You’ve survived Thanksgiving, but you might not be past all the awkward family discussions yet to come. But don’t worry — we’ve got your back! Here’s your handy guide to responding to common misperceptions about gender and advocacy that might come up this season.
Your dad says, “We don’t even need Title IX anymore. Women get to play sports already. Plus, no one watches women’s sports anyway!”
First things first, let’s remind dear old dad that this summer’s Women’s World Cup final was the most-watched soccer game in U.S. history!
Your cousin says, “The gender pay gap doesn’t exist. Women are paid less because they take lower-paying jobs and take time off. Duh!”
We wish the gender pay gap didn’t exist! But the reality is that the pay gap is all math, not myth. Altogether, women working full time, year round in the United States in 2014 were paid only 79 percent of what men were paid. But that’s not the whole story: Mothers and women of color make even less.
According to AAUW’s research, the pay gap occurs in nearly every occupation, including both low– and high-paying jobs. And it can’t be explained away by women’s choices. Our 2012 report found that women face a pay gap even after accounting for (are you ready for this?) college major, occupation, economic sector, hours worked, months unemployed since graduation, GPA, type of undergraduate institution, institution selectivity, age, geographical region, and marital status. Phew!
Your sister says, “I wouldn’t vote for a woman president. They’re too sensitive!”
Whether it’s commenting on women leaders’ looks or likability or questioning their abilities, sexism is common when discussing women political candidates. Language matters. Calling assertive girls “bossy” or confident women “bitchy” reinforces negative stereotypes and biases about women’s leadership. Women are qualified to run for office. And when they do run, they win at the same rates as men. It’s critical to challenge gender bias and empower young women to run for office!
Your aunt says, “Millennials are so lazy. All they do is play on their phones.”
Sorry, auntie, but research suggests otherwise! According to one study, young adults throughout the United States are volunteering at higher levels than ever before. Student activists, including AAUW student leaders, are consistently taking action to challenge the status quo and lead the fight for social justice. From serving as U.N. youth representatives to (successfully) fighting to establish campus sexual assault crisis centers, young people across the country are making a difference.
If some feminist wisdom doesn’t help, we have your back if you literally can’t even.
Sometimes, people just can’t be persuaded by the facts. In those moments, we recommend a strong dose of Adele.
Discouraged by the lack of opportunities available to them, the women discussed how they would join together to help other women attend college and to assist those who had already graduated. And that’s how AAUW was born! 💪
We’re thankful for the women who founded AAUW and helped start a movement for gender equity. Here’s to another 134 years of empowering women and girls!
Along with the celebration, candy and charlie brown re-runs characteristic of the season are shelves chock full with sexist and objectifying costumes. That’s why we’ve made a list of creative and empowering costume alternatives in our Feminist’s Guide to Halloween.
Your New #SquadGoals: These 10 Fierce Feminists Are Creating Change On and Off Campuses
Each year, 10 college student leaders from all over the country are chosen to serve on AAUW’s National Student Advisory Council (SAC) based on their leadership potential and commitment to gender equity. Throughout the year, the SAC members advise AAUW on the needs of college students and organize feminist activist projects on campus. They also serve as peer leaders at the National Conference for College Women Student Leaders (NCCWSL) and play an integral role in planning and promoting the conference.
The 2015–16 SAC are a unique group of passionate volunteers, mentors, and world travelers, but most important, they’re fierce advocates for social change. They are committed to women’s leadership and empowerment through their work to spread body positivity, demand reproductive justice, and end sexual violence. The multilingual, multifaceted SAC are our future physicians, policy makers, community organizers, and leaders in business.
Please join us in welcoming the 2015–16 SAC — who will give you the feminist #SquadGoals you’ve been dreaming of.
1. Dalya Hazim
Dalya Hazim was born and raised in Iraq, which gave her the opportunity to compare the advantages and struggles women face both in the United States and abroad. Hazim believes in giving opportunities to young women to lead in their own communities. She currently attends Schoolcraft College in Michigan, where she volunteers with service projects that support underrepresented populations through the Phi Theta Kappa Honor Society. Since Hazim’s ambition is to become a physician, she enjoys being involved in influential research studies in her community.
2. Caroline Hymel
As a graduate student of history, Caroline Hymel studies foreign relations and gender studies at Louisiana Tech University. Since becoming the first president of Tech’sAAUW student organization, she organizes an annual Tech Gets Consent panel to raise awareness about rape culture, sexual assault, and consent on college campuses and within the transgender community. Recently, Hymel discovered a passion for public policy, especially policies that affect women, through writing a scholarly article on the anti-choice movement in Louisiana. When she isn’t studying or advocating for gender equality and reproductive rights, Hymel may be found listening to music by Lydia Loveless or watching films on President John F. Kennedy.
3. Theresa Hice Johnson
Theresa Hice Johnson is a senior at Lock Haven University in Pennsylvania who spent her 2015 summer interning in Bolivia. During the school year, she is either organizing events as her AAUW student organization president, working with the campus student mentor program, or at home reading to her 2-year-old daughter. Currently a dual major in political science and Spanish, Johnson hopes to continue on to grad school in a program that combines her interests in American cultural, class, and gender studies. As a feminist, her biggest goal is to raise a strong, passionate daughter who isn’t afraid to chase her dreams or lend a helping hand.
4. Haillee Mason
Haillee Mason has always been passionate about the personal, sexual, and political rights of women and feminine-of-center individuals. As a third year transfer student to the University of North Carolina, Greensboro, she brings a wealth of student activist experience, including co-founding a campus chapter of Dream Defenders and coordinating campus protests and resistances. This past summer, Mason interned with Food and Water Watch, as well as the North Carolina AIDS Action Network. At UNC Greensboro, she works with the Women’s and Gender Studies program as well as being a leader for campus service trips. When she isn’t reading Audre Lorde or Toni Morrison, Mason can be found anywhere in her community, lending her voice to grassroots resistance.
5. Delyla Mayers
Delyla Mayers is a senior at the University of California, Santa Barbara, double majoring in sociology and feminist studies. She works both professionally and personally in social justice projects on her campus and through her work at the UCSB Women’s Center. When she’s not serving as an advocate for body positivity and individual empowerment, she blogs about her memories of traveling abroad and different life experiences she hopes will inspire others.
6. Madison Norwich
Madison Norwich is a senior at the University of Hartford studying sociology and politics. She currently serves as the president of the Pi Beta chapter of the Delta Zeta sorority and teaches women’s leadership classes on campus. She is passionate about inspiring others to exceed expectations and reach their full potential. Making a change for others is a huge motivating factor for her, which led her to volunteer as a sexual violence crisis counselor. When Norwich isn’t working, she enjoys traveling around the world and learning about different cultures.
7. Na-Yeon Park
Na-Yeon Park is a junior at New Jersey’s Rutgers University, Douglass Residential College, majoring in political science and Chinese with minors in international and global studies and women’s and gender studies. She is an Institute for Women’s Leadership Scholar and the founder of One Step- 한 걸음, a nonprofit organization that educates about North Korean human rights violations and supplies English books and stationery to North Korean refugees around the world. Na-Yeon is passionate about advocating for equal rights on a local, regional, and international level and works to inspire and motivate others to do the same. She also aims to empower others to become world leaders and social changers through her leadership skills and the use of her language skills in Korean, English, and Mandarin.
8. Nehan Maha Saleem
Nehan Maha Saleem majors in molecular cell biology with a minor in physiology and neurobiology at the University of Connecticut. As the UConn’s Women’s Center assistant, she works on advocacy programs for issues including oppression, discrimination, and domestic violence. She currently serves on the Persistence of Women in STEM (science, technology, engineering, and mathematics) committee and plays an essential role in the recruitment, retention, and empowerment of women in STEM fields. She was inducted into the Connecticut Women’s Hall of Fame as a recipient of the Ella T. Grasso Leadership in Action Grant to develop her own STEMtistic Women project. She also founded the university’s Women in STEM Mentorship Program to help young women gain exposure to leadership and science opportunities. Her passion for feminism and science was inspired by her mother, who taught her to pursue an education despite the challenges and gender stereotypes her mother encountered as a Muslim woman in the workplace. Saleem was also motivated by her two brothers, who have cerebral palsy and led her to aspire to become a physician scientist.
Nehan Maha is generously sponsored by Loryann Eis.
9. Carmen Vernon
Carmen Vernon is a feminist activist from Indianapolis. A homegrown Hoosier, Vernon is a gender studies and English major at Indiana University, where she leads theFeminist Student Association. In the Bloomington community, Vernon volunteers at a local domestic violence shelter, Planned Parenthood, and Girls Inc. Her passion lies in empowering girls to amplify their voices, so she hopes to organize a camp for middle school students to learn how to create their own zines, campaigns, and web content. When she is not organizing or reading, Vernon loves to go thrifting and antiquing to find vintage hats.
10. Jiyu Zhou
Jiyu Zhou is a senior majoring in accounting at the University of Wisconsin, Madison. She is from Shenzhen, China, and has studied abroad in Finland. Being a compassionate advocate of gender equality, women’s leadership, and women in business, Jiyu has led by example. She has served as the president of the accounting student organization, Institute of Management Accountants; led a course focusing on personal and professional development at the Wisconsin School of Business; and helped organize the Youth to Business Forum in Madison. An aspiring leader with profound international experiences and a global vision, Jiyu joins the SAC in the hopes of empowering more college women in the pursuit of leadership and ambitions. In her spare time, Jiyu volunteers at several local art museums.
The television season is changing from summer to fall, and it’s beginning to look a lot like feminism! Seven premieres will feature female stars on and off the screen.
With production masterminds like Ava Duvernay of Selma and Moira Walley-Beckett of Breaking Bad in the queue, the face of television could undergo a transformation as beautiful as autumn leaves.
Read more to find out which new fall TV shows are top-rated for feminist potential.
No one likes to hear those words, but life’s most valuable lessons are often learned from losing. AAUW Elect Her alumna Dana Smith is proof that, win or lose, running for office is the first step to make a change.
“After surviving this election, I’m confident in my ability to sustain future campaign work, both on campus and off.”
-Dana Smith
Research shows that when women run for office, they win at the same rate as men.
Passionate about women running for office? So are we. Read more and get involved with our Elect Her program today.
