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October 11, 2022
October 11, 2022
International Day of the Girl Child
The United Nations has designated October 11th as the International Day of the Girl Child in order to focus attention on the need to address the challenges that girls face, and to promote girls’ empowerment and the fulfillment of their human rights. The UN says that “Adolescent girls have the right to a safe, educated, and healthy life, not only during these critical formative years, but also as they mature into women. If effectively supported during the adolescent years, girls have the potential to change the world – both as the empowered girls of today and as tomorrow’s workers, entrepreneurs, mentors, household heads, political leaders and mothers. An investment in realising the power of adolescent girls upholds their rights today and promises a more equitable and prosperous future, one in which half of humanity is an equal partner in solving the problems of climate change, political conflict, economic growth, disease prevention, and global sustainability.”
As an all-girls school, Seisen celebrated International Day of the Girl this year. Our goal was to educate ourselves about the issues that girls face around the world and value our own education to help others. The entire school got the opportunity to learn about the special meaning behind this day through presentations and videos. The elementary school students made cards to send to the girls in Children’s House in Tamil Nadu India, and the Kindergarteners had to craft activities related to the color red, which represents UN SDG #5, gender equality.
Students and teachers also wore red clothes to donate to support uneducated girls. The school raised ¥186,500, which will send 23 girls from disadvantaged backgrounds to school.
The WESC members contributed by volunteering to help out with Kindergarteners celebrating this day. Here are some of the comments on the day:
Yun Hee - Helping out the Kindergarteners was really fun. Celebrating International Day of the Girl Child was a great opportunity to teach them the importance of gender equality. Despite their young age, they were able to understand how girls and boys are all equal and seemed to enjoy the carnation-making activity. They all wore clothes in the color red to support this special day and had lots of fun!
Risako- It was an amazing experience to be able to celebrate International Girl’s Day with the Kindergarteners. Even though they are very young, and might not exactly know what we’re celebrating and fighting for, I think it’s important to expose them to important topics such as gender equality from a young age. I had so much fun working with the kindergarteners and I was so happy to see that everyone seemed to be enjoying the carnation-making activity!
Shin- We celebrated International Girl’s Day by helping out kindergartens and interacting with them. Since International Girl’s day teaches the importance of gender equality, I think it was important for little kids to know more about it. Overall, it was fun celebrating Girl’s day with them!
Check out the UN's Official website to learn more about International Day of the Girl Child! https://www.un.org/en/observances/girl-child-day
March 18, 2022
March 18, 2022
Afghan women and girls
The situation in Afghanistan has been getting more and more attention due to human rights concerns. The Taliban has stated that they will reopen girls’ secondary schools on March 23, 2022 however has been closed since August. The boys school on the other hand has been opened since September 18th and therefore unjustly depriving adolescent girls from accessing education.
Though, according to Heather Barr, the situation is much more complicated than it may seem. She states “Access to education is about much more than whether the gate in front of the school is unlocked,”. She is an associate women’s rights director at Human Rights Watch. She continues to elaborate that donors must contribute more to convince the Taliban to “respect the rights of girls and women to education.” In order to do this, officials suggest that donors should examine the schools, communities, and more to ensure Afghan girls and women’s safety.
Despite the struggle to open the schools itself, there are also problems regarding the quality of education needed according to Human Rights Watch. This is as women and girls would face multiple obstacles from violence, surveillance, and intimidations. These can be caused by numerous things from the lack of salary for teachers, the curriculum itself, and the humanitarian crisis that is depriving the country in the first place.
https://www.hrw.org/news/2022/03/20/afghanistan-supporting-education-girls-women
March 11, 2022
March 11, 2022
UWF College of Business hosts eighth annual Women in Leadership Conference
The University of West Florida College of Business Executive Mentor Program hosted its eighth annual Women in Leadership Conference on Friday, March 11, reaching a sold-out crowd of more than 430 students, young professionals and executives in attendance, as well as over 300 who attended online via livestream.
The conference educates the next generation of business leaders destined to positively impact the state of Florida, resonating with well-established career women and those just beginning their careers. Remarkably successful women, including CEOs from across the state, shared their stories through inspiring speeches and panels dedicated to both personal inspiration and practical application.
This year’s conference featured numerous panel discussions for both in-person and virtual attendees. Morning sessions included “Leading with an Equity Lens,” where leaders representing a cross-section of industries shared their equity-centered approach to leadership and systems thinking. Kerry-Anne Royes, president and CEO for YWCA South Florida served as moderator. Panelists included:
Kim Aderholdt, vice president of Greater Pensacola Operations, Navy Federal Credit Union
Bemetra Simmons, president & CEO, Tampa Bay Partnership
Lisa Williams-Taylor, CEO, Children’s Services Council of Palm Beach County
Kim Madison, senior vice president, associate general counsel, Strategic Property Partners LLC
https://news.uwf.edu/uwf-college-of-business-hosts-eighth-annual-women-in-leadership-conference/
March 8, 2022
March 8, 2022
Celebration of International Women's Day
International Women’s Day is celebrated every year on March 8 to mark and celebrate the social, economic, cultural and political achievements of women and raise awareness about women’s equality, accelerate gender parity. Educational institutions including colleges and universities across the world will also celebrate International Women’s Day today. The colleges and universities organize public speeches, rallies, exhibitions, workshops and seminars on themes and concepts, debates, quiz competitions and lectures to mark the day.
The University of Allahabad has organized a poster, essay and quiz competition. While the poster and essay competition this year was based on the theme of “Women in 21st Century”, the online quiz competition has been organized on the topic “Women in National Movement”.
February 10, 2022
February 10, 2022
Afghan women demanding their education under Taliban
As the situation worsens and the Talibans have recaptured Afghanistan, they are closing down girls’ schools. However, despite the threats and danger they are faced with there are people who stand up to protect and maintain the girls’ rights.
One headmaster in particular, Parveen Tokhi took the rights into her own action by contacting the Taliban officials to say there was no Islamic justification that the girls could not go to school, as the teachers were all females, and the girls were required to wear hijabs. Tokhi herself faced these discriminations as a child, and therefore refused these limitations to continue another generation, preventing them from studying.
Due to actions like this, it led to the TTaliban allowing the girls to continue their education with a few compromises. The Tabilan officials said “We are all responsible for this. We know about human rights, the need of the people.” and also stated that they are in need of more female doctors as well.
Despite the dangers being clearly shown, there are many females who work hard to maintain their rights if not enhance them. Many girls who faced the death of their friends still go to school with courage and determination.
February 3, 2022
February 3, 2022
Afghan universities have reopened, but with strict for rules for female students
Public universities in Kandahar and Helmand provinces in Afghanistan have reopened after being closed for nearly nine months.
Despite calls from education activists and students, universities and high schools across Afghanistan stayed shut after their usual summer break as the Taliban came to power. High schools have since reopened, but only for boys.
Khalida Rashed, an economics student, said there was concern about the low numbers of female students. “I am happy about the reopening of the university, but women are still facing limitations. The question is that even after girls come to university to continue their education in the current situation, will the Taliban allow them to work after graduation?” she said, urging fellow Afghans, men and women, to support women in seeking rights.
January 25, 2022
January 25, 2022
Pay Disparity for Well-Educated Women
Among the myriad of occupations available in our society, there is a fine line between 'flexible jobs' and 'greedy jobs'. This differentiation is often notable between couples looking to start families. For the most, the woman or the mother figure takes on the 'flexible job' while the man or the father figure sticks to the 'greedy job'. In other words, men are more likely to have jobs that are "on-demand, deadline-intense, and client-facing". As much as such jobs hog our lives, they offer higher pay. However, the pay disparity for women who work "greedy jobs' is more remarkable than those that work 'flexible jobs'. In fact, women who work 'flexible jobs' are known to earn 82 cents per dollar earned by men. Conversely, women who work 'greedy jobs' are said to be earning 60 cents per dollar earned by men, which is the same rate that left women outraged in the 1960s. Despite women representing 60% of university undergraduates, they struggle to hold power in society. A reason for this disparity is the willingness of women to take on responsibilities. Betsey Stevenson, an economist from the University of Michigan, explained that when both the woman and the man are "driving towards the cliff of not feeding children", the woman is more likely to take on the responsibility of feeding the children before the man. As for the man, they are aware of the woman's likelihood to pull out before themselves and further deny the responsibility. Unfortunately, this disparity not only needs a change in policy but a change in personality as its solution.
How is this related to women's education?
While we are learning to support the beginning of women's education, we rarely consider what happens afterward. The number of educated women is increasing by the year and yet we struggle to hold power in our communities. It is evident that this is not an issue of solely educating women to stand their ground but educating men to support gender equality. Alongside the importance of women educating themselves and reaching milestones such as representing the majority of college undergraduates, we need men to be willing to take on traditionally women's roles such as housekeeping. Moreover, supporting women's education is a collaborative work from society.
https://www.bostonglobe.com/2022/01/24/business/why-well-educated-women-cant-close-pay-gap/
January 20, 2022
January 20, 2022
Why is education a hot topic in South Dakota?
The state's legislative session for 2022 is certain to be rich in bills associated with education. With a multitude of building projects on the way, South Dakota may face a 6% increase in its aid in education. Bills that are heavily being tracked are anti-trans bills. In particular, House Bill 1006 and Senate Bill 46 have been introduced and are popular subjects of debate. For instance, the bills prevent transgender women from competing with other women in athletics. Indeed, governer Kristi Noem requests these bills with the means to "protect fairness". Furthermore, House Bill 1006 proposes bathroom restrictions to prevent individuals from utilizing bathrooms that are not of their sex assigned at birth. As of now, House Bill 1006 has no status on the agenda yet, while Senate Bill 46 has been passed by the Senate with a 26-7 vote on January 12, 2021.
How is this related to women's education?
Implementing such restrictions to educational opportunities challenges society to embrace conservative viewpoints. While some conservative ideologies help benefit our world to this day, many are outdated. Indeed, maintaining a taboo for different sexualities is a long-gone theory. However, by bringing back such views, it places other changes at risk. For instance, women's education was a neglected topic for decades and the world has only recently begun to acknowledge its importance. Therefore, encouraging reluctance towards such changes poses an impediment to progress in women's education.
January 12, 2022
January 12, 2022
What happened with the U.S. Rhodes Scholars for 2022?
Of the 32 students selected for the U.S Rhodes Scholars for 2022, 22 were women. This is a new record for the most women ever selected for the scholarship. Indeed, Clemson University in South Carolina elected a student to the class for the first time, and Claremont McKenna College, Mount Holyoke College and Union College had a recipient for the first time in 25 years. To have a chance at being selected, students underwent through a process that consisted of a virtual interview, providing an impartial opportunity to all applicants. Furthermore, students must be endorsed by their college prior to the interview, resulting in a tight competition among some intelligent individuals.
How does this support women's education?
Aside from the obvious fact that the U.S. Rhodes Scholars provided educational opportunities to 22 women, the initiatives of esteemed programs can be greatly influential.. In fact, in the case of numerous global issues, it takes people of great renown to take action for a wave of others to follow. Therefore, by demonstrating a phenomenon where more women than men are given an educational opportunity, the U.S. Rhodes Scholars address the potentiality of providing education to both genders equally.
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