Girls Making A Difference
What's a girl's role in society? How are we supposed to act? Am I supposed to get married? Do I have to have kids?! Culture plays an important part in shaping our goals and habits. However, don't let it be the only factor in determining your passions. A girl's role in society is whatever she wants it to be.
Girls aren't good at Science
Absolutely wrong! Cultural norms can be dangerously oppresssive to maintain.
"This trio from County Cork, Ireland took home the grand prize at the Google Science Fair after wowing the judges with their discovery: Diazotroph, a bacteria that sucks nitrogen from the atmosphere into soil, speeding up the germination of cereal crops like barley and oats and—more importantly—increasing their yield. This advance could play a crucial role in solving the global food crisis, and Judge, Hickey and Healy-Thow are already planning to commercialize it."6
These teens are are featured in Time Magazine for their achievement, along with the 25 most influential teenagers. And a majority of this list are girls! It just goes to show that we are just as capable as boys. Don't let anyone dissauade you from your passions.
What are you doing to influence society?
Women on the warFront
Do you watch the show Agent Carter?
Find out about the real women who challenged gender norms: Three Women Defied Sexist Expectations to Become Some of the Most Important Allies in WWII features women who made amazing war efforts.
Women were responsible for some of the most courageous undercover work, at a time when they weren't even supposed to be on the warfront. Whether their motivation was national pride, a sense of adventure, or rebellion from social norms, these women took strides for equality. As the saying goes, 'well-behaved women seldom make history.'7
Can you imagine your (great-) grandmothers challenging gender norms? No, they were not just pin-up girls; they were daring, risk-taking women and are essential to our heritage. They aided the country its the time of need, regardless of their social status. I love this subject and found a few other great articles that showcase lesser-known stories of women in the war effort:
American Women in WWII gives you a brief overview of the importance of women in the war effort. It also discusses the fact that some women weren't recognized for their valor until recently, similar to what has happened to other minority groups in times of war.
Women at War reconizes all efforts made by women during that era. It provides an in-depth focus and proves that women are capable of whatever task is at hand. You will also find information from all branches of service, video interviews, artifacts, and a digital collection.
Women Under Fire in WWII gets into the nitty-gritty of sexism, including the lack of sexual agency. It's an informative read that will make you proud to be a woman.
Do you have family members who served in WWII? You might be lucky enough to hear first-hand accounts of their experiences.
Talk about being a badass.