Speeches & Debates on Gender
Former US Secretary of State Madeleine Albright talks bluntly about politics and diplomacy, making the case that women's issues deserve a place at the center of foreign policy. Far from being a "soft" issue, she says, women's issues are often the very hardest ones, dealing directly with life and death. A frank and funny Q&A with Pat Mitchell from the Paley Center.
Dame Stephanie Shirley is the most successful tech entrepreneur you never heard of. In the 1960s, she founded a pioneering all-woman software company in the UK, which was ultimately valued at $3 billion, making millionaires of 70 of her team members. In this frank and often hilarious talk, she explains why she went by “Steve,” how she upended the expectations of the time, and shares some sure-fire ways to identify ambitious women …
Warning: This speech touches on issues of violence, including rape.
Urging us to turn away from voices perpetuating harmful stereotypes, gender equality advocate Gary Barker shares three insights on fostering a culture of care, compassion and connection among men. "We are the most wired-to-care species on the planet," he says. "But if you don't use it ... you don't get good at it."
While studying inequality and social mobility, Richard Reeves made a surprising discovery: in some countries, like the US and UK, boys are drastically lagging behind girls across many academic measures. He explains why these struggles in school are indicative of the larger crises facing boys and men -- and outlines how society could thoughtfully tackle these challenges to work towards a more inclusive, equitable future. (Followed by a Q&A with head of TED Chris Anderson)
"People told me this was an unadaptable book, so the only logical thing to do was to try to adapt it," says writer, producer and filmmaker Ava DuVernay of her work taking the award-winning title "Caste" from page to screen. In conversation with Pat Mitchell, DuVernay talks about the resulting film, "Origin," and discusses her process for turning ideas into pictures that pack a punch.
Gender should be the least remarkable thing about someone, but transgender people are still too often misunderstood. To help those who are scared to ask questions or nervous about saying the wrong thing, Jackson Bird shares a few ways to think about trans issues. And in this funny, frank talk, he clears up a few misconceptions about pronouns, transitioning, bathrooms and more.
These talks celebrate and break down what it means to live outside society's traditional (and sometimes outdated) understanding of gender.
Warning: This talk discusses sensitive issues of suicide.
What makes suicide one of the more common causes of death among young American men? Entrepreneur Rob Wang draws on his own experience of suicidal depression to explain how misguided notions of masculinity affected his mental health and describes his approach to helping other men in similar situations.
Through powerful stories from his own life, Connor illustrates the damaging impact of the ‘man mask’ and how our perception of masculinity is one of the biggest challenges men face today. His solution: a call to men to cast off the broken ideals and discover new ways of living fully and authentically.
We teach girls that they can have ambition, but not too much ... to be successful, but not too successful, or they'll threaten men, says author Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie. In this classic talk that started a worldwide conversation about feminism, Adichie asks that we begin to dream about and plan for a different, fairer world -- of happier men and women who are truer to themselves.
When you hear the expression ‘man up’, what does it make you think?
Is it about being tougher? More dominant? Or putting on a brave face?
There’s continued pressure on men to live up to a masculine ideal portrayed by the entertainment industry and on social media. In response, new initiatives call for men to acknowledge their vulnerabilities and ask for help, rather than play the hero. On the flip side, other social movements stigmatise men as being wired for aggressive and predatory behaviour.
This year's International Women’s Day with the theme, “Each for Equal” was marked on March 8.
But conversations on the interpretation of feminism have refused to take a back seat as women turn up the volume on gender equality.
Gist Nigeria goes to streets, examines the varied thoughts on Feminism by women from different professions, religious beliefs, age groups, social class, and educational backgrounds, as they advocate level playing field for everyone to thrive irrespective of gender.
Transgender activist and TED Resident Samy Nour Younes shares the remarkable, centuries-old history of the trans community, filled with courageous stories, inspiring triumphs -- and a fight for civil rights that's been raging for a long time. "Imagine how the conversation would shift if we acknowledge just how long trans people have been demanding equality," he says.