In a world that is still fighting for equality in many places, it is great to hear stories about how people are choosing to uplift and empower each other. Over the years, there have been countless stories about how other people have worked to empower others. Some of these things have been small but they have had a huge impact on the world and the people living in it. The petty competition that used to be the bread and butter of being a woman is no longer an option. Everyday, women are seeking out different ways to help and replenish each other.
Educating each other
When the Tailban shot Malala Yousafzia for daring to get an education, it sent shockwaves around the world. However, there have been countless times throughout history that women have been denied the basic right to an education. Unfortunately, Malala’s case is not different from many other stories. Although there are still barriers in place in many places in the world, many people are fighting to remove them and allow girls around the world to go to school. The internet has been instrumental in allowing girls and young women access to education in a way that has never been possible. Every blog post or YouTube video that is empowering and educating young women should be considered a force for good in the world.
Know your rights
There have been many times when we may have found ourselves in a bind and not known what to do. If this has been a legal issue, it can be very worrying. However, there have been many times that women have helped each other by providing a form of legal aid. There are many organisations that rely on information from other places in order to assist people who might need it. Using resources such as legal research in 3 steps from Thomson Reuters can help organisations who assist survivors of domestic violence. Without these resources and the people behind the charities, many women would continue to be trapped in an abusive environment.
Supporting each other
You might not completely understand what your friend’s vision is for the world or how they plan on making the world a better place, but this doesn’t mean that you don’t support them with every fibre of your being. Every day, women turn to other women for help and support when they are trying to move forward with their lives. Sometimes you are just a kind ear for them to vent to, or maybe you have the know-how to help them create the best thing in the world. Whatever it is, the support that we give to each other has far reaching consequences that have helped to boost self-esteem and joy around the globe.
Old habits that are good for you
How many people took up hobbies as kids and forgot about them as they got older? Maybe studying or work got in the way. Maybe you felt that you were too old to enjoy it. Whatever the reason, many people are choosing to ignore them. If you were a dancer as a child and loved feeling the movement of your body, there is no reason why you can’t embrace that part of yourself again. As a result of this, there is a huge demand for adult dance classes that are designed to help people get back to their passion. The result has been liberating as people discover their passions once again.
Self-care movement
We all love our mothers, and we all know how hard they work. The culture of working until you dropped has started to disappear over the years, and mothers have been at the forefront. When people become parents, there is a desire to ensure that everything is perfect. But if you are balancing the care of your baby, your career, and maintaining a home, burnout is around the corner. Self-care became a necessary part of the parenting process and gave mothers a reason to take a step back. You cannot pour from an empty cup was the idea, and now everyone is embracing it. Now, it has evolved from taking a bubble bath to going to therapy to release ourselves from past trauma and the chains that have bound us to toxic behaviours.
Breaking boundaries
There are so many things that women have yet to break into but every day we are learning about boundary-breaking women who have done the impossible. Let’s be honest with ourselves, these women have always existed, we just didn’t get to learn about them. Now, we are learning about Madame C.J. Walker became one of the first millionaires in the 20th century with her hair care products, or how Ada Lovelace was responsible for the computers that we know. Even in 2019, we had Kamala Harris becoming the first female Vice President of the United States. Hopefully, within our lifetime, we will finally see a woman be the President, something that has never happened before. Because history has been dusted off and we know that there have been amazing women who have defied the odds, it is very empowering to women of all ages.
Sharing their failures
Life is not easy, that is something that everyone can agree on. For some people, it is easier than others because of certain privileges that they have. However, even with all of those good things behind them, they can still manage to mess things up. And that is ok. Some of the biggest inspirations that we have seen over the years have come from dark places. Stories of struggles and fighting against the odds. These stories inspire us because we see something of ourselves in them and knowing that they succeed gives us hope. Even if we don’t share anything in common with these women, their stories are inspiring because it is hard to admit that you have failed.
Saying No
No is a full sentence and a very powerful statement to make. No, you are not entitled to my time. No, we don’t have to explain why. No, we are not interested. In the years that have come before us, saying not was not an option. Women of the past were expected to be flexible and do as they were told. But this is the now. No is a powerful word but it can be empowering to hear other women use it. Having someone in the office say no, I will not do that busy work that they were supposed to do last week. A woman saying no in the club to someone she is clearly not interested in and giving no explanation. Anytime a woman says no and it is followed by a chorus of why not? And her answer continues to be no for no reason other than no is a full sentence.
Acts of kindness
When a person is feeling low, sometimes all they need is a little pick-me-up to empower them in amazing ways. Acts of kindness can come in many different forms. We have all heard the stories of people paying for other drinks in Starbucks, or leaving painted pebbles around to make others smile. Of course, there are the much larger ones such as making a large donation to a charity or offering up some of our time to help someone who needs it. Over the years, this exchange of kindness has allowed other people to flourish. But, it hasn’t just been helping the person who needed help, it has been shown to help the mental health of the person who is doing the act.
Respect
Respect is one of those things that comes in all shapes and sizes. What you consider respect is not the same to someone else. However, there is a universal truth to respect, and that is that everyone deserves it. Even if people don’t agree with your life choices, they should respect them because they were your choices. Many women are making a point of showing that they don’t agree with a person’s decisions but they respect them. This argument has come in handy when people are trying to get laws changed or rights granted. For example, when Ireland had a referendum on same-sex marriage in 2015, many people came out and stated that they didn’t really agree with it but they had to respect another person’s right to love another. It is this type of respect that has been bubbling over and helping empower people. Everyone has the right to live their life the way they want to and people are respecting those choices.
One of the main themes that you may have noticed is that most women just need to show up. It doesn’t take a lot to uplift another woman, just showing up can be enough to give her the confidence to take those steps that she wants to take. Isn’t it great that even the smallest thing that we can do could empower and uplift another woman so much? It is great to see women supporting other women now and throughout history.
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