women-in-power-ss

[women-in-power-ss]

I found that throughout this semester we saw many different women be revolutionary. I find this journey to power to be a very interesting one. However, I am also interested in the outcomes of these journeys. We learned of women who were not in places of power fighting for equality. There is so much that can change with a woman behind a desk. Here it is 2021 and just now in the US we finally have a female vice president. This is staggering considering the first woman entered into congress in 1916. It has taken over one thousand years for a woman to enter into one of the nation’s highest political offices. I find this article important because it is time, we highlight more women in power. There are more obstacles in this position and hearing these women’s stories would be a learning experience like no other.

[women-in-power-ss]

Not only are women in power good for politics they are also good for businesses. Research has shown that when there are more women in a company C-Suite that the company is more successful than others without women in the C-Suite. However, even though there is research to prove this, there is no definite answer as to why this is. It may be because being open to women in power you may also be open to different business opportunities that can separate you from the rest. With this knowledge, you would think that there would be women in every C-Suite, yet this is not the case. I partly think this is because of the stereotype that women cannot be dedicated to a business because they have a family.  We have seen through our course material how detrimental stereotypes can be.

[women-in-power-ss]

This is similar to a post I made on the class Tumblr when we watched the Ted Talk on passion by Isabel Allende. Passionate and powerful women are something to be afraid of. They are a strong force, truly powerful women never question if they are in power, they know it. When a woman recognizes the power, she has inside she can become unstoppable. I liked this quote because powerful women do not have to ask for respect, they are given it automatically. Whether it's power from a position or a power within, these women expect respect and nothing less.

[women-in-power-ss]

In this video from Forbes, some of the most powerful women define power in their own terms. Power doesn’t always equal position, it can come from within. This made me think back to the documentary we watched, “The World Before Her.” Those women were powerful, not because they were in positions with authority but because they were trying to change the world. They were stepping out against the norms of society to try to make a better life for those after them. That’s exactly what these women in this video define as power. We need more of this in the world, women who realize they are capable of so much more than they are told. When we stop listening to the world around us and believe in ourselves it is amazing what we can accomplish.

[women-in-power-ss]

This is a quote from the late Ruth Bader Ginsburg. She was the second female justice for the U.S Supreme Court. However, she is not only memorable for her position, but she is memorable for the revolutionary work she did. Ginsburg had to fight for her position which made her powerful, even though she faced gender discrimination she did not let that stop her. She graduated first of her class in 1959 from Columbia Law School. From early on in her career she was fighting for equal rights, she was one of the first female tenured professors.  I find this quote from her to be important because she fought for the rights of women for them to be in places of power. While power from within is important, nothing can be accomplished if we do not have women in positions of authority as well. However, it does start from within, you must first recognize your power within to accomplish big things as Ginsburg did.

https://www.biography.com/law-figure/ruth-bader-ginsburg

[women-in-power-ss]

What is power from a man’s perspective? I find this to be an important article to include just so we can compare perspectives. In this article, he compares power to having influence over people and being a leader. However, he does mention you can influence without a position. This is something I believe to be true and something we also have seen in this class. One example from class that sticks out to me is when we were talking about “What It’s Like to Be Muslim in America.” In this Ted Talk Mogahed, spoke about how the Muslim community was told not to show up to Mosques after 9/11 for fear of attacks. However, they did the opposite. Someone influenced others and they showed up to make a powerful statement. None of them were in a position of power, they were fearful of their lives, but they did not let that stop them. To me, that is the epitome of power. It is interesting to me that men and women both do not equate position to power. Yet, if you were to ask people to list names of powerful people how long would it take to name someone who is not in a position of power.

[women-in-power-ss]

This is exactly what I have been mentioning throughout all these posts. Empowered women encourage other women. It is all about influence and how you use it. Taking your power and helping women unlock their power can make you all unstoppable. This reminds me of “The World Before Her” documentary which I have already mentioned previously. More specifically it reminds me of Prachi and the girls in the camp she was training. Prachi is strong in her believes and is using her power to teach the younger generation. She is an empowered woman empowering other women.

[women-in-power-ss]

Sojourner Truth, a name I have not heard until now. This woman was so powerful, even more so for the time she lived in. Truth was born into slavery but escaped in the 1800s and became one of the biggest activists of her time.  She fought for equal human rights, especially African American and Women’s rights. She is mostly known for her speech, “Ain’t I a Woman,” where she highlights the different treatment of colored women. Even though she was in no conventional position of power she used her voice to speak up. It did not matter that society back then told her that her voice did not matter, she still used it. She became a leader to so many who heard her speak. This is power. Someone who takes their situation and turns it to help others.

[women-in-power-ss]

One thing that stood out to me is their importance of respect. One woman said it does not matter if they like you, but they should respect you. Not everyone is going to like or be comfortable with a powerful woman and that is okay. As long as you are doing what is best for you and doing it respectfully it does not matter if people like you. You have to go out into the world knowing you might not be the best at things but you tried your best. Being powerful means believing in yourself and stepping out of your comfort zone.