International Women's Day 2022 | #BreakTheBias
Gender bias is ingrained in us from the moment we are born. It’s taught to us as children, where domestic gender roles are enforced and is constantly reinforced throughout our lives.
Women and girls from all backgrounds are forced into small boxes, limiting their potential and achievements. Societal expectations often led to confusing self-perceptions as people can expect less, or more, of women and girls than they do their male counterparts.
“I’m often described as being too loud or having too much attitude when in reality all I’m doing is remaining confident and asserting myself in situations. People tend to assert the bias that women do not speak up for themselves but I constantly find myself advocating for myself and other girls to prove them wrong” - Niamh Graham, Marketing and Communications Manager
Additional biases can be placed on women and girls of colour as different cultures expect women to act in certain ways. These perceptions can limit women to domestic spaces, meaning that women have to fulfil cultural or domestic expectations ahead of their personal goals.
“Women, especially women of colour, can be held back significantly from entering the workforce after taking a lengthy period of time off either on maternity leave or a career break to raise their children which can lead to barriers in career advancement. Still, we are unfortunately fighting the perception that domestic obligations rests with the women whilst men are geographically mobile to take on senior roles.” - Anita Richards, Fundraising and Development Manager
The biases we see throughout our lives are upheld by the systems and institutions around us. The only way to break these biases is through systemic change.
This change will allow women everywhere to have equal access to education, work, healthcare and justice. It means providing girls the opportunity to study whatever they want.
"This means recruiting more diverse staff teams, supporting people from all ages, backgrounds and genders into leadership roles. It means providing a wider range of activities that are welcoming and inclusive for girls and young people with different abilities and backgrounds.” - Nicola Butler, CEO.
In RBKC, we are constantly striving to support women and girls, of all backgrounds, alongside providing them with opportunities to succeed. We are so thankful to the community providers who constantly work to ensure girls are able to follow their goals and aspire to greatness.
Swimunity, a female-led community group, teaches women in the community how to swim in safe and secure all-women groups.
Rugby Portobello Trust runs Project Athena, a girls only session for personal development alongside creative arts and sports for girls aged 11-19.
EduGames CIC, a female-led charity dedicated to building multi-sensory, culturally nuanced, immersive educational mobile games and activity camps for 7-14 year olds
An-Nisa Network, empower women from all backgrounds with knowledge, skills and confidence to better themselves & their families, tackle isolation and integrate into the community.
Young K&C continues to champion girls and young women as we work with our community to provide them with the resources and support they need to fulfil their potential and #BreakTheBias.
We are so proud of our community for constantly inspiring girls and young women to break down the stereotypes placed upon them and become their authentic selves.
As a community, we need to pile our resources together to #BreakTheBias. When we are able to do that, we break every limit set for us, every bar set too low and every stereotype forced upon us.
Happy International Women’s Day!
Find out more about International Women's Day here: https://www.internationalwomen...