International Women's Day: observed on March, it is a global day celebrating the economic, political and social achievements of women past, present and future. In some places like China, Russia, Vietnam and Bulgaria, International Women's Day is a national holiday.
Today is International Women's Day and I would like us all to think about how we as a culture and members of the global community, involve, educate, and inspire girls in a positive way. Here are my thoughts.
Show
A picture is worth a thousand words and girls need to see images of women achievers who look just like them. When women are kept out of history books it perpetuates the absurd idea that women must remain behind the scenes or hidden. It is crucial for girls to see the faces of strong and powerful women.
- It opens up the possibilities by changing the definition of achievement.
- It creates a positive impact on the development of self-respect and self esteem.
Teach young girls and boys to question and envision beyond what they know. Being able to see themselves and be seen by others as a leader gives girls an elevated sense of purpose.
Dream Big
I didn't know how to dream big until I became an adult and my natural sense of curiosity led me to books and websites. Since then I am able to add more goals, more things I want to achieve and slowly but surely eliminate reasons why I can't.
List of Educational Resources
Bonus:
A video from Stanford University's, Shelley Correll, explores how gender stereotypes influence career choices and why.
This post is part of the Third Annual Blog for International Women’s Day, a day where bloggers, writers, and humanitarian organizations are asked to write about the International Women’s Day theme on March 8 hosted by Gender Across Borders and CARE.