Thursday, March 8, is when International Women’s Day is taking place this year. The campaign theme is “#PressForProgress”, to support gender parity (equality) especially in regards to wages.
DCU has always been a stronghold for equality in all aspects as well as feminism, recently winning a bronze award for their actions. DCU also has a lengthy list if successful female alumni from all areas of the college, including Journalism!
It seems that now more than ever, DCU women continue to excel and integrate themselves in college life. In 2012, 53.5percent of staff in DCU were female, and from 2007 to 2012 the lowest percentage of female students was 51percent.
It’s clear that DCU women are here to stay and work hard to achieve as much as they can when it comes to academia. Many heads of DCU clubs and societies are women too, portraying strong leadership that is historically associated with men.
Knocking gender stereotypes out of the water, is Shauna Bowers – Editor in Chief of The College View, DCU’s student newspaper.
“I suppose as someone who is entering into a male-dominated profession, independence and strength is probably something I value more than most,” Bowers said. She is well aware of the male-majority that is prevalent in most top positions of newspapers.
“[The] majority have only had one female editor and some have not had any.”
Bowers said she is proud to lead an editorial team that is comprised of mostly female editors, and being made editor of the college view was “such a pivotal moment”.
“It requires a lot of strength and I’m challenged everyday but I wouldn’t change it.” She said in conclusion
Speaking to First Year DCU student Sonja Tutty, she said that being an independent woman means having autonomy (the freedom of your will and actions).
“It means my thoughts, dreams, and feelings carry validity…[I] carry the confidence to fight for that autonomy and validity.”
The first International Women’s Day was established in 1910 to build support and recognition for the Women’s Rights movement. The UN signed an international agreement in 1945 which set off it’s involvement in ensuring standards and programmes which aid in advancing women’s status worldwide.
This International Women’s Day, try taking a step back to appreciate your fellow woman and the achievements we have gathered over the centuries, and how much further we are capable of going!
Photo by Bruno Nascimento on Unsplash