What comes to mind when you hear the phrase “female empowerment” or “girl power”? Do you picture a group of women marching in the streets and fighting for their rights? Do you think of a female role model and the great things that she has accomplished? Maybe you even picture someone close to you, like a partner, friend, sister, daughter or mother, and how they have shaped you as a person. I was curious to hear what other people had to say about this topic, so I decided to ask some of my friends and fellow Bruins what the phrase “female empowerment” means to them. Here is what they had to say:
- Nihal Anees
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“Female empowerment, for me, has to do with the liberation of women as a class. It means rejecting patriarchy even in the most domestic, intimate settings – spaces where women’s oppression is most powerful. For me, it is represented by my mother who will always – often at a cost to her reputation with the rest of the family – speak up for her cousins, her nieces and her daughter and reject the notion that their femininity ought to have anything to do with the opportunities they’re afforded.”
- Anonymous
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“As a woman in computer science, I often find myself one of few women in the room when it comes to my field. It doesn’t happen every time, but I try to connect with these other women so that we can support each other to the best of our ability. This can manifest as making sure our voices are heard in male-dominated environments, encouraging each other to push our own abilities to the max and looking out for each other during stressful periods. When I hear the phrase “female empowerment,” this is what I think of. Building this small but strong community is how we empower each other to keep moving forward.”
- Elliot Yu
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“For me, female empowerment means going beyond just having a seat at the table, but instead having spaces where women are the specialists, teachers and leaders. I think of all the activists like Marsha P. Johnson and mathematicians like Katherine Johnson who carved out a place for themselves and their work in a world that was largely working against them. Their power has momentum, and we see the legacies of their work empowering others to seek social change.”
- Maria Blumenkrantz
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“The idea of female empowerment reminds me that I can do anything I put my mind to. This includes traditional female roles such as being a mother, as well as any career aspirations I may have. I aim to become a molecular biologist. I work with several women who are incredibly intelligent research scientists and also have families, and I look up to them greatly.”
- Jeremy Quan
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“For me, female empowerment is the freedom of choice. Women should be socially and economically free to do what they wish with their lives, a right that all people should have. Women who want to pursue a career, women who want to take care of a household and every woman in between should be free to live with no limitations.”
- Saagarika Verma
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“I think women empowerment is very pivotal in my life. I like to think of it as a force that brings me hope for the future. We have come so far and there is so much more we can do, and the faith that we are a collective force that is trying to propel equality and inclusivity brings me hope. I don’t know anything specific that it calls me to particularly, but I guess it just reminds me of how the women I am closest to embody empowerment in their own lives and how they approach and interact with the world.”
- Kelvin Yeoh
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“Personally, I think female empowerment evokes the idea of limitless. This entails the ability to achieve anything without any constraints, which may include political achievements, educational opportunities and more. Besides biological restrictions, female empowerment suggests that all females should be honored with equal opportunities, which are accessible to males.”
The words “female empowerment” can be perceived and interpreted in a myriad of ways, but one thing is for sure: female empowerment is a driving force in the fight for gender equality and the uplifting of women’s voices that have been silenced in the past. We will continue to support and empower each other to achieve great things and make sure that all future girls can grow into powerful women.