By Nicole Lee
Social Media Project Manager
As a returning intern at Global Lives Project, I wanted to focus on a topic for this blog that I am able to connect with on a personal level. From the beginning of this semester, the Global Lives Project was producing content and releasing stories about various women across the world and that got me to wonder how I fit into this bigger picture of being a woman in today’s society. Although Women’s History Month is coming to an end, every day should be a day when women are recognized as equals, whether it be for owning property, voting, running for office, getting paid fair wages, or even living free from violence. A society is successful when women and non-binary individuals are afforded the same rights and opportunities as men. The Global Lives Project provides a direct view into the lives of our female on-screen participants, giving you a personal view of how they deal with their situations.
Due to patriarchal oppression and pervasive misogyny, women are often identified as emotional, irrational, promiscuous, bossy, and submissive. Their talents and leadership are consistently undervalued in the workplace, which typically leads to unequal pay. Despite these institutional barriers, women continue to fight to adapt and rise above to sustain themselves and their communities. Many are carving new paths and continue to prove they’re intelligent and capable hard workers, decision-makers, and leaders.
Continue reading below to learn more about the women that the Global Lives Project has spoken with to understand their story.
Capturing the Empowering Stories of Lives of Women from Around the World
Basak Taner, a pharmaceutical delivery driver from Istanbul, Turkey, devotes her work hours to delivering medicine for those in her neighborhood.
Basak Taner has taught me that I can be independent even when serving my community. From her, I am able to understand that success is not what society deems as “success” but what makes me happy.
Lara Aragon, a circus performer from Magaluf, Spain, spends her time performing with her family, creating music, traveling, and cooking.
Lara Aragon demonstrates through her passion for working and performing with her family that I can enjoy what I do.
Huyền Lê—Mỹ Khánh Village, Vietnam
Huyền Lê works on her family’s sand barge along the Mekong River Delta near Mỹ Khánh Village, Vietnam.
Huyền Lê demonstrates that women can take pride in their culture and succeed in doing work that has been practiced for generations.
Rumi Nagashima, a college student in Tokyo, Japan and a systems engineer at the time of the video, volunteers to work with Girl Scouts.
Rumi Nagashima educates me on continuing to do what I love regardless of the obstacles that I may face.
Dadah, a farmer from Sarimukti Village, Indonesia, works on a government-owned farm and is an active member of the Pasundan Farmers’ Union, which lobbies for both land redistribution among farmers and children’s education.
Dadah demonstrates that women can be skillful at various types of jobs, including those requiring physical labor, and she inspires me to educate myself and fight for what I believe in.
Supporting Women Today
Through the lives of these on-screen participants, we can see that women of all types of jobs, ages, nationalities, and backgrounds all play a part in being an inspiration. Though they are from different parts of the world, all of these women are similar in that they are powerful, beautiful, hardworking, and independent. Women like Basak, Lara, Huyền Lê, Rumi, and Dadah are necessary to hold our society together, especially in the midst of the current pandemic; Today, many women are serving society as frontline essential workers, whether they are first responders, educators, agriculturalists or farmers, manufacturers, public transit workers, grocery store workers, etc.. Be sure to support women’s rights through campaigns like Global Fund for Women, Women for Women, One Girl Can, and She’s the First. Visit Global Lives Project to read more inspirational stories from around the world.
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