come with her on the journey. To that end, she announced last month that she will take a year off from acting for "personal development, including learning more about women's issues and advocating for women around the world. Because feminism includes the rights of all women some, like Sarah Blahovec writing for The Huffington Post, are urging Watson and other feminists to learn more about disability rights. Continue reading for more information, and for resources to learn even more.
huffingtonpost.com - Last week, actress and feminist powerhouse Emma Watson made waves in the media after announcing that she would be taking a year off of acting for “personal development” and to promote gender equality around the world. As somebody who grew up during the Harry Potter generation (the books spanned my childhood, and I graduated high school right before the final movie was released), I was one of the many girls that had Hermione Granger as a fictional role model in my life. Emma Watson is now one of the more visible and very admirable young feminist role models due to her work with the United Nations on promoting the HeforShe Campaign. And while she is taking on the challenge of promoting women’s equality around the world, I still see some room for growth in her feminism on something that is missing from most women’s (even intersectional) feminism. While examining intersections of race and class are starting to make a buzz (but still have very, VERY far to go), very few feminists know about the specific obstacles to equality for women with disabilities.
Read more here.