Name: Meesha Whittam
Community/State: Victor Harbor, South Australia
School: Encounter Lutheran College
Age/Grade: 15 Years, Year 10
“Life is a roadtrip with twists and turns. How can we support one another to navigate the road to gender equality?”
To support one another on the road to gender equality, we can encourage and empower women and instill bravery in all women. No matter their race, religion, ethnicity, age, or sexual orientation may be, everyone can be brave.
Bravery is a quality we need to instill in young women as it is vital for our future. In Reshma Saunji’s TED Talk two years ago, she explained that boys are taught to be brave and girls are taught to be perfect. In order to support each other on this difficult road to gender equality, we need to rethink this idea. If we spend too much time thinking about being perfect, we lose sight of what is really important. Perfection means we stop taking risks because we overthink the consequences and, though overthinking things isn’t always a bad quality, thought processes can be the difference between being brave and being over-cautious. By teaching children that being brave is more valuable than being “perfect” we can raise a generation with new perspectives.
Being brave and showing support for our fellow Australian women (as well as those around the world) is a crucial component on the road to gender equality. As of June 2016, women made up 50.3% of Australia’s population. This confirms that we need more women in politics- if politicians represent Australia, there should, theoretically, be equal amounts of men and women. Australia ranked 48th in the world in regards to he representation of women in politics in 2016. Empowerment and support for women pursuing careers should be continued in order to properly represent our nation.
The gender pay gap in multiple industries, particularly entertainment and previously male-dominated workforces can be overcome by teaching young women to take more risks and follow their hearts, not what society tells them is appropriate. Even though the Sex Discrimination Act was enforced in 1984, the pay gap is extremely prominent. The national gap is around 15%. Due to this, women would have to work an extra 56 days a year to earn the same pay as men for doing exactly the same work. By eradicating this gap, we will become closer to gender equality.
In order to support one another on the road to gender equality we must instill bravery in all young women. Encouraging bravery and eliminating the idea of perfection will enable us to change minds, the nation, and the world.