Every year on March 8th, many individuals celebrate International Women’s Day for the women who have shaped their lives. What does it mean to be a woman? Well, that could be many things: an anthropologist and primatologist like Jane Goodall, an American civil rights activist like Rosa Parks, or an activist for female education like Malala Yousafzai.
In 2023, Greta Gerwig, an American screenwriter and director, produced Barbie starring Margot Robbie, America Ferrera, Ryan Gosling, and other notable actors. In this film, a woman, or in this case a doll, could be whoever they wanted to be. Mrs. Lauren Read decided to become a history teacher here at Grand Ledge High School (GLHS).
I asked Read what it meant to be a woman. Her answer was nothing short of what I expected. “I think it means to be loud. To be knowledgeable, to not diminish your voice simply because they have in the past. And being able to not just make it clear what you want or what you support, but just being loud and present. And making sure you’re fighting or advocating for that presence to remain,” Read expressed.
Women have always fought for their place in society, and yet that voice is still struggling to be heard. Through community, we can uplift each other as women and raise awareness about gender bias in society.
“I think it’s really simplistic. One is just being able to give credit where credit’s due. Like, it’s not my job to tear another female teacher in my hallway down. It’s my job to support her, because I bet at some point in time, she was not supported,” Read shared. “I don’t think there’s going to ever be a way to fully stamp out gender bias,” Read said.
According to the United Nations Development Programme, nearly 90% of men and women hold biases against women. Additionally, around 42% of women face gender discrimination in workplaces, while 41% have faced bias in job interviews in the United States alone.
“A lot of the time, people don’t realize that what they’re doing counts as a bias,” Read stated.
At the end of the day, women deserve the same amount of space, voice, and opportunities as men. After all,
“Women make up more than 51% of the world’s population. We are the majority,” Read said.
