Vanessa
Why are there not more females that help or support other females in college?
#female-empowerment #women #empowering-women
5 answers
Erin Dieterich
Erin’s Answer
I would encourage you to seek out groups or clubs on your campus that will help you find other women or female identifying students that you can form a community with. Seek out peer groups where you have common goals and desires for how you're treated. Sometimes meeting folks and letting them see your vulnerabilities is hard - but if you're able to form trusting relationships with a group of women on your campus, I'm willing to bet you will feel much more supported. If bringing other women into the supportive fold if part of your personal mission, being a part of a team/club/group will help you have a support system that you can introduce to others.
I was raised believing that a key to life is treating others how you want to be treated, even when you see them not behaving the way you want - hopefully if you hold other women up, they will see you as an example and follow suit.
Taylor Hanzlik
Taylor’s Answer
Hi Vanessa, thanks for submitting a question! In college, I was a part of an organization called OHIO Women in Business. Our mission was to attract women to the college of business, develop them through various workshops and speakers, and successfully launch them into the workforce upon graduation. Does your college have a women's organization for your major? If not, have you considered starting your own? Start talking to an adviser or mentor about this! I was friend's with the woman who started the organization at my school and all it takes is an idea and passion to help you implement it!
If you are apart of a woman's organization and feel you're not doing enough, look into Zonta Club. It's an international organization whose mission is to empower women through service and advocacy. I'm a member and love getting involved in the volunteering and fundraising events. Here's the international website: https://foundation.zonta.org/
My last piece of advice would be to read "Lean In." This will spark or increase your energy to really understand the gender gaps that still exist in today's society. Here's a link to the book's website: https://leanin.org/book
Wish you all the best and hope this helps!
Taylor recommends the following next steps:
Natalie Fowler
Natalie’s Answer
Hi Vanessa, Unfortunately some women can be very competitive with each other. However, I have found that women can also be very supportive of each other. Try to join some groups in school that are catered towards women. Come with an noncompetitive, supportive spirit to the other women in your school and find other women to join you. Together you can a strong supportive group to grow together in.
Jeanine Harris
Jeanine’s Answer
Hi there Vanessa. This is a loaded question! Sometimes I think that it is a competition thing that prevents some from extending a hand. I didn't really experience that when I was in college thankfully, but I also set up meetings for groups of women to study/meet. I believe that we have to be the change that we want to see. I made sure to smile and say hello to everyone that I met in order to make friends. Don't get me wrong, there were some women that didn't say hi back or didn't seem too friendly, but the good outweighed the bad by a long shot!
I would also recommend looking online for groups in your area or finding clubs that you can join. Once you find a group of women that are about empowerment and support, you'll be in good shape! I hope this helps!
Abbie Thomas