Name: Coralie Sandor
Grade: Year 11
Age: 16 Years
School: Georgiana Molloy Anglican School
Hometown and State: Busselton, Western Australia
LIFTING US UP – How can women and girls empower each other and their communities in times of uncertainty and change?
A stick of bamboo. It’s strong and resilient, but if you put that one stick in a river and tried to float on it, it wouldn’t hold you up, would it? Now imagine you had several bamboo sticks, finding some that were hidden away, and a little dusty. Lash them together, and you will float easily on the water, travelling wherever you want to go, with the strength of all the bamboo sticks holding you up.
In this time of uncertainty, women need to pull together and lift each other up. The world is facing unprecedented challenges which require a response of solidarity and strength of character from women around the world. Together, we have a chance to catch our breath, reflect and recognise the achievements which we, and women before us, have fought so hard for. Now is the time to maintain momentum, reassessing what we want to achieve. We want to look back at this time, not as a wasted opportunity, but instead, a defining moment.
I represent generation equality. A world where all women stand together.
We need to call out sexism, where in Australia 44.5% of women aged 25-29 have achieved a bachelor’s degree or above, compared to 32% of men, yet our weekly earnings are still 14% less than men (as stated on the WGEA website).
We need to call out violence and hate crimes against women, where worldwide 1 in 3 women will be raped or beaten in their lifetime, as stated by feminist author Laura Bates in her ‘Everyday Sexism’ TED talk.
We need to call out stereotypical notions of gender: in class, on our way home, at our after school job or under our own roof, by speaking up and stepping up in our local community.
Letäó»s call for gender equality in the workplace, where women are valued for their capabilities rather than their physical attributes.
Let’s call for campaigns that promote public solidarity for victims of domestic violence, especially in these times of uncertainty and change, where in times of emergency, we know domestic violence against women becomes more frequent and severe.
Let’s call for the education and re-education of society where women are empowered to speak up on normalised gender-based harassment and assault and where men are educated on the everyday inequalities women face. After all, we can’t solve a problem if half the population doesn’t acknowledge it exists.
Together, women need to have a positive online presence, that is, zero tolerance of gender-based harassment and rape culture in our global community. With so many social media users at home, during this pandemic, the internet has become the dominant form of social interaction, providing an opportunity for influential women to be heard. Greta Thunberg demonstrated the power of social media, uniting millions of people to participate in climate strike events in 2019. Let’s follow her lead. Clearly, social media can be used to our advantage, as a constructive tool to maintain the momentum of gender equality.
Together, women need to support fellow women writers and filmmakers by watching, listening and investing in those who are rewriting the gender narrative, on the national and international stage.
Together, women need to be encouraged by other women to find their voices, to speak up for equal rights, whether it be equal pay, equal access or equal value.
Women need to call for these justices to be met, because we know our voices are loudest when we raise them together.
Let’s finish the unfinished business.
Together we will build that raft, and choose our own adventure.
This Power Trip is kindly being sponsored by AgriFutures Australia
Reference List
(2020). Retrieved 7 September 2020, from https://www.who.int/reproductivehealth/publications/emergencies/COVID-19-VAW-full-text.pdf?ua=1
Bates, L. (2020). Transcript of “Everyday sexism.” Retrieved 7 September 2020, from https://www.ted.com/talks/laura_bates_everyday_sexism/transcript?language=en
Gender workplace statistics at a glance 2020 | WGEA. (2020). Retrieved 10 September 2020, from https://www.wgea.gov.au/data/fact-sheets/gender-workplace-statistics-at-a-glance-2020
Greta Thunberg is leading kids and adults from 150 countries in a massive Friday climate strike. (2020). Retrieved 7 September 2020, from https://www.vox.com/2019/9/17/20864740/greta-thunberg-youth-climate-strike-fridays-future
Preserving gender equality during and after COVID-19 – University of Wollongong äóñ UOW. (2020). Retrieved 8 September 2020, from https://www.uow.edu.au/about/our-people/diversity-inclusion/gender-equality/preserving-gender-equality-during-and-after-covid-19/