international women's Day!

Brought to you by the always-boss Kate Griem and Proof Schubert-Reed, here are some things to keep in mind this International Women's Day and Women's History Month! xx, TR

Hello Teens Resisters!!  In honor of International Women’s Day, here are some (almost unbelievable but somehow not surprising) facts to inspire you to take some concrete action around women’s rights across the world:

• Full-time working women in the US receive 80 cents for every dollar their male counterparts make
  • This number drops to 63 cents for Black women and 54 cents for Latina women
• Fewer than 40% of countries in the world provide girls and boys with equal access to education
• Women represent only 5.8% of Fortune 500 CEOs
• Nearly half of working women in the U.S. say they have experienced harassment in the workplace
• The 20 women serving as Heads of State or Heads of Government represent only 6.3% of international leaders
• 71% of human trafficking victims are women and girls
• Only 19.8% of American Congress members are female
• As of 2015, women held 47% of all jobs in the U.S., but only 24% of STEM positions
• Men are twice as likely as women to be hired for a job in mathematics when the only difference between candidates is gender

These are only a small fraction of the statistics that continue to show us how much work still needs to be done.  From workplace discrimination to scarce political representation to sexual harassment to human trafficking to lack of women in STEM — not just in the U.S. but all over the world — women deserve equal social and professional treatment and an equal voice.

What you can do

The good news is: these statistics can be changed! How can I take action?

1. Two phenomenal organizations to support, today and always, are EMILY’s List, an organization that works to elect pro-choice, Democratic women to U.S. office, and Planned Parenthood, a nonprofit that works to provide equal productive healthcare to women all over the world.
   - On a global scale, support organizations such as the Malala Fund, which works to provide equal primary and secondary education for girls all over the world, and Women’s Environment & Development Organization, which integrates the fight for gender equality and environmental sustainability into a larger global goal
   
2. Text STAND to 22422 to stay updated on important fights for reproductive health and rights.  Every few days, you’ll receive a brief text containing a) a problem or issue that needs to be confronted and b) an easy way to take action (for example, a phone number to call or a link to a script).  
   
3. Tell Congress that you stand with Planned Parenthood.  It’s simple-- just click here, scroll down to the section highlighted in pink, enter your information, and click submit.  With each signature, lawmakers will realize more and more how important PP is in terms of providing critical health services to millions.  
   
4. Support women around you! In the economic/business world, specifically make an effort to support female artists, writers, and entrepreneurs by appreciating and sharing their work and consuming products made by female-run small-businesses. Start online with The GreenBoxShop, a queer, Afro-Latina, mostly female-owned small business that creates social justice tees for people across the world! From a social standpoint, make efforts to support the women and girls around you on a daily basis — girls rock, and you should build them up, not tear them down!
   
5. NYC Resisters — this one’s for you! Support Women In Need (WIN) (you can volunteer or donate money or resources) a NYC-based homeless shelter that works to provide women and their families with stable, secure housing and resources to establish economic and professional independence in the city.
   
6. Female Resisters — get! involved! in! STEM! One of the best and most powerful ways to increase female representation in science, technology, engineering, and math is to get involved in STEM clubs/groups at and outside of your school (Girls Who Code for instance!) ​Most importantly, never be intimidated by any person, pressure, or social norm that tells you that you will never be as good at STEM as your male classmates.  It’s not true. Speak with your administrators/faculty members to make sure your school promotes STEM programs for all students and to ensure they are not passively condoning gender discrimination in the classroom.

Engaging in Pop culture:

In honor of the sheer power of girl power, check out these super amazing pieces of music/literature/media created by women!!

• Watch Shonda Rhimes’s TV shows (she writes and produces them), which all center around strong and complicated female characters in their respective professional worlds — Grey’s Anatomy, Scandal, and How To Get Away With Murder
  
• Listen to Beyonce’s iconic Run the World (Girls), which will always cheer you up when you need a little empowerment
  
• Go re-watch the Harry Potter movies and this time keep an eye out for the amazing Hermione Granger, an empowered idol for girls all over the world!
  
• Watch Yara Shahidi’s Grown-ish and Jane the Virgin, both fun comedies that center around young female icons in the real world
  
• Listen to Kesha’s most recent album, Rainbow, which focuses on themes of female strength and empowerment, in addition to providing some epic tunes!
  
• Watch Greta Gerwig’s Ladybird with a maternal figure in your life! It’s directed/written/produced by and stars women and features some incredible women doing some incredibly moving, empowering, thought-worthy, and funny things.
  

Read The Power, by Naomi Alderman, a book that will make you question everything you’ve ever thought about how our society is built and make you girls feel seriously empowered.  ​

And above all, remember that supporting rights for girls means supporting all girls. Girls are powerful, they rock, and every single one of them deserves the same resources and support as everyone else in the world. Keep the above in mind today and every day as you continue to Resist and fight for equality across the world!
Happy IWD!
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