Women have sparked movements through the ages and have succeeded in creating change. Women’s movements first began in 1848. The first women’s rights convention was held by women with 300 attendees. This is what started the decades of activism that eventually led to the Nineteenth Amendment which granted the women the right to vote.  In 1955, Rosa Parks started a movement of the first bus boycott after she refused to give up her seat to a white man. During the sixties women began to protest for their rights and gain equality in the workplace. In 1960, women were given the right to use birth control and choose whether to have children or not. Three years later President John F. Kennedy signed into law the Equal Pay Act, which prohibited sex based discrimination between man and woman doing the same job. A year later the Civil Rights Act Title VII was signed into law which prohibited employment discrimination based on race, sex, religion, or national origin. What I have learned from the history of these movements is that people did not get their rights on a silver platter. Women had to fight and persuade everyone from women to men and lawmakers to accept that change was needed. 

I know that there are still problems in this present that need to be acknowledged and changed. And because of this I am encouraging every woman to become more active and participate in movements. I believe that it is time for the new generation to take the baton from our elderly leaders and take the lead. We have been given the opportunity of education and should use it as a tool to our advantage. It is necessary to use our knowledge and our voices to make a difference. 

I have noticed that the new generation is more active in letting their voices be heard than past generations. It is because of the examples of past leaders that have given this new generation the bravery to stand for what they believe. The way to become involved in the movement it can be to join a protest, and teach to help other women be more informed about women empowerment. It is important to become politically involved in order to make sure that your opinion on something is heard no matter if others are opposed to it. If no one becomes involved in movements especially those that are trying to create or remove laws, they will begin to lose their voice. 

So I hope that all women will find the courage to be more involved in participating in movements to create a better world and society for future generations to come. For women to maybe one day become a person like Susan B. Anthony who founded the Suffrage Movement to gain voting rights. Or Ruth Ginsburg who fought in the courts to outlaw discrimation on basis of sex. It is not the idea to become famous like these two women, but the idea of the possibility to create change with just one voice.

Here is a video of a poem by Britta B “Dear Young Woman” a reminder to young women no matter what they are going through, they have a choice to make on how kind and gentle to treat themselves. 

Video Link: https://youtu.be/adUToRtRkaY 

Work Cited

“Women’s History Milestones: A Timeline.” History, Feb 5. 2020, https://www.history.com/topics/womens-history/womens-history-us-timeline

Everyone has that one special person that inspires them. I believe that we all have role models that are famous and we look up to them, but the biggest role model would be our mothers. My mother made the most impact in my life and it inspired me to be more involved in women empowerment. Growing up she is the first woman who we get to interact and learn from the very beginning. The type of life my mother experienced growing up, and the way she had raised me and my siblings made me appreciate all she has done. Now that Mother’s Day is coming up soon, I would like to talk about how my mother’s experience and what she taught me, made me the person I am today.

My mother grew up in a household where her own mother had to attend every man’s need, whether it was her husband or her sons. My mother knew that the type of submissive role her mother played was wrong and unfair. It was expected of my mother to do all her brothers’ chores because it was her duty as a woman. And at a young age she would rebel any time they asked her to do something because she did not believe it was her responsibility. I understand what my grandmother made my mother do. It was not of bad intention, but it was the norm for every family. The women do the cooking and cleaning, meanwhile the men were either at work or at school. Because of this my mother made a promise to herself that if she ever had children, both girls and boys would be raised equally. 

I know some of you have heard of the saying, “I have the best mom” or “My mom is my hero.” Well I will say it because my mom is my hero. She made sure to teach me and my siblings all the necessary life skills and how to stand up for ourselves. She made sure that my sister and I would become independent and not let anyone degrade us for our skills or knowledge. As for my brother she taught him to give the form of respect and support to women that she nor her mother never received. And I have seen the way my brother treats his girlfriend compared to my older uncles with their wifes. He encourages and supports his girlfriend to further her education to become a nurse, rather than in the past it was seen as absurd and more common for women to be a stay at home wife.

I now know that I have more opportunities and the support than what my mother had. I have the chance to further my education and become part of the movement for change. I can help other women reach their goals and encourage women to be part of women empowerment. 

I appreciate the support system my mother gave to me as well as the input of her experience and what she taught me. She was the first role model in my life and I am grateful for it. Because of her I highly respect all mothers who are reading this and ask for them to take a bow because you are a true hero for all that you have done. 

This video is about lessons that a mother taught to her daughter. It is similar to what I learned from my mother’s experience growing up as a woman.

Video Link: https://youtu.be/SPBup_DQF4s 

 

In a previous post I had given a little history lesson about the holiday of Women’s Day, but in this post I will talk about a very important woman. A woman who is an icon of female empowerment, Ruth Ginsburg. She is known as Justice Ginsburg, who battled in the Supreme Court in the United States. 

In the 1970s, Ginsburg was in the fight against male power and misogyny in order to gain women’s rights. She was first acknowledged in the courts when she challenged the denial of a dependent care deduction in taxes which was allowed for women but not for men. She presented and proved to the court that it was discrimination in the basis of sex, and won. And what makes this a big case is that there was no law placed against discrimination in the basis of sex at that time. After this case, all other cases involved with the basis of sex had to be acknowledged as unconstitutional. She continued on as a lawyer to fight and won five out of six victories in the Supreme Court appeals working along with the American Civil Liberties Union. These victories were based on the assumptions that men had jobs and women were to stay home. Women at that time were not allowed to have credit cards, and in some states they could be fired for being pregnant. Ginsburg’s victories slowly began to abolish gender discrimination and began to create gender laws. This was a new change for the United States and had finally brought more opportunities for women. 

Ginsburg’s life and the case of Mortiz v. Commissioner of Internal Revenue was a groundbreaking moment in history that it was made into a film called the “On The Basis Of Sex.” I have watched this film and it brought a deep insight on her life and how society had acted towards women. There was a moment when Ginsburg refused to talk back against a man who was degrading her, but her daughter defended her and told her that she should not let anyone, not even a man talk to her that way. This was the moment that Ginsburg realized that eventhough laws had not yet been inplaced against discrimination, her daughter’s generation was proof that society had begun to change. Changes such as the ability to have a job, further their education, and to stand up for themselves. These were once the privileges that women in history never got to experience or use, but thanks to Ginsburg the law against discrimination in the basis of sex was inplaced. In my opinion the best part of the film that made an impact was the response that Ginsburg made to the judge. The judge stated, “The word “woman” does not appear even once in the U.S. Constitution.” Ginsburg responded, “Nor does the word “freedom,” Your Honor.”

Ginsburg is an important icon in women empowerment. She is intelligent, independent, motivated, and had an amazing support system to help her. No matter the struggle and hardships she had to overcome, she still succeeded and won. She won by creating change in the Supreme Court and throughout the country. I believe that if women have the chance to further their education and become motivated to chase after their goals and surpass the struggles, they will eventually succeed just like Ruth Ginsburg.

Here is a short video of Ruth Ginsburg’s discussion on how she became a living legal legend.

Video link: https://youtu.be/-GqcEmbnCxg 

Work Cited

On The Basis of Sex. Dir. Mimi Leder. Perf. Felicity Jones, Armie Hammer, Justin Theroux. 2018. Focus Features. 2018. DVD. 

Self-esteem is an issue commonly found in women. In the workforce, women struggle to prove they are worthy for their position at work. They can constantly be put down by other male coworkers who are all fighting for a promotion. If a woman receives the promotion, men can see it as an insult towards them. It is a shame that time and hard work put into a job is not what is judged and decided, but the gender of the person. This can cause a woman’s self-esteem to drop. In this blog post, I would like to change this problem for all women who are reading this.

The first step is to challenge self-limiting beliefs that prevent women from moving forward and achieve what they want. This is a good way to challenge negative self talk and replace it with positive self talk. To challenge self-limiting beliefs is a three step process. First is to identify your self-limiting beliefs, then to challenge it, and last to change the narrative. To identify your self-limiting beliefs, it is important to acknowledge emotional triggers in situations and when women refuse to take credit of an achievement. “We focus on our own imperfection and fail to recognize our achievements.” The next step is to challenge those beliefs whether it is self doubt or refusal to take credit for achievements. Lastly is to replace those self-limiting beliefs with a narrative of being rational and optimistic. 

It can be seen that women tend to not take full credit for their achievements, but share it with others. It is believed that culture is an influence of this act. To change this it is important to practice in acknowledgment of their abilities and the achievements as a result through one’s own career and work you do get in your head. These comments should be used as motivation to push through personal life. In addition, it would be wise to not let others negative comments about you and the barriers and meet your goals.

When it comes to failure, women think it is because they lack capability or effort. Women can take failure to a personal level where they self-doubt. They can refuse to be in situations that could potentially lead them to fail in order to protect their self-concept and self-esteem. To cope with failure, women can try to change their mindset by seeing failure as a way to learn and grow. Failure should be seen as a learning opportunity rather than something negative. People forget that we are not born into a world where we know everything and are able to avoid every little mistake. It is part of life to fail and make mistakes, but to also learn from it. 

 It would also be beneficial to have a female role model to look up to such as Michelle Obama, Oprah Winfrey, and Frida Kahlo. These are the women who I look up to because they empower and inspire all women to become the best person they can be and be able to reach for the stars. Self-esteem is a big component of a person’s identity, how they act in society and in their job. I believe self-esteem can easily be affected and controlled by society. However, the only person who has full control is themselves. 

Here is a video of CeCe Olisa on how to build self confidence and I believe it will be beneficial to all women!!

Video Link: https://youtu.be/ivNNgdCsY7o 

Work Cited

“Developing Self-Confidence For Women.” CulturePlusConsulting. 2018. https://cultureplusconsulting.com/2018/04/28/developing-self-confidence-for-women/

So a few days ago on March 8, was International Women’s Day. It is a special day to recognize women for their achievements and to show appreciation. I believe it is a way to celebrate all women who have influenced you and have been a big female figure in your life. Women have achieved in many areas such as social, economic, cultural and in politics. This is an important day for women empowerment to give love and recognition to all women. 

A little history lesson about International Women’s Day, this event dates back to 108 years ago in 1909. It was the day the Socialist Party of America had celebrated 15,000 women in New York City who protested for the lack of rights to vote, low pay, and long work hours. What set this day in motion was Russia who created the trend during WWI, when women had suffered with food shortage and the men were at war. It was until 1975 that the United Nations finally recognized International Women’s Day as an international holiday.

This year’s theme is “#Each for Equal,” to push towards equality for all regardless of gender. People can become part of the change, “We can actively choose to challenge stereotypes, fight bias, broaden perceptions, improve situations, and celebrate women’s achievements.” If one person is against this idea, their actions, behavior and mindset can continue to make a negative impact on society. This is why it is important that every individual becomes part of this change to oppose this act.

Women can participate by joining events that are held worldwide by women’s networks, charities, political parties, and communities. They can wear purple as it signifies justice and dignity. Women often join a march for this day so people can acknowledge the struggles women had faced and problems that still continue for women. This special day is not just acknowledgment for women, but a joyful day to spend with people and have fun in the festivals. In the U.S. it is not yet an official holiday for this country, but it does not stop the people from participating in this lively celebration. 

This holiday is celebrated in about twenty different countries. Many of these countries there is a tradition that men honor all women with flowers and small gifts. Whereas other nations treat Women’s Day like Mother’s Day where children give gifts to their mothers and grandmothers. I can be an example of this since I always bring flowers or cards to my mother and grandmother. 

To this day women continue to fight for equality in all aspects in every part of the world. It would be a dream to have a daughter and for her to never have to experience inequality nor be judged based on her gender. To be able to have the same opportunities as men both in social and economics. And that one day women will be able to reach for the top and become the president of a nation. This unfortunately is a process that everyone in the world has to contribute by becoming part of the change. So I encourage all women who read this to become more involved in their society and in politics regarding women because it can affect the lives of all women.

Here is a video of recognition of Women’s Day 2020, the fight for gender equality around the world.

Video Link: https://youtu.be/8PWybb49Syk 

Work Cited

Barrientos, Selena, and Hanna Jeon. “Why International Women’s Day Is Celebrated on March 8.” GoodHousekeeping, Mar 4. 2020,  https://www.goodhousekeeping.com/life/a26539742/international-womens-day-march-8/

Majority of people have different tips on how to become independent or what is it that makes a woman independent. In this post I will be providing tips for women on how to become independent. For a woman becoming independent is a step closer to becoming part of women empowerment.

Surprisingly to be an independent woman it is encouraged for women to embrace alone time. Women should learn to be comfortable at being alone. It can help women to be with their own thoughts, learn about their strengths and weaknesses and learn how to live on their own so they can be able to make important decisions. The first time I read about alone time being important for women’s independence was ridiculous because I thought it was the least important factor to gaining independence. But when I read along I realized that I was wrong and its reason made perfect sense. 

After learning to have alone time, women should learn to find their voice. Women should voice what they are thinking without having to feel guilt or shame about their own opinion or thought. Women can read books that can help encourage them to speak up. Another way women can practice is on the mirror no matter how weird or ridiculous it might seem it makes good practice.

It is not uncommon for women to experience negative self-talk. In my personal experience negative self-talk was often confused with it being realistic. It wasn’t until my sister pointed out that I was being “negative” about everything. So I decided to point that out as the next step towards independence. According to the article, “How to be an independent woman,” it informs that “Words such as “can’t,” “won’t,” and “shouldn’t” are limiting; these words hold you back from achieving your full potential and being successful.” So ladies please start using words such as “I can,” “I will,” and “I should.” Another tip that can help through this step is to accept compliments when it is being given and not feel embarrassed. 

An important factor in becoming independent women should learn about financial freedom, as I’ve talked about in the last post. Becoming financially stable is an important issue that majority, women or not, need to sort out.

After learning these steps, women can begin to look for healthy relationships whether as friends or in a romantic relationship. It is important that women learn and acknowledge what is a healthy relationship or it can potentially hold them back from any goals. Women need to ensure that the relationships they have with others, that they will encourage and be there to lift them up when they fall. It is encouraged to cut anyone who is negative and unsupportive from their life because the only one who is going to be harmed is themselves. I hope women find these tips useful and encouraging and I wish them the best of luck. 

On this video Michelle Rodriguez, a famous actress who is well known for the movie series “Fast and Furious,” gives input on what she thinks is the number one way to be an independent woman. She explains how her culture and her generation had taken an influence of her view of what was an independent woman. She believes that overcoming genetic tribal roots is the way to becoming independent. Her view of an independent woman was being able to surpass stereotypes, hardships, and not fall for society’s view of what a woman is supposed to be. I find her perspective of what an independent woman is to be very insightful and relatable for women.

Video Link: https://youtu.be/EZbV5K-Hm1I 

Work Cited

“How to be an independent woman.” When Women Inspire. 3 April. 2019. https://whenwomeninspire.com/2019/04/03/how-to-be-independent-woman/

Once people decide they want to take action and make a change, they can’t do it because they lack financial support. That is why in this blog post I will talk about what financial assistance is available. People who need financial assistance can often be single women. It is not something that women should feel embarrassed or ashamed about. In the U.S. the government has added programs to help individuals with low income. There are now government and nongovernment programs to help with financial needs and advice being given to women. Becoming financially stable is a crucial part of women empowerment and we need more women to become part of the empowerment.

To start off women who want to have a sense of financial freedom, there is a social networking site called “Money Club.” The goal of this website is to create “a club within a club,” where you can find women in your community and build a money strategy that can also benefit others in your group. Women in this social network have the privilege to get advice from experienced financial advisors. As for women going through divorce, it can be stressful and either the worst or the most liberating moment that can happen in their life. Women who are in the legal process of divorce have a large quantity of ways not to go broke. There is a pamphlet called, “150 Ways to Divorce without Going Broke.” It was created by Ginita Wall, a financial advisor who specializes in helping women in money during and after a divorce. If one tip does not help at least there is a long list to go through. Besides these individual assistance, there is government assistance available for women. A common government assistance is helping single mothers. According to Zaina Adamu “The U.S. Department of Agriculture sponsors the Women, Infants, and Children (WIC) program, which provides free groceries for families at most grocery stores.” In order to qualify, you must provide your income and make an appointment to see if you meet the qualifications. Another assistance that is provided is the Low Income Home Energy Assistance Program (LIHEAP), where women can get assistance with their heating and cooling costs. Some may be opposed to women gaining government assistance, but it helps push women during a hard time to get on the right track. If they can finally receive financial assistance whether it’s for food or home energy assistance, they now have a chance to use their money to go to school and get a better job. Now with these resources women can step up and take action. 

Here is a video that I have found that is helpful with gaining financial confidence and becoming better at bills, budgeting, saving, paying debt, and investing. It provides ways on how to become financially confident. In the beginning of the video it gives some shocking statistics of women who are doubting their financial confidence. I believe it is important that I share this video to change these statistics because all women need to develop financial confidence.

Video link: https://youtu.be/HGxrB7GGAls 

Work Cited

Adamu, Zaina. “Financial Help for Single Women.” Sapling. 2020. https://www.sapling.com/5798757/financial-single-women

In the 1960s, drastic changes began to unfold for women. In the film, “Hidden Figures,” it shows the involvement of three African-American mathematician women working with NASA (National Aeronautics and Space Administration) on the “Friendship 7.” The three women; Katherine Johnson, Dorothy Vaughn, and Mary Jackson, compute complex math problems along with a group of black women. Segregation did not just occur in public, but in the workplace at NASA. These women had to overcome racism and sexism to become engineers at NASA. Throughout the film, these women were able to become part of the change within NASA and destroy barriers of negative stereotypes especially about being a woman. 

As the film took place in the 1960s, technology was not yet advanced enough to compute complex math problems so the women were the “computers.” Colored women were only hired as temp employees, because of segregation. In order to make changes the three women had to work around the barriers of not just being a woman but being of color. Dorothy Vaughn has been doing the work of a supervisor, but was not recognized as one. Vaughn decides to gain knowledge of Fortran, an IBM computer, which would leave Vaughn and the women without at job. Vaughn succeeds at being an expert of the machine and is promoted as a supervisor. Katherine Johnson was temporarily moved up to do calculations for the launching of  “Friendship 7,” leaving an impression on the team of NASA. Johnson’s intelligence caught the attention of her boss, Al Harrison, and gave her higher clearance to do calculations for “Friendship 7.” Mary Jackson was encouraged to enter NASA’s engineering program, but she finds out that for a black woman she requires higher education. Jackson responded, “Every time we have a chance to get ahead, they move the finish line. Every time.” Jackson went into court to be granted night classes at an all white school. 

At the climax of the film, Al Harrison finds out during Johnson’s outburst of rage that she has been running half a mile and back to go to the bathroom each day. There was no bathroom for her in the building as it was “Whites Only.” Harrison goes to the sign for “Colored Bathroom” and had torn it, announcing there will be no more segregation in NASA. After this scene the workers began to treat each other as equals. I believe that once the workers put their differences aside, they realized they had one thing in common, which was to win against the Soviets.

At the end of the film it is revealed that Johnson went on to do calculations for the space launching for Apollo 11 and the Space Shuttle. She was awarded the Presidential Medal of Freedom in 2015. Mary Jackson graduated from the University of Virginia and was the first black female engineer at NASA. Dorothy Vaughn became the first African-American supervisor for the Analysis and Computational Division (ACD). 

I love that the women are independent and are not afraid to say what they want to say. For example, a man questioned that he was surprised NASA would hire a woman. Johnson responded, “So, yes, they let us women do some things at NASA, Mr. Johnson, and it’s not because we wear skirts-it’s because we wear glasses.” It was astonishing that a man would say such a thing. I can only imagine just how difficult it can be for a woman to have to juggle both work and household of kids on their own. I admired seeing women put all their energy in work not just for themselves, but to create changes for a better future for their children. The three women went down in history for involvement in space travel and women empowerment. These women are inspiring, courageous, and help motivate other women to fight for what they want. I highly respect these women, they are heroes. 

Work Cited

Hidden Figures. Dir. Theodore Melfi. Perf. Taraji P. Henson, Janelle Monae, Octavia Spencer. 2016. Twentieth Century Fox. 2016. DVD.

  Part of the women empowerment is to first get an insight of women in the workforce in the United States. Women have transitioned from an image of being a stay at home mother and wife to becoming part of the workforce and a major part of society. However, this transition is not accepted by everyone and issues towards equality and understanding of being a woman are still being fought for. I believe that it can create a positive impact to get a perspective of what it is like to be a woman by being in their shoes in order to be more understanding. Movements for rights or for change first began by gaining insight to the problem. 

     Women in the workforce have steadily been climbing up and are continuing to break the glass ceiling. Some reasons behind this is that women have found help and support. Women are now able to go to college and earn a degree with or without support of financial aid. Another support area that women are able to receive is childcare, meanwhile they are able to work without worrying about their child’s wellbeing. Laws have been placed in jobs to better accommodate people with family and even help to get childcare. As the workplace is progressing and creating better accommodations for their workers needs, women are beginning to rise in the workforce. 

     In today’s workforce women now hold more jobs than men. According to the author Rachel Siegel in the article, “Women outnumber men in the American workforce for only the second time,” women hold a diversity of jobs than men. “Of the 145,000 jobs picked up in December throughout the economy, women won most of them-139,000, according to Labor Department data,” (Siegel, 2020). The reason behind this is that more women are getting their college degrees than men making it possible to reach a higher ranking position. Another reason behind this achievement is that women are able to receive proper health care. As of 2018, women have been joining the workforce at a quicker pace than men. This can be seen as a great achievement for women all throughout the U.S. and should be given a round of applause.

     As for myself I am truly happy to be witnessing these achievements being made by women, and can not wait to be part of this statistics. I believe that there will come a day that women will be able to reach to the top and join a high ranking position. I know that there are male dominated jobs and women to this day continue to fight for their respect and show their worth in the workplace, and for that reason I would like to give advice to women that any negative remarks given to them should be used as a motivation to keep trying and that one day they will achieve their goal. I am grateful for the accomplishments that women in the past were able to gain because without them, we women would not have the opportunities that we have today.

Work Cited

Siegel, Rachel. “Women outnumber men in the American workforce for only the second time.” The Washington Post. 10 Jan. 2020, https://wwww.washingtonpost.com/business/2020/01/10/january-2020-jobs-report/ 

In this website I will be talking about women empowerment. I think women are not seen for their full potential and are often made to be silenced. Women were seen as this delicate person who’s only purpose was to bare children, clean, and be the proper wife that their husband wanted. However, as time passed women have changed and became more independent much to the dislike of men who hate the idea of having to compete in anything with women. In this blog I will give advice, encouragement and motivation to women so they can achieve to become their full potential and one day become part of the women empowerment.

I would like to begin by providing insight in the challenges women face on a daily basis. I think it is necessary for outsiders to put themselves in women’s shoes for a day and see what it is like to be discriminated and put down by masculinity figures who try to force women to lower their standards and expectations whether it be in society or in the job force. After bringing insight of the challenges women face, I will begin to talk about creating or finding a safe circle for women who want to further their education and educate about women’s rights and about health. This will be a form of safe haven especially to those who are in a domestic situation at home. When they decide to make a change in themselves usually it can be difficult to make the first step without any financial assistance. I would like to be able to inform different types of financial help that can be provided whether it be for example FAFSA, work-study, or learning job skills. Along with financial assistance there will also a specific topic regarding health support and solutions to the problem.

Once I’ve talked about the basics to help women empowerment, I will begin to talk about the women in specific on how to help them become empowered. To start off I would like to encourage the women to become more independent such as in decision making made by themselves rather pushed by another person. After deciding this I would like to encourage women to find some way to boost their self-esteem such as group counseling. Then separate from self-esteem, I would like to push women to gain confidence especially in the job force because sometimes women can often doubt their true potential in situations, but deep down they are worthy. Once I have established about how to gain their self-esteem and confidence, I would like for women to begin to stand up for themselves. Women have as much of a right and potential than any man and should stand up and prove others wrong. Once a woman becomes part of the women empowerment, they should seek a form of social networking for support from other women. It can be very beneficial to have another woman to talk to and seek advice in something that maybe the other woman had gone through as well. After women have gained this information and motivation that I have provided, I would like to encourage them to become active in political events and become a leader for women empowerment by educating other women. Because what we have learned from history is that rights are not just given, they have to be fought for.