SHATTERED

 

    We have always been told that it is hard to live in this world as a woman. However, for many it is truly difficult to understand what it is like to be one in such a patriarchal society. Today, I was asked to write about the challenges women face, but I believe that living and growing up as a  woman is the challenge.  

 

    The struggle of being a girl begins when they are just born. There is a perception that they are born as princesses. Beginning when they take their first shallow breaths, society begins to teach them what they should look like, how they should dress, how they should sit, and even how to laugh. This can have numerous negative impacts on girls’ mental and physical health. By the time girls are seven, they start to imagine their wedding dresses and  husbands, instead of a career that could make them leaders of their field. They wait for their prince to save them from the tower instead of standing up for themselves and carving their own path through life.

 

    I would like you to visit the first children clothing store you come across. You will notice the boys’ clothes have designs and figures about power, being the hero, saving the world. On the other side, girls’ clothing is about fragile symbols, butterflies, rainbows... ‘’I am too pretty to do math’’ t-shirts printed on. Regardless of the impact of STEM on women, it is constantly overshadowed by the messages sent to developing women through the media.  As girls grow, the issues they face also grow with them. According to PSYCOM, eating disorders can start as early as the age of 12. Young girls, trying to live up to the standards that society sets for them,  pursue unhealthy eating habits which could end up hurting their health in the long run. There are thousands of girls who are fighting against anorexia. According to the BBC,  anorexia has the highest death rate of any psychiatric illness. And adding on to that, according to ANAD, each year, 5 to 10 out of 100 patients die because of this eating disorder. The issue even raises with the toxic effect of social media. It is such a hostile environment. On average, 150 million photos are being deleted by their owners because of hate comments. These statistics truly demonstrate the overwhelmingly negative impact societal expectations and cultural norms combined with social media can have on women. This further raises the need for women empowerment through STEM programs.

 

    Over the years the little ‘princesses’ grow up and begin to work so they can make money and support themselves. Society teaches them that they have the same opportunity as men and that there is no need for feminism. However, this only fuels the pre-existing sexist social norms such as the wage disparity between men and women. Both domestically and internationally, multiple statistics show men are earning much more money than women. Even though society is still saying that the wage gap is a myth. This creates even more need for awareness around these issues. It is imperative to teach the youth of tomorrow the facts: that these disparities are real and that women need to have more equality in both the workplace and in the wages they make.

 

    As John Sheran said, ‘’The best fortune teller of what the future awaits us is what happened to us in the past’’. As always, we can focus on our past to make a dent in the question: How did the belief that men are superior began? I grew up in a patriarchal society; because of this, I’ve had the chance to observe the social structure of Turkish people. In my opinion, the patriarchal structure in Turkey is due to the wars in the past. Physical power was needed in the past, which left women in the secondary plan. Such historical figures as Karafatma, Halide Onbaşı plod away their lives for their country, but these women have never been as appreciated in history as the men have been. They weren’t appreciated then, and they aren’t appreciated now. Despite the fact, I would like you to raise attention to where we are now in the 21st century. Women have proved their existence, their brains and their intelligence at the forefront. Women for decades have had to fight, and though this fight for our rights might seem daunting, we can look at women who have made their own in this world. It is important in this time to look at women of power and thank them for what they’ve done, but also use them as an example for ourselves to stand up and try. Just look at Aylin Uysal who is the Senir Design Director at Oracle or Ayşegül İldeniz who is the Vice President of New Technologies and Strategies at Intel. They got themselves to a place of importance and fought against the hardships of this biased world. We owe it to ourselves, our daughters, our sisters and our mothers to create a world where we have a place that we don’t need to fight for.

 

    According to OECD and European Union’s research, covering 41 countries, 37.11% STEM graduates are women in Turkey which makes Turkey rank first on the list. However, despite this high rate, female employment in the technology sector is only 9.91%. History, once again, repeats itself... not with guns this time but such terms as ‘’female brain’’ which is nothing but falsification according to Futurism. There will always be people who look at things with horse glasses but it’s time to be queens, to be the queen of ourselves, to realize we don’t need a prince in order to be a leader.

 

    In conclusion, from the moment a girl is born, reaching their full academic potential is a constant struggle. Fighting against the toxicity of social media, the patriarchy, as well as societal norms is a task only overcomable through unity and empowerment. That is why it is important now more than ever to come together and make the change all women around the world can benefit from, regardless of race, socioeconomic status or religion. No one ever said that being a woman is easy, but it is easier to make a change if we come together. It’s time to be united, so we will not fall. 

~Selin Özünaldım

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