To whom it may concern,

As a young woman who has faced the challenges of living rural and prompting for change but held back by the littlest doubt from those who I had looked up to, I believe gender inequality is a multifaceted problem in our culture.

On the condition that women and girls are granted education and opportunities, they then can rise to become tremendous forces for change within their families, communities, and nations. When young women and girls’ perception of their future limits them to feeling a sense of freedom in their surroundings, or to feel limited in their own boundaries and expectations, young girls will never become capable of achieving their goals. Women and minorities experience both unconscious and conscious biases, such as a lack of access to education, trouble obtaining finances, societal expectations, and the difficulty of reconciling work and family life.

In the attempt for change we must be deliberate in our use of innovation to positively impact the lives of women and girls, as it will grow to be a dominant part in shaping and changing the way people live across every region of the world. This helps to guarantee that people are not merely consumers of innovation, but innovators of the future. Driving change in rural communities has become more apparent than ever, and it starts by recognising change that could begin with the generation of what we call the “baby boomers.” Young girls of today cannot become innovators if those of whom they look up to undermine the values of what it is to be part of a community. Community should centre around embracing both similarities and differences, not around status and famous last names, or materialistic objects such as expensive houses and vehicles.

I believe that change starts at home, the heart of it all. It is not that women do not want to be leaders; the issue is the response that women face when they express their ambition. To overcome workplace inequality, it requires us to look at an array of issues, including the home environment. Women will always be at a disadvantage of opportunities in comparison to men, until we see a better sharing of duties and responsibilities at home.

The reality is, that people believe gender differences to be prevalent in interaction, despite the fact that studies of personal interaction demonstrate few behavioural differences between men and women of equivalent status and power. In the socioemotional monarchy, small group interaction is a domain in which the appearance of gender disparities is constantly formed through power and status interactions, as well as identity marking. Education enables young women to forego marriage while gaining the knowledge and capabilities required to contribute to economic prosperity. The key to breaking the cycle is to empower women in achieve their full potential.