#tg268

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Emotional advert about China's 'leftover women' goes viral - BBC News

An emotional ad about "leftover women" in China has gone viral, prompting a heated social debate around the issue of single women.

“Because I am female, I am expected to aspire to marriage. I am expected to make my life choices always keeping in mind that marriage is the most important. Now marriage can be a source of joy and love and mutual support but why do we teach girls to aspire to marriage and we don’t teach boys the same?” -  Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie

I thought this quote from the video we watched about feminism in class was relevant to this report about “leftover single woman.” Society often leads women to believe that marriage should be a priority and if they are not married, they have failed. All of their other accomplishments and success no longer hold value, because marriage trumps everything else. But not all women aspire to marriage and other want to wait. It is unjust that women are often pressured by family and society to marry when they do not want to.

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3/2-Plenary #2

Dr. Traci West, Rabbi Esther Reed, and Atiya Aftab all provided great insight on their different religious backgrounds and being women leaders. I thought it was especially interesting how Dr. West was drawn to becoming a minister because of the civil rights movement and her desire to make a change. This showed that religion can play a large role in activism and making actual changes in the world.  Dr. West pointed out that although religion can sometimes be part of the problem, it also empowers and can be an impetus for change. Dr. West’s approach to how she would deal with a woman who was considering an abortion particularly stood out. She demonstrated that her religious approach is not to just tell people what is right or what they should do, but rather to guide them as they figure it out for themselves. Rabbi Reed was demeaned early on in her career by being called “cute” and having a man say he wasn’t sure whether he should kiss the Torah or the rabbi. Atiya Aftab was often the only women in a room full of men. It was inspiring to see how they were able to overcome these challenging experiences and own their positions as religious women leaders.

It is very true how Muslims are often depicted as the “other” in the media. James Morone wrote about morality in American politics and how a “us versus them” rhetoric is very effective in mobilizing people towards a certain cause. People are constantly trying to define themselves and the world around them. They are quick to blame and oppose those who seem to disrupt their lives or don’t confer with their world views. Donald Trump is using such rhetoric against Muslims and immigrants to gain supporters. It is important to be conscious that this is occurring and to combat it.

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Plenary 2/17

Caitlin Kenney gave an insightful and interesting talk. She provided some actionable and relatable messages of encouragement and advice. I enjoyed how she incorporated audio clips from her interviews to demonstrate various points. Despite bumps such as being laid off, Caitlin was still able to overcome and become successful. Imposter syndrome affects women in many different fields. Often times, Caitlin pretended like she knew what she was doing but actually didn’t have any. People are drawn to people who have a plan and women often underestimate what they are capable of doing. A quote by Amy Cuddy, a social psychologist, is particularly apt: “Don’t fake it ‘til you make it. Fake it ‘til you become it.”

Her main message was that people have unique, interesting stories and as a journalist you have to ask the right questions to discover their stories. As a future medical school student, working as a physician is very much like the job of a reporter. Physicians have to conduct patient interviews to determine what the patient is suffering from. You have to ask the right questions, develop a relationship with the patient, read facial expression, read body language, and speak in terms that the person can understand.

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I attended the Start Smart Salary Negotiation Workshop on February 10th. We learned about the gender pay gap where women are 79% of what men are paid. This has enormous implications for families and children who depend on the women’s earnings. The gap can contribute to poor living conditions, poor nutrition, and reduce the chances of the children’s success. There is a need for activism, better policies, and an improved workplace environment to combat the wage gap. One step that we can actively take is negotiating our pay when being offered a job. Women are less likely to negotiate because they don’t want to risk being fired, being seen as arrogant, ungrateful, or pushy.

We learned about specific techniques we can incorporate during the negotiating process such as avoiding naming a number for an expected salary, doing research on the median income for the profession in a specific city, creating a budget to determine what you should aim to receive, and negotiating benefits such as healthcare. Preparation and practice is essential for a successful negotiation. During the workshop we had a chance to practice negotiating which was extremely beneficial. We can often be thrown off guard so practicing responding to difficult statements and questions is great preparation. The workshop provided a great foundation for learning how to negotiate as well as a plethora of resources so that we can earn the wages we deserve.