Name: Rebeca Gathmann-Brandt
Community/State: Karratha, Western Australia
School: St Lukes College
Age/Grade: 18 Years, Year 12
“Life is a roadtrip with twists and turns. How can we support one another to navigate the road to gender equality?”
In our modern society, the Australian workforce for female-dominated industries has been undervalued compared to male-dominated industries, receiving an income much lower than men due to the less physically stressful workload women are given. Instead of women being encouraged to achieve higher, support them and fight against the gender stereotypes they are subjected to allow themselves to accept their unfair wage.
Suicide in Australia occurred 3 times higher for a man than that for a woman, men make up six out of eight suicides every single day. We unconsciously raise male children under the upsetting stereotype they have been assigned to. To be tough and to never let them see you emotional. Due to this mindset, it is apparent as to why these statistics bring up such shocking results, especially ones that the majority of people are not aware of.
If these problems are easily perceived through the eyes of a teenager, why do we not have our Australian leaders doing something about this issue? We live in a society where we are starting to forget the essentials of what it means to be a human, we forget how to have a healthy human connection, forget to understand and grasp one another to have a highly valued and successful future as a society. We even neglect the women in countries such as Pakistan or Syria where they are not allowed to make major decisions, they run a higher risk of rape where the rapist goes unpunished and are prevented the freedom to choose their education and future. We forget the women whose lives are at risk for being a woman. We forget to remember them and their struggles, and that is unacceptable.
How can we support one another to navigate the road to gender equality? We start with ourselves. It is impossible to change the world if we cannot even begin by cleaning our own room. Take control of your own life and soon you will see how the relationship you hold with yourself will leave you feeling at peace for every morning you wake up.
By creating a habit of positive thinking within ourselves, this will inspire others to do the same and in doing so, our society will see evident results. Together we can all encourage, support, listen and embrace these issues we face. Stepping up and showing compassion for one another is the key to gender equality.