Paulina Tervo, Chief Content Officer & Co-Founder at Lyfta
This year’s IWD theme is about striving for equity
This year’s IWD campaign theme #EmbraceEquity encourages a worldwide understanding of why equal opportunities aren't enough. The website states
‘Equity isn't just a nice-to-have, it's a must-have. A focus on gender equity needs to be part of every society's DNA’,
It's critical to understand the difference between equity and equality. While equality demands that everyone be treated the same irrespective of their background or circumstances, equity acknowledges that individuals may require different resources and support to achieve the same outcome.
Women have been systematically hindered from achieving the same level of success as men due to several barriers, such as limited access to education and job opportunities, as well as unconscious biases and discrimination in the workplace.
To truly level the playing field and create a world where the younger generation can make real change, we need to embrace equity from an early age. This could mean that women and girls may need extra support or resources to overcome the obstacles they face.
Celebrating female leaders and role models
But equity isn't just about addressing systemic barriers and providing extra support to those who need it. It's also about seeing and celebrating the unique contributions that women bring to the table.
Women have long been underrepresented in fields like science, technology, engineering, and maths (STEM) and in certain sports. By encouraging young girls to pursue these fields and highlighting the achievements of women who have broken barriers in these areas, we can inspire a new generation of female innovators and leaders.
For girls and women, having female role models in positions of leadership or in non-traditional fields can inspire them to pursue their own dreams and ambitions. It can also challenge stereotypes and break down gender barriers that have traditionally limited the opportunities available to women.
In order to promote equity and gender equality, it's important to ensure that women and other underrepresented groups have access to a diverse range of role models. This means supporting women in leadership positions, highlighting the achievements of women in non-traditional fields, and promoting diversity and inclusion at all levels of society.
The power of stories
At Lyfta, we know that storytelling is a powerful tool for supporting students to see the world from others’ perspectives as well as challenging stereotypes and developing an understanding of their own experiences. Through exploring Lyfta’s storyworlds, students are able to learn about themselves and their own worlds by exploring the experiences and lives of others.
Many of our storyworlds feature women who are in leadership positions or who are breaking gender stereotypes. For instance, in our Space Mission Lucy storyworld we meet space engineers Cathy and Donya, who both work on a NASA mission. Through their stories we learn how they got interested in space science, how their education and career paths developed and how they are inspiring young people into robotics and careers in space science and technology. They are both hugely inspiring examples of women who followed their passion, found careers that they love and encourage others to do the same.
In Boxing Clever, we meet 22-year old Catherine a.k.a ‘The Silent Beast’ who is the first female Ugandan boxer to qualify for the Olympic Games. Catherine describes how she realised her dream, overcoming the criticism of her father and breaking down gender stereotypes in her home country to succeed as a female in a male-dominated sport.
Lyfta's documentaries are authentic and powerful narratives focused on real human stories. They offer audiences a glimpse into a person's life - often revealing their thoughts, feelings, aspirations and values. While Lyfta's documentary films are short in duration, we are regularly reminded that there is great depth to the stories, which provides a stimulus for valuable classroom discussions. Stories are also a great way to give people permission to reflect on their own lives. Lyfta's stories touch on a wide range of universal themes from all over the world, featuring people of all ages and myriad backgrounds and identities. According to numerous accounts from teachers and students, this makes the stories easier to relate to and connect with.
The impact of role models
We know that authentic real-life stories can have a lasting impact on young people and the way they see themselves. Celebrating the achievements of women who have broken barriers and pursued their passions can be incredibly inspiring and empowering for young people. We believe that positive role models are an important part of a child’s education and that it is our responsibility as filmmakers and educators to give young people the opportunity to explore high-quality, well crafted, authentic human stories which aren’t readily available through mainstream media and social media platforms.
So, as we celebrate International Women's Day 2023, let's remember that achieving gender equality requires more than just treating everyone the same. It requires embracing equity and recognizing that women and girls may need extra support and resources to overcome the barriers they face. By providing positive role models and creating a culture that values diversity and equity, we can inspire the next generation of female leaders and create a world where everyone has the opportunity to achieve their full potential.
To find out more about Lyfta's work, please visit www.lyfta.com
The CST Blog welcomes perspectives from a diverse range of guest contributors. The opinions expressed in blogs are the views of the author(s), and should not be read as CST guidance or CST’s position.
