Gender Equality | itecla's web

English Language IIA

Debate 9: Gender Equality

Owner:

L-LIIA-G9-1

Members:

ST-LIIA-G9-1
ST-LIIA-G9-2
ST-LIIA-G9-3
ST-LIIA-G9-4
ST-LIIA-G9-5

Discussion Leaders:

DL-LIIA-G9-1

· L-LIIA-G9-1

FORUM debate 9/Gender equality
Group Name: Non-name Group
Group members: ST-LIIA-G9-1, ST-LIIA-G9-2, ST-LIIA-G9-3, ST-LIIA-G9-4 & Mª Eugenia Chavarino

Discussion leader: DL-LIIA-G9-1

STEP 1
Individually write and post an introductory paragraph about yourselves together with four icebreaking questions to get started. Make sure you answer some of the questions posted by the other members of your Google+ community.

· ST-LIIA-G9-3

Hi! I’m ST-LIIA-G9-3. I’m 18 and I’m from Tavernes de la Valldigna. I’ve been studying English since I was 4, and I love it because I had a great teacher. I love travelling but I’ve never stayed in any English speaking country. I hope to go there soon.
My questions are:
– Have you ever been to an English speaking country?
– Did you have any teacher who made you love this language?
– Do you know any English native people?
– Do you usually watch TV in English?

· DL-LIIA-G9-1

+ ST-LIIA-G9-3 Hi ST-LIIA-G9-3! Thank you for posting in the discussing and introducing yourself.
I was born in London and have lived there for all of my life, but I now study at the University of Bristol, and both are great cities in the UK!
I think my favourite language teacher was my French teacher in secondary school, because she was so funny and enthusiastic, so she made me discover my love for languages!
My favourite TV shows are «Friends» and «New Girl» as they make me laugh so much.

· DL-LIIA-G9-1

Hello everyone!
I’d like to introduce myself as the discussion leader of this group. My name is DL-LIIA-G9-1, I am 21 years old and I am an Erasmus student from the University of Bristol in England, where I study modern languages (French and Spanish). I love learning about different cultures, and how they change from country to country, or even from city to city, which is why I have chosen to study what I do – and also why I am doing an Erasmus year!

It would be nice to be able to get to know a bit about each of you, too, so please introduce yourself in the forum!…
What do you like to do in your free time?
Where is the best city or country you have ever visited?
If you could chose to be any animal, which one would you be?
It would also be quite nice to know why you have chosen to study the issue of gender equality for this task!

I look forward to reading about you all and for us to start off the discussion.

· ST-LIIA-G9-2

Hello! My name is ST-LIIA-G9-2 and I’m an erasmus student from Pisa, Italy (even though I’m from Florence).
I love visiting new countries and meeting people from all around the world! Soo.
-Yes. I’ve been in London few years ago and I liked it so much.
-Yes. But it happened many years ago. Never found other teachers who really made me love it.
-Yes. (I guess I’m saying only yes ahah)
Few days ago I’ve met a scottish guy and few months ago some english girls.
-Usually no. I prefer watching movies, tv series or videos in english. Sometimes it happened though.

-I like reading, listening to music and walk. Alone or with somebody, it doesn’t matter.
-After my city (Florence ahah), I really loved Paris, London and Oporto. I’ve been to other countries as well, but these cities are my favourites.
-I’d like to be a shark. Strong and beautiful. He’s dreaded. The king of the sea(with the killer whale).

Sooo.
-If you could meet any historical figure, who would you choose to be and why?
-What is one goal you would like to accomplish during your lifetime?
-Who is your hero? (Parent, celebrity..)
-If you had to describe yourself using three words, it would be..

· DL-LIIA-G9-1

+ ST-LIIA-G9-2 Hi ST-LIIA-G9-2! Thanks for your reply and interesting questions.
I think if I were to meet any historical figure, I would like to meet Princess Diana, as I think she was beautiful and an amazing role model for women and mothers.
My main goal is to live a happy life with my family!
My hero would be my dad, has he has done everything in order to help me and our family and I could never thank him enough.
The three words I would use to describe myself are friendly, loyal and brave.

· ST-LIIA-G9-5

Hi! I’m ST-LIIA-G9-5, but everyone calls me ST-LIIA-G9-5. I’m 18, I live in Valencia and I’m studying English Studies there. If I could meet a historical figure I would like to meet Fridah Kahlo because I think that she was a powerful woman who try to improve the society.Three words to describe myself: happy, studious and hopeful. And finally, my personal goal is to become an English teacher.

And now my questions:
– It’s important for you the English? Why?
– Do you think that it’s possible to achieve the gender equality universally?
– What movie describes your life?
– Do you play any instrument?

· ST-LIIA-G9-3

Hi everybody! Nice to meet you all and know more things about you!
I’ll answer some questions.
In my free time I like listening to music. My favorite is electronical music such as the one that Martin Garrix do.
The country I loved the most was France. When I went there, I was a child and I have a great memory of it.
If I could choose an animal, it would be some kind of bird because they can fly and go whenever they want.
I’ve never thought about an historical figure I would like to meet, but as I recently did a project about Margaret Thatcher, I think I would like to meet her.
A goal I would like to accomplish would be learning more about music. I started learning how to play the guitar two years ago but I don’t have time now in order to practice, so I hope to have more time to learn about it in the future.
Without any doubt, my hero is my mum.
If I had to describe me in 3 words, I would say : tenatious, patient and hard-working.
I feel that English for me is very important. Lots of people speak this language and I like being able to communicate with the others.
Gender equality will be achieved in some years’ time. I’m sure.
I don’t know if a movie describes my life 🤔. I should think more about it.
As I said before, I can play the guitar, but only some songs. It’s been a long time since I don’t practice it.

· DL-LIIA-G9-1

+ ST-LIIA-G9-5 Thank you for your lovely questions!
English to me, as my native language, is obviously very important. But I also think it is important to the world as it is a common language that people from most continents can speak – so it plays a role in connecting the world! I do also believe, however, that it is important to keep learning other languages, as this is the way you can learn to be understanding of more people and more cultures around the world.

I think the fight for gender equality will be a long and tough one, but I believe that we can make more progress everyday, and I am hopeful that in our lifetime we will see a change for the better.

I’m not sure which movie describes my life – maybe one like «My Big Fat Greek Wedding» as this movie sums up how crazy my family are!

Unfortunately I do not play an instrument, although I have always wanted to learn!

· DL-LIIA-G9-1

Happy International Women’s Day everyone!
Thank you all for your posts, I have enjoyed reading all of your answers and questions.
Now, I don’t think there is a better or more relevant day for us to get our discussion started, so let’s go…
I’m sure we are all aware that there is a feminist strike going on today in order to speak out about the unfair pay gap between men and women across Spain. This is, of course, a very important strike which represents a very serious, yet very real issue which our society faces today.

Do you think the pay gap between men and women is the most concerning factor in our fight for gender equality? In which other sectors of life do you think gender inequality exists?

It would be great to hear about what you think of International Women’s Day, Spain’s feminist strike and today’s struggles for gender equality. I have attached a few articles which may help to get the ball rolling. I look forward to reading your answers and opinions.

http://www.bbc.com/news/world-europe-43324406

bbc.com – What is International Women’s Day?

What is International Women’s Day?

bbc.com

· ST-LIIA-G9-3

Hello guys! Happy International Women’s Day to all of you!

First of all, I want to tell you that I am a feminist, that is to say, that I completely believe that women and men are equals. I needed to explain it due to the fact that so many people confuse the word feminist with the contrary of machismo. And it is not like that. The contrary would be that women are above men, however, I don’t feel like that.
That is true that we all have differences but they are all biological. If we talk about work, both women and men can do the same. I do not agree with that type of jobs that pay a higher salary to men and a lower one to women when they are doing exactly the same job.
Moreover, not only women earn less money in some jobs, but also they pay what is called “the pink tax”. For those who had never heard about it, it consists of pink products that are more expensive than the products with other colours.
In conclusion, from my point of view, men and women are equals, both have the same abilities and should have the same rights. I cannot understand why in the twenty-first century we continue like this. The most important issue we all must concern about is to educate children in order to avoid these types of discrimination.
3.bp.blogspot.com

3.bp.blogspot.com

· DL-LIIA-G9-1

+ ST-LIIA-G9-3 Very good point ST-LIIA-G9-3, thank you! I’m very glad you brought up the issue of the stigma which surrounds the word «feminist». Some people seem to think that being a feminist means women are fighting to have more rights than men, when in realty it should mean equal rights. I have attached an interesting speech by Emma Watson who discusses this negative stigma which has become attached to the word feminist.

What do you all think of the speech? How would everyone else define the word feminist?

The «pink tax» is also a very interesting topic, as it is true that ‘feminised’ products tend to be more expensive than ‘masculine’ ones. It is also relevant to bring up that women pay a «tampon tax», which involves paying tax for feminine products such as sanitary towels and tampons, as they are seen as ‘luxury items’. What do you think about these taxes?

Here is an article about the tampon tax:

What is the tampon tax and when will it finally be scrapped?

· ST-LIIA-G9-5

Hi everyone!
After the International Women’s Day, I want to talk about the success of this here in Valencia.
In my family, we have always been fighting for rights and equality (thing that would have to be in all families) and together with my mother, my aunts and my cousins went to the demonstration to claim equality. I think that Valencia has never been paralyzed like that day, since Valencia was full of people with the same goal, normalize the situation of women in all areas.
Something for which I believe that it must be fought, apart from the problem of the lower salary that women receive, is that I don’t think everything related to girls has to be pink, barbies, ballet and dresses; and everything related to the boys has to be blue, ball, football…
I think it’s a problem since this situation would have to be normalized. There is no specific color, no specific games, no specific clothes, no specific professions; both sexes have the right to do whatever they want because there are no “girls and boys” things.
In conclusion, I want to emphasize that it’s important to teach these things to children from a very young age so they can grow up in a world where there is no inferiority of one sex and where we all have the same rights.

· DL-LIIA-G9-1

+ ST-LIIA-G9-5 I completely agree with you ST-LIIA-G9-5 and I think you have worded this so well. I think the existence of stereotypes encourages gender inequality within our society, as they create the idea that men should be ‘masculine’ while women should be ‘feminine’, which suggests they cannot carry out the same tasks.

There is a campaign ongoing in England called «This Girl Can» which promotes women playing all different kinds of sports at all different kinds of levels, to show that women can do anything, just like men! This campaign aims to encourage young girls to play whichever sports they want, regardless of whether society’s stereotypes agree with it. I have taken part in the campaign myself and think it is a brilliant step in the right direction.

thisgirlcan.co.uk – This girl can – This Girl Can

What else do you think we should do in order to try and eradicate these gendered stereotypes from our society? Within sport, at home, within the workplace etc…

This girl can – This Girl Can

thisgirlcan.co.uk

· ST-LIIA-G9-2

Gender equality is a real problem that still exists everywhere. I can talk about how it’s seen in my country, Italy.
Well, we have so many problems and gender equality is one of them.
Many women are still underpaid or some of them had to do some favours to succeed as many bosses/managers take advantage of them.
Also we’ve had many scandals in our political situation regarding it. And it keeps getting worse.
So many stereotypes are seen in sport (like football. It’s seen as a male-only sport) or also in the education. If a female doesn’t want to play with dolls or similar, but with cars or something like that, is considered a bad girl.
Several discussions have been made, but some of the politicians accused them of ‘gender theory’.

https://www.thelocal.it/20171103/italy-gender-gap-worse

http://the-view-from-rome.blogautore.repubblica.it/2015/09/17/there-is-no-gender-theory/

· DL-LIIA-G9-1

+ ST-LIIA-G9-2 Thank you for your reply and sharing these articles ST-LIIA-G9-2.

What do you think of this ‘gender theory’? How do you think this situation in Italy differs to what you have noticed in Spain?

I posted the «This Girl Can» campaign in my previous post, which shows an example of how NGO’s and the British people are trying to combat the gender theory and gender inequality. What do you think of this campaign? Are there any similar campaigns going on in your country that you know of, or could you suggest any ideas?
· ST-LIIA-G9-2

+ DL-LIIA-G9-1 As the journalist wrote in the article, I think that this «gender theory» doesn’t exist. The fact is that there is the church (well not exactly in italy, but anyway..) who’s always present in the discussions about social problems and the right-wing parties exploit them to talk about imaginary possibilities of decay, as the modern values are going to destroy the old ones and so on.. (I know I’m not impartial, but this is what is really going on lately)
I haven’t checked too much about gender equality in Spain, actually. (my fault!)
But I can assure that the situation is not that bad as in Italy (as i said, the church is still there )

In my opinion, this campaign is inspiring and I hope that it will reach its objectives (not far in the future, though).
I have read some articles and I liked them!
It’s encouraging and could be helpful for girls or women who are afraid of what people think.
We don’t have them. Or at least, they could exist, but not so famous. (unluckily)

· DL-LIIA-G9-1

Thank you for your reply ST-LIIA-G9-2, and I agree that campaigns such as these are encouraging for women as they remind them not to believe what some people what like them to believe (that they are less capable than men!) but instead it pushes them to be successful and enjoy whatever they wish to do! I also think it is good for reminding people to change their attitude and habits which they may have learnt as a child, and cannot help thinking in a way which encourages gender inequality. Of course, this is a creation of society and has been taught through stereotypes, so it is not their fault, but I think the existence of campaigns such as these will teach people to begin to change their mindset. I strongly believe that there should be more campaigns such as the «This Girl Can» campaign in the UK, as these campaigns will constantly remind people to change their attitude and habits, instead of them just being reminded one day a year on International Women’s Day.

Do you agree that these campaigns are a good way to start change?

I would like to remind you all that tomorrow will be the final day of the discussion! I hope this discussion has taught you a lot around the issue of gender equality, and that it has encouraged you to try and get involved in movements or campaigns which could make changes for the future. Please share your final ideas on what you thought about our discussion, what you have learnt and what you hope for the future before tomorrow to finish off the discussion 🙂

Thank you all again for sharing your ideas and I hope you have a wonderful Easter!

· ST-LIIA-G9-3

As you said DL-LIIA-G9-1, these type of campaigns are really useful in order to make people understand better that women can do the same activities as men. There are a lot of people that forget about that and has really deep in their mind that women are human beings and has the same abilities.
Here, in Spain, I bear in mind that equality is quite near regarding jobs that are paid by the State but only if they have the same position. I do not think that in the private sector it is like that but it should.
Moreover, I wanted to add that it also exists gender parity. In some positions, there is a law in which is compulsory to have the same number of women and men working at the same level. I agree with this idea because it seems to be the only solution to this gender inequality problem. Although I believe that the best option is that the best person in his/her field must be the one in the position, however, nowadays, reaching this point is a bit difficult.
In conclusion, the government is trying to do its best in order to reach gender equality but it is really difficult if people do not attempt to change their minds.

Have fun on Easter!

· ST-LIIA-G9-4

Hi guys!! Sorry for the delay to introduce me, but here I come.
My name is ST-LIIA-G9-4, I’m 18 years old and I’m from Valencia. I’ve been studying English since I was 4 and I really love it.

– ST-LIIA-G9-3’s question: Yes, but I think that all my English teacher helped to make me love it so much.

– DL-LIIA-G9-1’s question: The best country I’ve is Stockholm, is a wonderful country and everybody is very kind.

– ST-LIIA-G9-2’s question: I think that the best words that describe me would be cheerful, kind and careful.

– ST-LIIA-G9-5’s question: Yes, in fact I play three instruments: the saxophone, the ukelele and the percussion.

What is gender equality for you?
In which country would you like to live?
Would you like to go on Erasmus or be an AuPair? And where would you like to go?

English Language IIB

Debate 9: Gender Equality

Owner:

L-LIIB-G9-1

Members:

ST-LIIB-G9-1
ST-LIIB-G9-2
ST-LIIB-G9-3
ST-LIIB-G9-4
ST-LIIB-G9-5
ST-LIIB-G9-6

Discussion Leaders:

DL-LIIB-G9-1
DL-LIIB-G9-2

· L-LIIB-G9-1

FORUM debate 9/Gender equality
Group Name:
Group members:
Discussion leader(s): DL-LIIB-G9-1
STEP 1
Individually write and post an introductory paragraph about yourselves together with four icebreaking questions to get started. Make sure you answer some of the questions posted by the other members of your Google+ community.

· DL-LIIB-G9-1

Hello everyone!
I’d like to introduce myself as the discussion leader of this group. My name is DL-LIIB-G9-1, I am 21 years old and I am an Erasmus student from the University of Bristol in England, where I study modern languages (French and Spanish). I love learning about different cultures, and how they change from country to country, or even from city to city, which is why I have chosen to study what I do – and also why I am doing an Erasmus year!

I look forward to reading about you all and for us to start off the discussion.

· ST-LIIB-G9-1

Hello everyone! My name is ST-LIIB-G9-1, I am 18 years old and I live in a town near Valencia. I am studying English Studies because I love languages and how they are used to communicate people from different countries. It is a really useful tool to discover new cultures and to keep in touch with different people from the whole globe.
I spend my free time listening to music and writing poetry. I love traveling and discover new places, if I had a chance I would like to travel around the world. I have already been into Holland and France, and I can say that the best city that I have ever visited is Amsterdam because all of its wonderful landscapes and its canals, and the mixture of loads of cultures between the boroughs. Moreover, if I could chose to be any animal, I would be a black panther because of its elegance when they walk and its character. Although my favourite animal is the gineapig.

Secondly, I have chosen this topic as it is closely related to society and it affects me, as I am a woman, and there isn’t any equality between men and women. For this reason it was created feminist movement. But nowadays feminism is seen as if it promoted the power of women above the power of men. But this is completely wrong! Gender equality is very close to Feminism movement as it promotes the empowerment of women: the acquisition of power and independence by a disadvantaged social group (which are women in this case) to improve their situation.
We need to rebel against this inequality set by society during the whole history, since it is unfair that women have less opportunities and more difficulties in life only because of their gender! What’s more, is it fair that more than the half of the population have less rights? Do you think all the feminicides that have been are related to this gender inequality because of gender roles?

· ST-LIIB-G9-2

Hello ST-LIIB-G9-1,
I liked your contribution on the topic because I think it sets important issues to talk about.
As you said, sometimes it seems that the word «feminism» is uncomfortable to some people because they misunderstand the real meaning of the term. But, even thought nowadays there is still people against this expression, the situation has changed a bit thank you to the representation of some authors and celebrities such as Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie or Emma Watson, who have explained the correct meaning of feminism and have spread this meaning.

The TEDx Talk of Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie «We should all be feminists», which counts with almost five million views on youtube, has had a really important impact on the world and has encouraged so many people to talk about this topic. This talk was made in 2013 and it has inspired some celebrities such as Beyoncé, who talked about it in her self-titled album, which was released by the end of the same year.
The next year, Emma Watson was named a U.N Women Goodwill Ambassador by the United Nations and she made a speech for her campaign HeForShe where she explained the definition of feminism by saying «Feminism by definition is the belief that men and women should have equal rights and opportunities. It is the theory of the political, economic and social equality of the sexes».
(You can find the video of the speech made in 2014 on youtube).

After Beyoncé, Emma Watson and other celebrities talked about feminism the topic was spread everywhere. This had a favorable impact because it led to a lot of people to talk about feminism, suddenly the word was not so feared, but at the same time it was created the term «celebrity feminism» which made some people care less about feminism because it seemed a trivial matter that celebrities used as a publicity tool to increase their popularities.

I can talk about myself and say that when I was 14 I understood for the first time the real meaning of feminism thank you to Emma Watson’s speech, and it led me to search more about the subject, but I also think that a lot of celebrities use the term for publicity.
So, what do you think about this topic? Do you think it is dangerous for the defense of women’s rights? What could we do about it?

· ST-LIIB-G9-3

Hello everyone!
My name is ST-LIIB-G9-3 and I’m an 18 old student at the University of Valencia. I have chosen this degree because, as my classmates have said, it is a fantastic tool to learn about different cultures, tradition, and societies, which helps me to question myself continuously in order to be a better person and learn to accept others but also myself.
Answering to ST-LIIB-G9-2’s contribution, I also think that celebrities as Emma Watson have had an enormous influence on young adult women that want to learn about feminism. From my point of view, it is essential to have such a reference. Celebrities have a huge influence in young girls that are starting to discover themselves and the society we live in, and it is shameful that some of them use this topic for social recognition instead of using their voices for a social change.
A celebrity I would like to introduce to you is Zendaya, she’s an American 21 years old black women, who define feminists as: “A feminist is a person who believes in the power of women just as much as they believe in the power of anyone else. It’s equality, it’s fairness, and I think it’s a great thing to be a part of.” She’s also empowering her followers showing that things such as makeup, perfect hair and a perfect body are overrated stereotypes of women that are completely unnecessary to be or feel beautiful. She tries to show girls that what really matters is to support and help each other to overcome this standard. In my opinion, as the ones ST-LIIB-G9-2 mentioned and many others, this is the kind of celebrities we should all look up and promote in order to change this situation.

Following this topic, I would also like to highlight the improvement that celebrities feminists have made in what Simone de Beauvoir called “women’s isolation”. This meant that, in a man’s world, women had no relations with other women, no representation, no voice. They were confronted because of men. Women were seen by other women as enemies instead of allies against the inequality. I would like to know, as ST-LIIB-G9-2 and ST-LIIB-G9-1 already said, who encourage you to learn more about feminism, who drove you away of that isolation, a historic figure as Clara Campoamor, a nowadays celebrity, a friend… Also, do you think that in today’s society we have completely overcome this rivalry between women?

· ST-LIIB-G9-2

Hello ST-LIIB-G9-3 ! I found really interesting your contribution and I will search more about Simone de Beauvoir because her theory about “women’s isolation” has caught my attention. If you would like to share more about her that would be amazing.

Answering to your question I believe that the situation has improved the last years due to the new wave of feminism of which we were talking before. I have seen the feeling of sisterhood increase in comparison to other years, but maybe it was only in TV series or in the celebrity world, because in real life I think that rivalry between women, even if it has been reduced, it still exists.
A clear example of that rivalry is the issue that exists about make up and clothes.
Some women who do not wear make up everyday attack the ones who do by saying that “they are trying too hard”, women that usually wear short skirts (for example) are classified as “bitches” by their own sex. And women that maybe wear tracksuits every day are said to be “scruffy”.
All of these prejudices and stereotypes about women’s physical appearance still exists and the worse part of it is that a lot of these comments are said by women about other women.

What do you people think about it? Where do you think these insecurities come from? How can we resolve this situation?

· ST-LIIB-G9-4

Hello, everyone! My name is ST-LIIB-G9-4, I’m 18 years old and, as the rest of girls in this forum, I study English Studies in the University of Valencia. I’ve always loved this language in particular and how it allows me to communicate with a wide range of people all over the world, giving me the opportunity to learn about them and their respective cultures. I feel this has helped me to become the person I am nowadays, and I’m sure that, as a matter of fact, this will continue helping me in the long term.

Picking up from what ST-LIIB-G9-3 said about Simone de Beauvoir, I would like to add a few things this woman said her «The Second Sex», as I had the opportunity to read and study part of it last year on my philosophy classes. This book revolves around a very simple question, this being «What is a woman?». The answer in this patriarchal society we live in is no other than «the other», as the man is considered the default figure. This idea of «Otherness» is very interesting and I recommend you all to search about it once you have some time to spare. In any case, in a nutshell this means that the woman is not defined by herself, but in relation to the default figure (the man).

I encourage you to read extracts from «The Second Sex» because, even if some of Beauvoir’s ideas have been improved and developed over time, she set up really important bases for our contemporary feminism. It’s important to know our history and from where we come, and so happens if we are talking about reading some of the First and Second Wave feminists.

As I was saying, being the «other» in relation to men has always kept women at a lower level, setting us as frail, sweet, caring, along with a long list of adjectives that had always been associated with women. Those words are related to the standards ST-LIIB-G9-2 was talking about in her last post, the reality being that if you don’t fit in them, you’re labeled as «scruffy», using as example a word that my dear classmate has used before. And yes, we can say a big part of this adjectives are used by women against women, but we have to bear in mind that this is doubtlessly caused by the patriarchy. We have been told how we have to behave since we were kids, we have received a different education depending on our assigned gender, and this is plainly awful, if you think about it. «Boys don’t cry», «girls can’t play football», «boys like blue», «girls like pink», these being just some of the hundreds of sayings we have in our sexist society. Fighting against this, deconstruct ourselves (without stopping, you never end deconstructing), work together for a future where equality exists, is a must nowadays for everyone.

I’ve already answered where these absurd rivality comes from, while if we talk about resolve it, we are entering on a more fragile territory. The first step, as I said beforehand, is to reflect on by ourselves. Then, spreading the word, talking especially to other women, being patient with them if they are alienated because you’ve been there and you know how difficult is to leave behind that stage. We have to make an effort to change our situation, demand for equality, protest in the streets and in our daily lives. Leading our own fight, that is.

Having said this, I’m curious about what age you were when you first heard about feminism? I think I was thirteen or fourteen, at the same time as I opened my account on a social website. And, now that I think about it, how important do you think social networks as Twitter, Tumblr or Facebook are when talking about the raising awareness in this topic?

· ST-LIIB-G9-2

Hello ST-LIIB-G9-4, thank you for your contribution, I will definitely check Simone de Beauvoir’s “The Second Sex” now that both ST-LIIB-G9-3 and you have talked about it.
I agree with everything you said on the rivalry topic so I can’t find anything else to add, you have explained it perfectly.
Answering to your question; Sadly, I think that the first time that I heard the word “feminist” was when a person close to me used it as a mocking insult. I was younger when that happened and I did not searched the term so I thought that feminism was a sightly bad word. I thought that feminists were women who wanted to be superior against men and somehow treated them badly. Of course that is something stupid but I was really young and although I believed that men and women were equal, I misunderstood the real meaning of the word “feminist” so I did not call myself in that way. It was some years later when I was 14 that I saw Emma Watson’s speech commented above and I finally understood what “feminist” really meant, and I started to search about it on the internet and in social media.
Which leads to your final question; I think that nowadays social networks are one of the most powerful tools that we have to raise awareness in any topic, because a large number of people spend a lot of time in them. It is also very useful because they can connect people with different personal circumstances and make them help each other by discussing topics or explaining some terms.
The dangers of using social networks to inform yourself about feminism and to deconstruct yourself is that there can be a lot of disinformation. People also don’t check what they read so if you don’t have a critical mind and you only base your knowledge in the comments of social networks you can misunderstand a lot of things. Then, the ideal situation would be the one where people contrast information, and read books or essays before engaging in a debate about feminist issues. But we don’t live in an utopia and we know that this does not always happens. What I would conclude in all of this is that social networks are a tool (where you can find recommendations of books, essays and you can debate them and share personal experiences) but if you don’t make a good use of them, it can be dangerous.

But of course, that’s my opinion, what do you people think about it? Do you have any personal experience that you want to share about this? What’s the next issue that you would want to discuss about gender equality?

· ST-LIIB-G9-5

Hello everyone! My name is ST-LIIB-G9-5, I’m an 18 year-old student from first course of English Studies in the University of Valencia. I chose this degree because English is a language that really liked me from the very beginning of my studies in primary school and it has helped to do exchanges and communicating with people around the world.

Answering to ST-LIIB-G9-4’s and ST-LIIB-G9-2’s comments, I’ve never had a point in which I have being introduced into the feminism. The person who inspired me to fight for my rights and to understand, since I was little, that I worth the same as the men was my mum. I’ve grown up just with her at home and she has made the role of mum and dad through a long time. Because of that, I’ve always seen that women don’t need from boys to be and to survive.
Later on, I created a Twitter account so I could read that many other girls were as I was and that made me feel better. In my neighborhood, I was a strange person just because of my way of thinking.
So, related to ST-LIIB-G9-4’s second question, in my opinion, social networks are a really useful tool to find who you really want to be and build your goals. My experience in the social media was so great. I found an account of a girl who lives in Zaragoza who defended women’s rights and she helped me to open my eyes on what was sexist oppression so I could show my friends what we should change and what we should fight for.
As ST-LIIB-G9-2 asked, I would like to also discuss about sexism in working areas. In my case, it’s a close issue because where I live, people tend to pay attention on how you are dressing for an interview and in some places it is mandatory to wear makeup because “it makes us more beautiful”. Furthermore, we have to wear, in some jobs, a uniform that are too much tight or that has a big neckline. I don’t know why it should be like that.

So, regarding to all these topics, what do you think about women’s role at jobs? Do you think it is fair to us to make us be well-dressed or wearing makeup to a workplace? How much do you think family can influence on our behavior fighting for our rights against almost half of world population?

· DL-LIIB-G9-2

Thank you everyone for the fantastic contributions. I am ecstatic to read so many well put together thoughts from all of you. If it helps you having a perspective from a man who learnt about feminism in a different generation, I can’t remember how I found out about the concept of feminism (it was about 25 years ago, maybe more) but what I do remember is that I learnt in one go about the existence of feminism and about the idea that feminism was not about female superiority but about equality because of the historical injustice suffered by women. However my conscious reconstruction and unlearning of patriarchal thoughts didn’t begin until about eight years ago, and of course I am still learning and working on it. What do you think of the so-called allied men? Do you think a men that boasts about being feminist and even tries to teach women about feminism can help the cause in any way?

· ST-LIIB-G9-6

Hi, everyone! My name’s ST-LIIB-G9-6 and I’m 18. I’m from Algemesí, a near town of Valencia. And I’m studying English Studies at the University of Valencia. English is considered a huge contribution to the world, as much as it lets us socialize, contributing in the development of the world’s system. That’s why I chose this degree to delve into studies of this language.

I don’t know exactly when I started to hear the term of feminism, probably few years ago. But sadly, it mustn’t have been a new term for anyone these days; it must have been something present in any period of time and should have been normalized from the beginning. And, for that reason, men now had to look into this theme, because they are the first ones needed to achieve the purpose of feminism.

The “allied men” expression, from my point of view, is the most accurate one to refer men in the feminism context. Because it’s their real position in this movement. A man, it is very difficult, he becomes a feminist. Above all, because of the feminism etymology, “femina”, and the suffix “-ism” means doctrine. Therefore it’s a doctrine based on women. Thus, they take this position in feminism: the ones who support women, but not the ones that are fighting for their own rights, as women do. It’s the same case as the LGTB+ movement; if you are hetero, and you want to support them, you are an allied, not one of the LGTB+ movement; in the same way as anti-racist movement, and so on.

Men aren’t the ones oppressed, so they would never know what it feels being oppressed. So they can’t lead a protest in which they aren’t the victims. A man’s role is to make a safe place for women and make it feminist.
It isn’t meant that all men have the same ideas and not for that reason they must be in the same boat. Because as nowadays, there were several prominent men that fought strongly for equal rights. Hence if they can boasts about being allied men in feminism, they must share their points of view and turn things around. So everyone can realize the truth, and in this way women can discover their hidden freedom under sexism. But he should never force a woman to do something, although from his perspective it’s feminist, because in that way, he is falling in sexism.

So do you think if someone behaves as a gentleman with women, is becoming an allied men of feminism? Which of our customs do you think could not portray the equal rights for which we are fighting these days?

English Language II E

Debate 2: Gender Equality

Owner:

L-LIIEG.1-G2-1

Members (G.10):

ST-LIIEG.1-G2-1
ST-LIIEG.1-G2-2
ST-LIIEG.1-G2-3
ST-LIIEG.1-G2-4
ST-LIIEG.1-G2-5
ST-LIIEG.1-G2-6

ST-LIIEG.1-G2-7

Discussion Leader:

DL-LIIEG.1-G2-1

· ST-LIIEG.1-G2-4

What are the differences between white women and women of color?
Why are the women considered to be the weaker sex?
What reasons would justify the wage inequality between men and women?

ST-LIIEG.1-G2-7

+ ST-LIIEG.1-G2-4 I think it is a question of tradition, history and culture, where the religion has a huge role. It was Eva who made the first mistake of eating the apple, violating and breaking the rules imposed by some male… Even in literature, the women have been unseen for centuries, those who dare to write…

· ST-LIIEG.1-G2-4

+ ST-LIIEG.1-G2-7 Yes, you are right. Women have always been dominated by men as we can see in all kinds of religions or even in literature ,but that was many years ago. What I still don’t get is that there are people that keep thinking in that way. They don’t realise that women were the ones who in the Second World War had all the men backs because of the effort that they put in the factories. And like this, there are many more examples which were led by women and were definitive for history.
What I’m trying to say is that, any gender should be judge because a mistake that someone made in the past and that we will never know if it’s only a theory or if it really happened. It’s not fair.

· L-LIIEG.1-G2-1

FORUM debate 2/Gender equality
Group Name: Heathens

Discussion Leader(s): DL-LIIEG.1-G2-1

Group members: (G.1):
ST-LIIEG.1-G2-1
ST-LIIEG.1-G2-2
ST-LIIEG.1-G2-3
ST-LIIEG.1-G2-4
ST-LIIEG.1-G2-5
ST-LIIEG.1-G2-6

STEP 1: Breaking the Ice:
– Write and post an introductory paragraph together with four ice-breaking questions. Make sure you answer some of the questions posted by your group mates and the discussion leader(s).

STEP 2: Initiating the Discussion:
– With the guidance of the discussion leader assigned to your group, write 4 or 5 posts of about 200 words each during this month (try to write at least one post a week).

· DL-LIIEG.1-G2-1

Hello everyone! I am DL-LIIEG.1-G2-1, the discussion leader for your group «Heathens».
I am 21 years old and I am an Erasmus student from the University of Bristol in England, where I study modern languages (French and Spanish). I love learning about different cultures, and how they change from country to country, or even from city to city, which is why I have chosen to study what I do – and also why I am doing an Erasmus year!

I look forward to reading about you all and for us to start off the discussion.

· DL-LIIEG.1-G2-1

Happy International Women’s Day everyone!
Thank you all for your posts.
Now, I don’t think there is a better or more relevant day for us to get our discussion started, so let’s go…
I’m sure we are all aware that there is a feminist strike going on today in order to speak out about the unfair pay gap between men and women across Spain. This is, of course, a very important strike which represents a very serious, yet very real issue which our society faces today.

Do you think the pay gap between men and women is the most concerning factor in our fight for gender equality? In which other sectors of life do you think gender inequality exists?

http://www.bbc.com/news/world-europe-43324406

bbc.com – What is International Women’s Day?

What is International Women’s Day?

bbc.com

· ST-LIIEG.1-G2-4

What an exciting topic to start our discussion!!!
As you said DL-LIIEG.1-G2-1, on March 8 we celebrated International Women’s Day, a day that I, together with the rest of my colleagues, took advantage of to claim the rights that as the woman that I am, correspond to me, just as a man is entitled to their own.
The truth is that, I do not think that the pay gap is the main reason for the claims made, but it is one of the most important, or at least it is for me. Looking back 50 years ago I am proud to see how little by little women have progressed breaking some of their multiple chains. However, sincerely, given the date in which we find ourselves, I still find incredible the inequality that at least in Spain is still present between both genders. It still seems ridiculous to be paid less for the simple fact of being a woman, where not in all cases but in many, the woman is exploited compared to her male colleagues. It is as if women were inferior to men, something that throughout history we have been able to deny.
It is not only about the pay gap, it is about having respect for women, it is about women being able to wear the clothes they want without having to think once and for all whether they will be judged or not. It’s about a woman not feeling afraid every time she goes out alone because of the many cases of rapes and violations that we see every day.
For me, those are the most important factors for which all of society, whether they are men or women, should fight.
Girls, do you agree with me? Why are you protesting? Greetings, ST-LIIEG.1-G2-7

· ST-LIIEG.1-G2-3

+ ST-LIIEG.1-G2-4 Gender equality is a subject that has been very present in the media lately because of the recent celebration of Women’s International Day, when a women’s strike was celebrated, along with protest in many cities. I agree with everything ST-LIIEG.1-G2-7

has pointed out, but in my opinion, there are some issues to add.
I think International Women’s Day is very important to bring awareness to issues like the pay gap, but many others as well. I also think that the protest that took place on the 8th of March was a great way to show that this is a problem that is of great concern to a lot of people and that it can’t be overlooked anymore.
While I think the pay gap is a very important issue, and probably one of the most extended consequences of gender inequality in many countries, and definitely a very important thing to fight for, I do not think it is the most important. In my opinion, domestic violence, sexual harassment and rape are problems far more serious than the pay gap. Sadly, these are extremely widely spread. If not every day, every other day you hear in the news of a new case of a woman being murdered by her partner, or being raped, or sexually abused, a lot of the times in the workplace.
In addition, we can’t forget that there are countless women in other countries who have been subjected to genital mutilation or honour crimes, or the millions of little girls under 18 who are being forced into arranged marriages. As we don’t hear about those issues every day, we tend to forget about them.
Of course, there are many other ways in which women are oppressed or diminished. Hopefully one day we will be able to put all of these issues in the past, and women and men will be treated equally and have the same opportunities.

· DL-LIIEG.1-G2-1

Thank you both for your honest and interesting answers!

ST-LIIEG.1-G2-3 you are correct to have brought up other issues to the pay gap such as gender violence, arranged marriages, genital mutilation… It is important to realise that although we have made progress towards equality, these issues are still ongoing everyday.

And I agree that the main problem with gender equality in today’s society may not be issues such as these, but more with the attitude of society. It is possible that as soon as we achieve a society in which everyone truly believes everyone is equal, regardless of their gender (amongst other factors), then the other issues will begin to solve themselves.

I personally think the main way to achieve this is through education. However, unfortunately today there are more than 130 million girls out of education. Malala Yousafzai is a keen activist for improving female education around the world and after having stood up to her leaders which previously banned her of an education, she is now running her own campaigns to promote the issue.

What do you think of Malala and her campaigns?
Would you classify improving female education around the world as a top priority to achieve gender equality?

You can read about Malala and her story on the Malala .org website (unfortunately it is not letting me post links)

· ST-LIIEG.1-G2-4

+ DL-LIIEG.1-G2-1 It’s amazing to see such a young girl reaching so many things at her age. It is fascinating to know her story and discover that although Malala was constantly aware of the consequences of continuing to raise her voice and defend that girls should also be allow to go to school, she decided to go ahead and put her life in danger. All this makes me reflect on how fortunate we are to be able to live in countries where, despite the fact that we still have a lot of struggles to achieve equality for women, allow not only education for girls and boys, but an egalitarian education, where we all learn the same subjects, not like before, where girls learned to sew and boys learned mathematics.
Honestly, I would consider improving the education of women around the world as a priority to achieve gender equality. I think that if we all are equal, not only in Spain, but internationally, then each person should have equal possibilities and conditions starting with education. Perhaps this can answer the fact why women are paid less, because there are people who think that women are not as prepared as men. Maybe if there really was equal study possibilities this problem could have been avoided. Therefore, it should not only be Malala the one standing up for this injustice, all the women who have the privilege of attending class should raise their voices along with her.

· DL-LIIEG.1-G2-1

I completely agree with you ST-LIIEG.1-G2-7, it is very important that everyone begins to express their opinion on the matter in order to combat the idea that there is a difference between genders.

I think a good way to combat this issue would be to try and get rid of stereotypes. For example, why are female products normally related to the colour pink, and masculine products related to the colour blue? I think this simple stereotype which exists in society often teaches children that they must be ‘girly’ or ‘masculine’ to fit into their gender roles, which then encourages the idea that we are not equal and cannot carry out the same tasks with the same ability – consequently leading to a pay gap and less women working as professors etc.

thisgirlcan.co.uk – This girl can – This Girl Can – This girl can – This Girl Can

Do you think using sport could be a good way to combat gender stereotypes and eradicate the idea that women and men aren’t equal within society?

What else do you think we should do in order to try and eradicate these gendered stereotypes from our society?

This girl can – This Girl Can

thisgirlcan.co.uk

· ST-LIIEG.1-G2-2

Hello everyone! I’m so sorry. I wasn’t able to enter in the forum so I couldn’t discuss about the topic we chose.
Firstly, I agree with everything you said and I think it’s a good idea the campaing that has been created in the UK. Playing different sports is a good form to start the tolerance and equality path. And I say tolerance because as you said, in this society you » can’t / mustn’t » play determinate sports of your sex. It may not look good to play Rugby or boxing if you are a woman. The same happens when you are a man. It’s not » correct » if you are a man and you like Ballet. We should fight against these injustices and express our dissatisfaction.
On the other hand, I would like to talk a bit about women’s role in society. As you said, women always had to fight against the system because we always went the ones who weren’t allowed to do nothing. Simple things like going to the cinema or to the theater, or even going shopping couldn’t be done if they weren’t accompanied by a male family member. I would like to ask you something. What would have you done if you would have lived in the 50’s? I’m sure I would have explode and I wouldn’t have followed the rules of a strict patriarchy system. I would have ended in jail. I’m waiting for your answer. Bye.
ST-LIIEG.1-G2-2.

· ST-LIIEG.1-G2-4

+ DL-LIIEG.1-G2-1 I’m not a person who loves sports, however, it is shameful to know that even in sports there are differences between women and men. I myself remember a boy in my ballet class who was bullied for practicing a sport supposedly only for girls. In my opinion, I would have understood this position two hundred years ago, given the male chauvinist situation that unfortunately we continue living today. Definitely I think that breaking these stereotypes either in sport or in any aspect that labels us by the fact of belonging to one sex or another should be eliminated. People are afraid of being different but what would the world be without diversity? We have to be different to show people that the beautiful does not concentrate on the fact of being common, perhaps this could be a solution to break these stereotypes. Ending these labels is not going to be easy, but if possible, and we must start from the bottom, educating the children, introducing them that the solution is dialogue and not strength, making children aware that women are not inferior to them and that the way someone dresses does not determine what or how they are. Maybe if we followed this pattern, the next generations would represent a truly egalitarian and free society.

· DL-LIIEG.1-G2-1

That is a difficult question ST-LIIEG.1-G2-2, and I’m not sure what I would have done if I lived as a women 100 years ago. It is difficult to say because once you have been brought up in a society which tells you this is the right way to live, it is difficult to question it as it is just what you are used to and might not think otherwise. And this is the exact reason why we must begin changing the way we teach our children – both at home and at school – so nobody grows up thinking that it is normal to treat men and women equally. I believe that by teaching children the correct attitude on how to behave and how to treat people, that by the time they are adults, a lot of the norms could change and things such as the ‘pink tax’ or stereotypes could hopefully be eradicated from society . For example, stereotypes of which sports girls and boys should play, or what toys they should play with, or what clothes they should wear. Therefore, I agree with ST-LIIEG.1-G2-7 that starting from the bottom and educating children is the best way to move this movement forward in the right direction – towards equality! I strongly believe that there should be more campaigns such as the «This Girl Can» campaign in the UK, as these campaigns will constantly remind people to change their attitude and habits, instead of them just being reminded one day a year on International Women’s Day.

Thank you all again for sharing your ideas and I hope you have a wonderful Easter!

· ST-LIIEG.1-G2-2

DL-LIIEG.1-G2-1 I think you are right. Firstly I would like to talk about the education a few years ago.
The things that you said about education are right, but I think that some people would educate their children as they were educated and that is not correct. The fact that some people were educated on the old way may influence on the way that they educate their children.
If they don’t educate their children on equality the children won’t be capable of admit that tolerance and at the same time the kids of their kids won’t be given that equal education.
On the other hand, there is a good idea to fight that ‘pink tax’ because it’s not fair that women have to pay for determinated products like tampons or sanitary towels. Those products are necessary and even though they are, they have taxes as they were not essentials.
Finally I think that we should create a campaign as UK women did. We should promote more activities that foster the equility.
Happy Easter girls ♡+ DL-LIIEG.1-G2-1

· ST-LIIEG.1-G2-4

+ DL-LIIEG.1-G2-1 Unfortunately, we have reached the end of our discussion on a subject that should not only concern women since we are the victims of this inequality between the sexes, but it should be a struggle that we all should end together. This debate has made me reflect on things that we take for granted but that really have to do with an attitude that is not equal as when we talk about the difference between boys and girls either in the colors or with respect to the activities that they should do or not. On the other hand, we have discovered campaigns that try to abolish this problem like This Girl Can or stories like the incredible Malala that is still creating content in her association to metalize people, telling them the harsh reality that she had to face from a young age.
Regarding the future, I only wish that the new generations, especially the girls, do not have to face this type of patriarchal society that only cuts the wings of so many women. And finally I hope that we have a greater awareness of the gender inequality, representing so many voices that have been silenced, doing justice to our grandmothers who have lived all this in their own flesh.
It has been a pleasure to share with all of you these opinions and I hope you have a wonderful Easter. Greetings, ST-LIIEG.1-G2-7.

English Language IV

Debate 9: Gender Equality

Owner:

L-LIV-G9-1
L-LIV-G9-2

Members:

ST-LIV-G9-1
ST-LIV-G9-2
ST-LIV-G9-3
ST-LIV-G9-4
ST-LIV-G9-5
ST-LIV-G9-6
ST-LIV-G9-7

Discussion Leader:

DL-LIV-G9-1

L-LIV-G9-1

Forum debate 9/ Gender equality

Discussion Leader(s): DL-LIV-G9-1

Group members:
ST-LIV-G9-1
ST-LIV-G9-2
ST-LIV-G9-3
ST-LIV-G9-4
ST-LIV-G9-5
ST-LIV-G9-6
ST-LIV-G9-7

STEP 2: Initiating the Discussion:
– With the guidance of the discussion leader(s) assigned to your group, write 4 or 5 posts of about 200 words each during this month (try to write at least one post a week).

DL-LIV-G9-1

Hello everyone!
I’d like to introduce myself as the discussion leader of this group. My name is DL-LIV-G9-1, I am 21 years old and I am an Erasmus student from the University of Bristol in England, where I study modern languages (French and Spanish). I love learning about different cultures, and how they change from country to country, or even from city to city, which is why I have chosen to study what I do – and also why I am doing an Erasmus year!

I look forward to reading about you all and for us to start off the discussion.

L-LIV-G9-2

+ L-LIV-G9-1
Discussion Leader: DL-LIV-G9-1

Group members:
ST-LIV-G9-1
ST-LIV-G9-2
ST-LIV-G9-3
ST-LIV-G9-5
ST-LIV-G9-6

Translate

DL-LIV-G9-1

Do you think the pay gap between men and women is the most concerning factor in our fight for gender equality? In which other sectors of life do you think gender inequality exists?

http://www.bbc.com/news/world-europe-43324406

bbc.com – What is International Women’s Day?

What is International Women’s Day?

bbc.com

ST-LIV-G9-1

Hello everyone!

I am ST-LIV-G9-1 and as the moderator of this group I’ll make sure that we don’t run out of topics so the conversation can keep going. However, before that, I’d like to introduce myself. I’m a nineteen-year-old college student from Valencia, and I chose to study Translation in English and German just a few years ago in an attempt to satisfy both my passion for languages and my curiosity for the convoluted processes that go with it.

The topic that we are going to be discussing for the next few weeks, as you all know, is gender equality. Lately, everyone has been talking about this issue, from local newspapers to politicians all over the world. Furthermore, on March 8th there was a massive strike and multiple demonstrations that took place throughout the whole country, as DL-LIV-G9-1 has already explained.

Regarding DL-LIV-G9-1’s question, I think the most troubling factor in this fight is not the pay gap, although we mustn’t forget that it exists, but the difficulty that women have to go through to access jobs in high positions. For instance, only 16,8% of the professors in Spain are female, even though 54,1% of college students are women who have also proved to get better results.

Why do you think this happens? Why does the opposite happen when we’re talking about household chores? What happens when kids get involved? And lastly, as future qualified workers, what changes would you like to see in our system?

ST-LIV-G9-6

Hello everyone!
First of all, I would like to introduce myself as a member of the group. My name is ST-LIV-G9-6, I am 20 years old and I am from Bocairent, a mountain village located in the south of Valencia. However, nowadays I live in Valencia where I am studying translation studies. I came up with the decision of studying that because I love learning new languages as well as learning more about other cultures and getting in contact with foregin people. This is probably why I travel to foregin countries whenever I can.

Regarding the gender equality, I personally think that the main goal of the last massive strike last thursday was not only against the pay gaps, but also to be trated equally in other aspects of our daily routine. For instance, in our society women are supposed to take home responsabilities, as well as to do all the domestic chores. It is certainly true that there are some men who help at home, but women do most of the chores. Moreover, the majority of women have problems at work when they become pregnant. In fact, stadistics show that only 55% of the women come back to their old work schedule, whereas 100% of the men come back to their regular timetable.

Why do you think this happens? Do you think the society are not enough conscious about the problem? And lastly, do you think that a good education would be the best solution to this problem?

ST-LIV-G9-5

Hello, ladies
I would like to introduce myself. My name is ST-LIV-G9-5, I am 19 years old and I am also a Translation Studies student. This degree was definitely the best option for me, because languages are my passion. I would absolutely love to become a literature translator someday.

When we think about gender equality, pay gap is the first thing that comes to our minds, but the issue is much more than that, as you said. It is remarkable the fact that fewer women decide to have kids nowadays. In fact, the birth rate reached 8. 8 % in 2016 in Spain, and it decreases every year. They prefer to focus on their careers, because they feel they would have to give up their dreams to raise their children. We, as women, are used to see our mothers and female family members taking care of the children and doing the household tasks while men work on their professional progress. Our society needs to encourage men to take part in those activities traditionally done by women. Half of the world population has been silent for years. Can you imagine how different our lives could be if women had participated in history? We could have had even more famous doctors, artists, scientists and writers nowadays.

I think a change should be done in the educational system in order to change this situation. Do you think this problem will be solved soon? Have you ever found difficulties to do things that weren’t commonly done by girls? Do you have different points of view?

ST-LIV-G9-2

Hello everyone! My name is ST-LIV-G9-2 and I’m 19. I study Translation Studies at the University of Valencia. My second language is English and German as a minor. Fortunately, I realized I was good at them when I was so much younger and since then I decided to do my best to improve my skills in both languages. In my spare time, I love to learn as much as I can about different cultures since I think it is the perfect way to come to understand the variety of societies and the key to connect with people all over the globe. Furthermore, I will be living in Cardiff (Wales) next year due to that city will be my home during my Erasmus year. I’m so excited to get to know people from all nationalities and to improve my level of English. In the future, I would like to work as a translator but working as a teacher would be nice as well.
I totally agree with my classmates when they affirm working conditions tend to be more difficult for women, especially, when we talk about pregnancy. But some factors lie behind since our society has been based on a firm patriarchy and the empowerment of successful males. Therefore, we must re-educate our generations in order to create humans who believe in gender equality, which means that women are as capable as men. This change could be a hazardous task but the ideal solution to fight inequality.
So, our start point is that our new generations should enrich themselves with the idea of having fundamental rights for both genres. Don’t you think governments should introduce these changes as soon as possible? What would be the methods to apply? What impact would have in our culture?

DL-LIV-G9-1

Hello everyone! Thank you for all of your posts, and it’s nice to meet you.

I would agree with you that the pay gap is not the main issue with gender equality, as this is a problem which stems from society’s general viewpoint that women may not be equal to men, whether it be at work, within sports or at home… I agree that this is a problem inherited from a society which is used to this way of life, and it will continue until people contest it and work hard to change this custom.

I think a good way to combat this issue would be to try and get rid of stereotypes. For example, why are female products normally related to the colour pink, and masculine products related tot he colour blue? I think this simple stereotype which exists in society often teaches children that they must be ‘girly’ or ‘masculine’ to fit into their gender roles, which then encourages the idea that we are not equal and cannot carry out the same tasks with the same ability – consequently leading to a pay gap and less women working as professors etc.

For example, there is a debate ongoing in the United Kingdom regarding the «pink tax», or otherwise known as the «tampon tax» in which there is a tax on feminine products. These products are taxed for being luxury products, even though the male equivalent products such as razors or condoms are not subject to this tax.

mindbodygreen.com – mindbodygreen

What do you think about these stereotypes which exist within society?

How do you think the education system, or our routine at home could help to combat them and change the routine of society?

mindbodygreen

mindbodygreen.com

ST-LIV-G9-6

Hi!
First of all, I completely agree with you that the gender equality is a problem inherited from our society; in fact, I would say that since the first day that we born our parents, influenced by the society, create stereotypes. That it not only in the way that we are dressed or the colour of our room, but also they buy different type of toys depending on our gender. For example, boys tend to play with videogames, cars, motorbikes and constructions toys whereas girls are more likely to playing kitchens, queens and dolls. Moreover, children’s stories also create gender roles, since in the most of them the girl is in danger and she is saved by a hero (that in 99% of the cases are men). So I strongly believe that a solution to get rid of stereotypes would be to start to treat women and men equally since we are children.

With regard to the “pink tax” I did not heard of it before, but I think that everybody should know this due to the fact that it is a clear example of the gap between genders. It is shameful that women products cost 7% more than men products and what is more, that something basic like having the period is being regarded as a “luxury item” and not as a first need. It is true that companies like Tesco have taken measures reducing the price of women products like razors. So, from my point of view I think that politicians and companies should cope with themselves and reach an agreement to make laws against this gap in the market.

To conclude, I would say that there is no doubt that stereotypes are created by our society and a proper education is the key to end up with the problem. But do you think that governments should take more strict measures? And what about having a subject, at primary school, related to the gender equality? Do you think it would be profitable?

ST-LIV-G9-3

Hi, everyone!

Sorry, I had some trouble uploading my intervention. My name is ST-LIV-G9-3 and I’m a twenty-year-old student from the Translation Studies career at the University of Valencia. I chose it two years ago because I thought it was the most practical way of learning languages and its cultures. Now I’m studying English and Italian and I really enjoy them.

After reading all your comments and answers, I can simply say that I totally agree with you. Our last strike showed the world how important we woman are and why we are fighting for our rights: because we are humans too! As you said, it is discouraging looking at the statistics and discover that differences between salaries, participation in the housework or the possibilities when finding a job. And of course, stereotypes haven’t helped at all. What’s the point of making a girl feel insecure or weird because she prefers playing with that supposed “boy” toys? (And vice versa) This makes no sense when we are trying to educate children as free people who have the chance to choose their futures.
From my point of view, the problem, and its own solution, is education. I feel it is clear that we have evolved significantly and learned from the past. However, we need to continue to fight for that gender equality that is increasingly nearer. It isn’t fair that “pink tax” and the fact of having to pay more money for some basic products for us. Nevertheless, I’m sure that these problems will be solved in a short period of time because of our courage to face them.

We need to ask ourselves some questions like: how can we focus education effectively? This thought of gender equality is taught at home too? What measures should be taken to avoid stereotypes? How would change our society and culture?

ST-LIV-G9-1

Hello everyone!

To begin with, I’d like to add something to the topic regarding “the pink tax”, since it’s an issue that exasperates me. Did you know that this price gap affects also female clothes, hair or even dry cleaner’s? It’s technically not the same, considering that it is not related to any tax, but still, if you are thinking about taking a shirt to a dry cleaner’s in Spain, you should know it might be more expensive than if your brother, father or friend did it.

In regards to why this happens, companies have a wide variety of arguments that are plain excuses. The real reason is that women are thought to spend more money on their own image and they take profit of it. This, of course, is another stereotype, which lead us again to your previous question: How do we get rid of them?

In my opinion, ST-LIV-G9-6’s proposal, this being teaching a subject about gender equality in schools, is a very valid option. However, I think that it’s unfair to except teachers to do a job that we should be doing ourselves every day. Moreover, we have all being students, in fact we still are, and we know how difficult it is for a teacher to capture everyone’s attention and to make them ponder on something.

Because of this, I think that our best option would be having parents raising their kids without introducing the notion of gender roles. This would mean the end of blue and pink, trousers and skirts and Lego and Barbie. My question is: Do you think that parents can do it by themselves? And if not, who is supposed to help?

ST-LIV-G9-5

Hello, everyone:
Before starting my intervention, I’d like to add that I have truly enjoyed all your comments. I find frustrating how our lives are determined by sexism and the way society is built.
I absolutely agree with ST-LIV-G9-6‘s idea. Gender equality should be a compulsory subject at schools and high schools. Nevertheless, children would still be exposed to the problem of inequality. Mass media give children instructions on how to act according to their gender and it is very difficult to scape from that powerful influence. We can appreciate that influence in cartoons and the way they represent gender roles. Disney movies are the perfect example of this fact: a beautiful princess who waits to be saved by a handsome prince.
Furthermore, I do not believe that boys or girls tend to like pirates and warriors, just as I do not believe girls tend to like princesses and fairies. We are «programmed» in some way to like certain things.
But I think things are starting to change. Women are no longer coping with stereotipes and oppression, and are starting to embrace feminism. We could see this at the demonstrations, as well as in the strike organised on March the 8th, previously mentioned by ST-LIV-G9-3. We still have a lot to do but we are for sure starting to move in the right direction.
To finish with my intervention, I’d like you to read the following article about the influence of Disney movies. Have you ever thought about the power of these movies and books? Have you ever been questioned for not doing «girly things»?

Las princesas de Disney sí influyen en las niñas… y en los niños también – Español

nytimes.com

DL-LIV-G9-1

Thank you all for your posts, I have found them all very interesting!

ST-LIV-G9-6 I think your suggestion of having a subject about teaching gender equality at school would be a fantastic start to teach young children about equality; this could prevent the development of stereotypes and gendered identities before they grow older. However, I also agree with ST-LIV-G9-1 that this issue is further rooted than this. Change must start within the home with how parents chose to bring up their children. So, although introducing a subject of gender equality within the education system may be a good start, it is also important that the government gets more involved to support the movement. I believe they could fund more campaigns, and they could implement stricter rules which stop any kind of sexist ideas being presented in TV shows, films, music etc, which help to feed the idea of gender inequality within our society and teach it to the children.

ST-LIV-G9-5, it is very interesting that you decided to bring Disney movies into this discussion, I think that’s a very valid and important point to make. Over the years, I do agree that Disney has played a huge role in encouraging the development of unequal gender identities through their pretty princesses as the victims and masculine princes as their heroes. For example, Sleeping Beauty, Snow White and the Seven Dwarves, Cinderella… the list is endless!

However, recently I have noticed that Disney has made a shift in their technique and messages, and I believe that they are trying to undo this stereotype they have created and instead promote gender equality. For example, the film Frozen which was released in 2013 subverts this Disney Princess stereotype, as the only thing that could save the princess, was the love from her best friend and sister – not a prince.

I believe that Disney films have a massive influence on the society and peoples perspectives, so they could play a large role in helping to get ride of gendered stereotypes and promoting feminism and gender equality; and I believe that the message portrayed from Frozen is a great start.

What did you think of the message portrayed from Frozen – do you agree that it subverted the gender stereotypes or do you still think that it enhanced them? What about any other recent Disney films, like Moana, or Princess and the Frog – do you think these films are continuing this movement to revert the stereotypes?

https://www.theodysseyonline.com/the-evolution-of-gender-roles-in-disney-princess-movies

ST-LIV-G9-2

Hi!
I totally agree with your comments when you say females have been stereotyped in Disney films. As DL-LIV-G9-1 said, children films have been over the years a representation of both genres, but also a way to show us how girls should act, what to do or avoid…
It is generally accepted that Disney films have an incredible influence on people, especially when it comes to children who tend to behave following the characters seen on their favourite movies. As a result, our society is based on a general belief that some actions or ways of thinking are strictly connected to a genre, that’s to say, each genre should follow some patterns if they want to belong to their sex.
Not only children’s movies are affected by genre inequality, adults’ movies are also influenced by that belief. We can see it in the way the woman is represented, in some cases; the actresses are heroines who have an important position in the labour market, but they have achieved this position by their appearance. Thus, women tend to be considered as the weak genre since intelligence belongs to males, so women only have their looks to obtain what they really want. By the way, it is true that some Disney films have been giving voice to female characters in the last few years and Moana is an example. This trend shouldn’t be over because it is the correct way of fighting for equal rights and opportunities to both genres.
Do you think this trend will disappear in some years? Is it important to inform people of the message of sexism in films? How can we break the established patterns of thinking?

ST-LIV-G9-6

Hi ladies!
First of all, I would like to say that I agree fully with you that gender equality education is not only a must of teachers, but also of parents. Otherwise, I believe that the society is the main culpable of this inequality and that is why I personally believe that schools are the best way to arrive to all students including them whose parents are not in favor of the gender equality, since it is true that there are such a lot of people who do not defend this idea.

Regarding to the article that DL-LIV-G9-1 have shared, I cannot agree more when it argue that Disney films are totally related with the society of the moment, which means that stereotypes of the movies are only a side effect of common public norms and expectations for gender of the moment. So for this reason, nowadays the gender roles of the Disney films are changing and a clear example of this is Brave, a film in which the main actress is who save the prince and no in the other way round how it was used to be during the past years.

However, although it is widely known that there is a shift in the movie industry, there are also hidden ways of encourage us to create stereotypes and one example of that are the adverts. For instance, the advert launched by Dolce Gabana in which a woman was being subjected by a man whereas other four men were contemplating the scene. This advert was demanded for underestimate the women rights since the brand was taking profit of what is supposed to be the women weakness to market their products and making us think that women are inferior. Although we can believe that this type of adverts do not affect us, actually they are manipulating our thoughts, and the worst thing of all is that we do not realize of that.

To conclude with my intervention , I would like to say that women are fighting against the male oppression and one way of doing it is trough music, since recently music genres like the reaggeton, in which the lyrics of the songs are mainly chauvinist, are becoming protest song. So, do you think that music would be a useful method to achieve the gender equality?
Dolce & Gabbana retira su controvertido anuncio en todo el mundo

elpais.com

ST-LIV-G9-3

Hello, ladies
As ST-LIV-G9-5 said, it is really awesome reading all your comments and opinions. We were talking about teaching gender equality but there are some aspects that don’t help, like Disney films (in some cases). I tried to research on this and I found out that, as DL-LIV-G9-1 said, the situation is changing. The stereotypes are on the classic Princesses she mentioned, but I must say that, for example, Mulan or Pocahontas can be defined as strong and independent women. It’s the same with Brave and Moana, so we can say that little is evolving. The last three princesses show our power and how proud we must feel of being women.

Another point that I would like to talk about is what ST-LIV-G9-6 has just mentioned: toys. We are supposed to play with certain kind of toys depending on if we are boys or girls. Why? I always liked cars and experiments and when I wanted to see the new ones on Christmas toys’ catalogue, I had to search them on the blue section because any girl at the pink one used them. Children become classified when choosing toys because of their gender, and that makes them feel weird if they prefer something different from that stated.

Unfortunately, the problem doesn’t finish at this point. The damaging influence received when children continues during the adolescence. For instance, girls don’t pay disco tickets, but boys have to. We are treated and used like objects because we are the key that makes the disco get filled with boys. Worst of all, some people don’t see the problem and say that we are lucky to enter free… An evidence that we should continue working on equality and raising awareness of that acts that we see as normal but in fact they hide something else.

What do you think about this? What can we do to solve that cases in which we don’t perceive the danger? Can you think of any similar case to the disco tickets?

ST-LIV-G9-2

Hello, ladies
It is generally thought that colours tend to separate both sexes. As ST-LIV-G9-3 said, girls’ section is surrounded by a range of pink colours meanwhile in boys’ section, blue is the colour. But, why do we give colours the power to decide what colour should define each sex? If we think about it, the idea is pathetic. Colours are created to make our world vivid, a place where we feel comfortable. So, our society should stop distinguishing by colours our children’s’ toys and focus on the idea that colours belong to everyone with no exception.

Another problem appears when we talk about adolescence, girls don’t have to pay for their tickets to get into the disco but boys have to. We are treated as objects, but some people see it as an advantage… Women are the attraction to get the disco filled of boys and that’s why we don’t pay, and it is just another issue that creates gender inequality.

In my case, when I go to clubs or discos with my group of friends, we always split boys’ tickets in order to pay the same amount of money, that’s how it should work. But that step won’t face inequality, we need a way to change our minds when it comes to women; we are not objects, we are humans as men are, and we do not want to be treated with disdain.

In some countries, clubs and discos have changed their stipulations with the intention of making clear that we are all equal, so both sexes have to pay the same. Do you think it is a good idea? Will our country take action to achieve this particular purpose? How can we make it? Will it be necessary another change in our society?

DL-LIV-G9-1

Hello everyone and thank you for your recent posts in the discussion!

ST-LIV-G9-3 and ST-LIV-G9-2 have mentioned a good point regarding free club entry for girls. I agree with you that positive discrimination is not a good thing for our society. I think it encourages people to think different genders should be treated differently, whether it be in positive or negative manner because we are the same and are capable of achieving the same things so the treatment and outlook of society should reflect this.

It is interesting how you have all mentioned similar points about women being regarded as objects due to their appearance. I particularly liked ST-LIV-G9-2‘s point about the women protagonist in modern films. It is is true that although the position or role of women in films may be changing from the ‘wife’/’mother’/’princess’ to a working women (which is a great thing – we should be portrayed as capable to do the same work alongside men, or even be more superior than them, such as in films like Devil Wears Prada or The Intern) it is true that the actresses in films are often portrayed as a beautiful woman who cares about her looks and manages to wow her peers with her appearance, not necessarily her intelligence or capabilities. I would agree that this stereotype should change, women shouldn’t have to look amazing to be successful, just like a man isn’t expected to have model-looks to be a good businessman.
However, this could be a creation of Hollywood, as everyone in Hollywood films are made to look perfect.

I would like to remind you all that tomorrow will be the final day of the discussion! I am going to make a short summary about the issues and points we have discussed throughout the discussion, and if there is anything else you would like to add then please do it by tomorrow 🙂

I hope this discussion has taught you a lot around the issue of gender equality, and that it has encouraged you to try and get involved in movements or campaigns which could make changes for the future.

At the beginning of the discussion, we started off by talking about International Women’s Day, and the importance protests such as these have in creating awareness for the cause. We then went on to discuss current issues which relate to gender inequality in today’s society, including a pay gap, unfair share of housework and in particular the pink tax which means women products are often more expensive that male’s products due to being classed as more ‘luxury items’. I found it interesting how you all mentioned the effect a tax such as this has on society, as it shows people naturally treat women differently to men and it is normalised through simple policies such as this tax.

We then went on to talk about stereotypes, and in particular how these stereotypes are taught to children and carried through to adult life, which is why we are surrounded by the idea that women should behave like a ‘female’ and men like ‘males’, whereas in reality, there shouldn’t be an accepted or expected way to behave because of your gender. You guys made excellent points by relating this issue to films/music/adverts of TV, which show the extent of this problem!!

I agree that changing the way genders are portrayed through these popular medias will be a good place to start, as well as putting more of a focus on teaching the importance of gender equality in schools to ensure that the younger generations do not pick up bad habits of thought.

Please share your final ideas on what you thought about our discussion, what you have learnt and what you hope for the future to finish off the discussion 🙂

Thank you all again for sharing your ideas and I hope you have a wonderful Easter!

ST-LIV-G9-1

Hello girls!
First of all, I ‘d like to clarify something since I feel there has been a misunderstanding. Given that we started participating in the forum just two weeks ago, we still have left another two to give our final thoughts about this issue. In view of this, DL-LIV-G9-1, even though you have finished your part you might still receive notifications in your inbox during the next few days. Sorry in advance!

Now that this out of the way, let’s keep the debate going! DL-LIV-G9-1’s summary has made me realize that we don’t seem to have offered many solutions. The best proposal so far has been ST-LIV-G9-6’s idea of introducing a new subject in our schools, which would be brilliant, but I think we should describe it in detail for it to really work. However, if you’ve read my previous post you know I am a bit reluctant to get involved in this plan, mainly because I consider that teachers don’t have the power to influence on such level.

I have a proposition of my own which consists of using “virality” in our favour. Do you remember a video that went viral a few years ago that starred a girl and a few boys who look startled when they were asked to slap her? I conceive that using platforms like Youtube to send a message could be an easy way to reach a wide audience. Maybe a web series or a daily vlog that put comedy and entertainment into the equation.

Considering that your next posts will be the last, I would like you to express your takeaway from this experience first, and then choose one of the proposals. If you can, give your suggestions to make any of these propositions plausible.

ST-LIV-G9-5

Hello, ladies
This is not my last post, so, I still have many things to say and, I hope they will be useful.
As ST-LIV-G9-1 pointed out, a school subject about gender equality might not be profitable enough despite being a fantastic idea. Yes, education is key but maybe kids will not be interested in this subject because it is that, a school subject. I am not claiming that this measure is no necessary, I am just saying that this should be complemented with something else.
For instance, more YouTube channels with feminist content would cause a great impact on society, and particularly on teenagers and children. In fact, I usually watch videos from channels such as BuzzFeed Lola or Ayme, which make entertaining explanations about feminism.
But we still need more than that. Things are starting to change in Hollywood and in music industry. Women who have suffered from sexual harassment are now claiming that «Time is up», and those who were assaulting them are starting to be punished. Music industry is changing and evolving as well. Women are taking control on those music genres traditionally ruled by men that shared a sexist message. For example, reggeaton has been accused of being disrespectul towards women, but ladies are starting to make their own music with lyrics about their freedom and their power of decission.
Yes, undoubtedly our society is evolving but, do you think we are doing all we can? Do you consider that actresses, singers and politicians are really fighting againt sexism? Do you think their influence has made a change on society?

ST-LIV-G9-6

Hi ladies!
This is my last post so I would like to summarize my opinion about which measure would be the most viable. First of all, I must say that it is clear that a school subject about gender equality is not enough to solve this social problem, not just because teens may not be interested in, but also because there are other aspects of our society like the mass media who are the ones that take advantage of that situation and encourage to gender inequality.

As ST-LIV-G9-5 pointed out, there is no doubt that education is the key to solve all the problems, however I think that education should be combined with laws that force brands to stop doing sexist adverts, or to forbid sexist movies in the film market. Moreover, I personally believe that toy magazines should not make difference between “pink toys” and “blue toys”, since this way children not would be influenced by anything from the start of their lives. In addition, art always has been a way to make people change their opinion and think about, so from my point of view is a big step that music industry is starting to change.

To conclude, I totally agree with ST-LIV-G9-1 about the idea of using Internet in our favour. Nowadays a great amount of people spend long hours connected to social networks so using them to take awareness about the problem to me is the best solution to that problem. In addition, influential people like bloggers would be also an efficient way to spread the message of gender equality. I am totally convinced that a mix of education, laws and social websites would be a great method to solve this social problem. What do you think? Do you think this would be practical?

ST-LIV-G9-3

Hello, ladies

I concur with your ideas of education but, as ST-LIV-G9-6 said, other fields help is necessary to achieve our target of equality. ST-LIV-G9-5 raised a very interesting question about this fight in regard to famous people. The first thought I had was when Trump raised to power last year, and thousands of women took the streets to defend their rights. During this fight, many artists, activists and singers, as Madonna, Scarlett Johansson or Alicia Keys, took part on it to show the world how important was and is raising awareness of gender inequality.

I would like to talk a little bit about the last woman I mentioned, Alicia. She’s a really famous American song-writer whose ingenious rights movement was selected to receive top accolades for their human rights activism by Amnesty International. She mixed activism with art, so this became inspirational and encouraging. She also decided to avoid the use of make-up to defend woman’s beauty as we are. And of course, she takes the advantage of her music to stand for that long-awaited equality. She’s an example of struggle.

But, as ST-LIV-G9-5 said, there are some music genders that don’t help much, but fortunately the situation is changing and women and artists are pushing for respect and equality in every area of influence. Do you agree with me? Could you mention other instance of famous people who is indeed this cause? What’s he or she doing to make aware of equality?

ST-LIV-G9-5

Hello, ladies

This will be my last intervention in this debate. Before starting, I’d like to make you know that it has been a very positive experience for me. Also, I’d like to thank you all for sharing your points of view and knowledge about feminism and gender equality.

I’d like to begin my intervention by following one of the examples given by ST-LIV-G9-3. It is absolutely true that Alicia Keys is giving a powerful message to women (especially teenagers) about acceptation and self-esteem. Famous people are frequently portrayed as flawless and that creates impossible beauty standards. It is very significant that famous women decide to show up as they really are.

Besides make up, there is another industry that can make women feel insecure about their physical appearance. It is known that fashion industry has been criticized for using models with unhealthy appearance and for promoting eating disorders. We are used to see thin models, but there are other models that represent different body types and catwalks are starting to show this diversity.

It is remarkable the fact that women are starting to speak their minds and fighting against those things that had been traditionally oppressive and unfair for us. Do you think feminism has been eye-opening for you? Have you ever been influenced by these aspects?

ST-LIV-G9-2

Hello, girls

This is my last intervention and I would like to say thank you for being part of the discussion. I know gender equality is not an easy topic for everyone but we tried to focus on main problems and provide solutions to fight for women’s rights.

Some of my classmates have discussed that music and cosmetic industry are part of the problems when it comes to inequality.
Currently, many singers are writing sexist songs where woman tend to be submissive and weaker than men. As long as these singers are gaining fame, we see their writing as normal, we assume there is no sexism and just lyrics but that’s not true. These kinds of songs give us the women’s profile: stunning, not intelligent, obedient… Besides, make up try to have another effect, and it consists in to create a profile in which every woman should be adapted to, if you’re not following cosmetic rules, you’re not considered as “beautiful”. We must break these stereotypes and stablish that beauty can be in so many different ways, not just outside but also inside.

If we restart discos’ topic, did you know waitresses tend to be women with cosmetic surgery in many parts of their bodies? I mean most of these girls are part of the perfect stereotype created by our society. Shouldn’t we stop promoting that it is generally thought as perfect? We are humans and perfection does not exist, imperfection makes us feel real and alive, and that’s the key. How can we change that general thought? Which is our starting point?

ST-LIV-G9-3

Hello, girls
This is my last intervention too and I would like to thank you because I found very interesting discussing this topic. It is well known that gender equality is an ambitious but necessary goal and it has been a pleasure to deal with it and to try to find different solutions.

The main idea we tried to defend is that we women are human, as men, so we must have the same rights and privileges, as well as obligations. It is not possible for us to search further for something as basic as this. Society needs to win the battle once and for all. The first step is to feel comfortable with ourselves, and so, putting aside those things referred to physic as impossible bodies, make-up…

Another point that should be underlined are the social factors that concerns everyone: advertising spots, music, fashion… Every area must show respect for women and treat us as we deserve. We are not obedient objects without feelings or own discretion. For this reason, now we are proving how brave and strong we are during strikes and social demonstrations.

We all agree with the idea of educating in freedom, teaching values to the new generations for making gender equality a reality and not something to strive for. That’s why, for instance, disco’s topic will have no sense within some years and every teenager would be treated in the same way, cutting across gender.

As ST-LIV-G9-2 said, if perfection doesn’t exist, why should we search for it? It’s a waste of time. If we are all the same, why aren’t we treated equally? And, of course, if we are who are going to bring to life new generations, why don’t we make them feel proud of us?

ST-LIV-G9-1

Hello girls!

As you all know this is also my last intervention which means that our forum debate is over after one month of discussing the topic of gender equality. Without further ado, I’m going to summarize our ideas and solutions. However, I intend to do it very briefly since DL-LIV-G9-1 already took care of the first half of our posts.

To begin with, we decided to take the International Woman’s Day as a starting point for our debate, and from there we started talking about the pink tax and other several struggles that we have confront based on our gender. We also spent weeks complaining about stereotypes: how they are shown in the music and movie industry, mainly in certain kinds of films and music genres such as Reggaeton; how they affect females, especially teenagers who are more interested in topics such as fashion or the “beauty world”; and also how they are instilled in kids through toy magazines.

When it comes to solutions, we have proposed a wide range of options that could do really well if put together. For instance, we have talked about teaching a compulsory subject on gender equality in schools, that could go hand in hand with a series of videos created by famous influencers. If we could make a project like this happen, it would be an amazing opportunity of having a profound effect on both teenagers and children at the same time, who in the end are our targets.

Having said that, I want to thank all of you for being cooperative and for contributing with new and original points of view. You have taught me a lot and I hope you all have gained as much from this experience as I have!

Universitat de Valencia

English Language IIA

Debate 9: Gender Equality

English Language IIB

Debate 9: Gender Equality

English Language II E

Debate 2: Gender Equality

FORUM debate 2/Gender equality Group Name: Heathens

English Language IV

Debate 9: Gender Equality

FORUM debate 2/Gender equality
Group Name: Heathens