In today’s society, openly degrading women has become such a consistency that it is expected and often times, accepted. Being groped, leered at, and harassed in the streets is seen as normal and just the way things are. “Don’t be so serious,” we’re often told. We should be flattered.
It is becoming difficult to talk about sexism when it is no longer seen as an issue, yet 1 in 3 women will face sexual or physical violence in her lifetime. Our society perceives to have gender equality, but women still make only 77 cents for every dollar men make across all careers. We are living in a liberal and modern time, however only 13% of countries have female leaders, and a recent study shows that most women don’t want to be leaders because of the belief that women are forced to make greater sacrifices than male leaders. Women are becoming increasingly fed up with this kind of treatment and a new movement for female’s empowerment, CHIME FOR CHANGE, is showing the world just that.
CHIME FOR CHANGE is a new worldwide campaign with a mission to raise funds and awareness for women’s issues while focusing on education, health, and justice. Founded by Gucci, CHIME FOR CHANGE convenes, unites, and strengthens the voices of women across the world to amplify their stories in an attempt to influence real change.
A recent story, called #SHOUTINGBACK by Dan Reed, follows UK journalist and activist Laura Bates as she uses the power of social media to highlight the issue of sexism and objectification with The Everyday Sexism Project.
“I set the website up because I hoped if enough women put their stories in one place, people would be able to see what was going on,” Bates explained.
Women of all ages and locations face daily sexism, harassment, and even assault, from public transportation to the workplace. The Everyday Sexism Project wants to fight gender inequality by gathering stories, raising awareness, speaking out, and establishing a cultural shift so that women know that they have the right to confront sexism. The project aims to rethink the notion that sexism does not exist by making it clear for everyone to see, and inspiring a change to end it.
The Everyday Sexism Project, launched in April 2012, started as a website where women (and men) could share stories of their experiences with everyday sexism, from cat calls on the streets to assault and even rape. Since its start, the website has collected over 30,000 women’s stories and has expanded to over 16 countries worldwide.
The project has created a donation page on Catapult for its operation costs, website upgrades, and expansions to other countries. With 329 supporters and 132 days to go, the project needs $12,920 to meet its goal of $19,000. In the meantime, stories are still being collected and shared on The Everyday Sexism Project’s original website and its accompanying Twitter page.
