Phil WhiteOctober 11th marked the 10th anniversary of International Day of the Girl. It is the United Nations international observance day that builds awareness of the gender inequality faced by girls all around the world. Regardless of whether you celebrated #IDG2022 or not, it is important to support gender equality and gender equality campaigns even after the “official” day has passed. This blog will explain why girls need your support and give you 5 ways to join the fight.
What is Gender Equality and Why Should You Care?
Gender equality is when people of all genders have equal power, representation and freedom. This affects everyone, regardless of how you identify. We all need gender equality for stable homes, schools, workplaces and government. This is not just a girls issue. Above all, it is a human issue. Sadly, gender equality and girls rights are taking a huge hit lately. COVID directly impacted girls schooling and mental health.
Female Ukranian refugees experience exploitation and sex trafficking. Meanwhile, the Taliban removed a girl's basic access to an education. And don’t even get me started on the reversal of Roe v Wade! Then we have the perennial body shaming, bullying, period stigma and social-media induced struggles around confidence and self-esteem. Pair that with the de-construction of traditional gender-based identities and girls are more vulnerable than ever.
Girls rights are declining all around the world and, yes, even here in the USA.
Many people think this is just a problem “over there”. But this is far from the truth. Conversely, all around the world, girls are denied their rights, kept from school, forced to marry and subjected to violence. Moreover, girls' voices are undervalued, if heard at all. Here are just a few stats to underpin this point. • Only 12 countries offer full legal protections for women (and the US isn’t one of them). • Women and girls walk up to two-and-a-half hours a day to collect water. This keeps them from school or caring for homestead produce or selling produce. • Women and girls face unrealistic standards. Society then puts the onus on women to correct the issue. “The reality is that expectations for female appearance have never been higher. It’s just become taboo to admit to that.” • 81% of ten year old girls are afraid of being overweight (national eating disorders association). • 58% of young women face harassment or abuse online.
The more equal the world, the better it is for everyone.
There is a direct correlation between gender equality and peace. In fact, gender equality is a stronger predictor of a State’s peacefulness than its level of democracy or gross domestic product. Politics further demonstrate this. When there is more equal empowerment for women, the decision-making process
improves. There are fewer wars, less violence and longer-lasting peace agreements. UN Women shares research on panchayats (local councils) in India who discovered that the number of drinking water projects in areas with women-led councils was 62% higher than in those with men-led councils. And this trend also translates directly to business.
• Including women as negotiators, mediators, signatories, and witnesses increases the probability of an agreement lasting at least two years by 20 percent. The probability of it lasting at least 15 years increases by 35 percent. • There is a positive relation between the participation of women’s groups and peace deal results. When women are less involved, there are fewer successful agreements. The likelihood of reaching an agreement is even lower when women groups are not involved at all. •Frank Recruitment Group compiled research which found that the majority of Fortune 500 companies with a female CEO are more profitable than those helmed by a male CEO. • 87% of the top 500 companies last year led by a female decision-maker reported above-average profits. This is compared to just 78% of companies without a female CEO.
Now that you see the need for more amplification and support for gender equality, let's discuss how your brand can help.
5 Ways Brands Can Support Girls Rights
1. Look Inside:
How can your brand promote better representation of girls in your media? Did you know that “sexy” is one of the top search terms in photo image banks for images of girls? The word “hot” closely follows. Not only are these words disgusting, but they feed the algorithm which then serves up more of the same. So it’s no surprise the images we find to represent girls are not very, well, representative. Grounded World worked with Plan International USA and Unsplash image bank to tackle this issue. Unsplash commissions photographers to capture images that girls themselves are looking to see. This particular program now holds more than 300 free-to-use images that are “girl approved.” And they’ve changed the algorithm to boot. You can learn more about the program here.
Use the Unsplash Girls vs Stereotypes images or hire their photographers to ensure your brand is helping to change how girls are portrayed in the media. That way, the next time we search for images of girls, we find ones that are smart, strong, bold and brave. Because if that’s how the world sees girls, that’s how they can see themselves.
2. Amplify the Cause:
Show your support for women empowerment by joining the cause. There are many organizations that are looking for support with their pledges and policies. Your brand can help by adding your name or partnering with the initiative. Then share your commitment through your PR and social channels to help spread the news and get more organizations to join the fight. Here are a few you should look into. • PLAN INTERNATIONAL USA PLEDGE: Pledge to stand with girls as they fight for gender equality all around the world. The pledge is open to girls, individuals and businesses. • MARSHALL PLAN FOR MOMS: Help ensure mothers are central to our economic recovery by supporting private sector changes and expanded choices for women to remove barriers of inequality. • FREEDOM UNITED: Participate in a number of campaigns and petitions looking to abolish modern slavery (which disproportionately affects women all around the world). • LOVE IS OUR BUSINESS PLEDGE: Join others in the wedding industry standing up to abolish child marriage. • ASK A WOMAN TO RUN: Help pipeline more women into politics by asking a woman you know to consider running for office.
3. Become a Girls’ Rights Advocate:
Many brands have gender equality campaigns to support girls’ rights. The most apparent one is Dove. Their campaign to stop toxic beauty standards includes a research report that puts a $500 billion price tag on the real cost of beauty in America. And LEGO encourages girls' interested in STEM in their “Lets Keep Them Curious” campaign. CVS decided to combat the period tax by cutting the cost
of menstruation products by 25%. Even P&G, the parent of the #LikeAGirl campaign, is still working hard to promote gender equality. With so many gaps in girls & women’s equality to close, there are many ways for business and brands to get involved and use the power of commerce to help fight gender inequality. If you need help figuring out how to be a brand activist for gender equality, Grounded World has ways to help.
4. Give Girls a Platform:
Listen to girls and women’s voices in your business. If your brand isn’t quite ready for brand advocacy, there are still many ways to create change. You can start by looking inside! Look for ways to feature and promote the voices of women and girls in your own organization. For example, BMO partnered with PLAN International Canada to celebrate International Day of the Girl. They brought in young women aged 14-24 to get the opportunity to break barriers by being placed in positions of leadership, power and influence for the day. Only 10% of youth in Canada can picture a woman when they think of a CEO. Initiatives like this create opportunities for the youth to interact with leaders in the organization to exchange knowledge, provide insights and share solutions with each other. Not sure how to get started? Grounded has a roadmap that can help. Learn more here.
5. Support Gender Equality Organizations
Another great way to support girls rights is to support the causes that are fighting the fight every day. Here are some of our favorite nonprofits that are working to close gender gaps. SheShouldRun: This nonpartisan organization strives to change the face of American politics to a more equal one. RockTheStreetWallStreet: A financial and investment literary program that brings both racial and gender equity to finance markets by sparking interest in high school girls to pursue careers in finance. Plan International USA: They believe girls have what it takes to lead the fight for gender equality on their own terms. You can learn more about their latest fundraising campaign, #WeAreTheGirls here. VOW for Girls: They are fighting to end child marriage because they believe all girls deserve love on their own terms. Girls Who Code: Help them build the world’s largest pipeline of future female engineers.
Regardless, if you are a powerful girl brand or looking to elevate female voices across your own organization and community, getting involved in gender equality is the right move. After all, girls rights are human rights.
Want to find out how to lean into the fight for equal rights? Schedule a consultation with Grounded World, today.
