Name: Ameliija Swaffer-Selff
Community/State: Moura, Queensland
School: Moura State High School
Age/Grade: 15 Years, Year 12
Bio: Click here
“Life is a roadtrip with twists and turns. How can we support one another to navigate the road to gender equality?”
Gender equality is an ideal that billions of women around the world have long wished to achieve, yet even today, women are drastically under-represented and discriminated against throughout society. The roots of ‘male supremacy’ are firmly imbedded in women well before adulthood, with 1 in 3 women experiencing physical violence or sexual harassment from the age of 15. The average female wage is 15% less than a male’s for the same job and women make up just 32% of all Federal Parliamentarians, yet women make up 50.7% of the Australian population. These statistics are unacceptably disproportionate. The brainpower of women is totally undervalued by a global society which has been monopolised by men for centuries so it is of paramount importance that emerging women showcase their brilliance in a manner that cannot be ignored. Women must band together, and fight to breakdown these barriers, to create a more even playing field than history has shown possible to date.
Each and every woman in the world needs to love and believe in themselves. They need to believe that they are enough, that they are capable and that they are amazing. We need more females in influential positons so that young girls and women have the courage to chase their own dreams and aspire to emulate the success of these capable women by establishing a global support network to assist in breaking down the barriers. Strong and supportive leadership holds the key to success as we navigate the challenging road to gender equality. The recent ‘Me Too’ movement stemmed from the courage of female actors in Hollywood speaking up about workplace sexual harassment. The spread of the movement throughout the world has demonstrated the pivotal role of social media and other online news platforms in connecting and empowering women. We should look to celebrate the successes of our peers and to establish social media networks for broadcasting these.
It is essential that women establish these networks so that all women have unlimited support in the quest for gender equality. Women can no longer allow society to ignore our abilities and powerful presence. We must always stand together and support each other on this road, especially at a local level. As Malala Yousafzai said, “even if I am a girl, even if people think I can’t do it, I should not lose hope”.