Guest columnist Julie Loar

Webster defines confidence as “a feeling or consciousness of one’s powers or reliance on one’s circumstances.”  This month three women were awarded the Nobel Peace Prize.  Liberian President Ellen Johnson Sirleaf, activist Leymah Gbowee, also of Liberia, and human rights activist Tawakkul Karman of Yemen. I could not have imagined this when I was a child in the fifties.  These women come from areas that have been torn by strife, violence and unspeakable human rights crimes.  And yet, they did not remain frozen in fear or stand on the sidelines.  Rather, they displayed inspiring courage and vision.  As I pondered the quality of confidence I wondered if they felt confident at any point in their heroic journeys.

The Nobel Peace Prize committee in Oslo, Norway, said of these women,  “They were chosen for their nonviolent struggle for the safety of women and for women’s rights to full participation in peace-building work.  We cannot achieve democracy and lasting peace in the world unless women obtain the same opportunities as men to influence developments at all levels of society.”

Their award is a beacon to struggling women everywhere.  This recognition can inspire us to stand up for the values that are dear to us and be willing to takes risks for what is right.  What seems most significant to me is that these women worked for justice without striking back.  Read more…

“A collection of movements aimed at defining, establishing, and defending equal political, economic and social rights and equal opportunities for women.”  Wikipedia definition of feminism

Are there people who disagree with women having equal rights in the US in 2011?  It is amazing to me that such a basic concept of equal rights for women has not been added to the US Constitution, although the Equal Rights Amendment was introduced in 1923 – it still hasn’t passed.

In the current discussion, feminism is sometimes referred to as the new F word – more shocking than the four letter version.  In an amazing example of negative spin, those with an investment in the status quo have taken feminism and made it synonymous with unattractive and unfeminine.  How did this happen?  Is it just another example of a patriarchal society with everything to lose making women feel bad about getting what is due to them – basic equality?

Newsweek

In 1970, a group of women working at Newsweek filed a gender discrimination against Newsweek. Forty-six women sued for employment dis -crimination based on gender under Title VII of the Civil Rights Act – the first group of media professionals to do so.  Ironically their suit coincided with a cover story on Feminism published by Newsweek. In the end, the ACLU, which was representing the women agreed not to press the suit if Newsweek  set goals and timetables to remedy the inequalities, which included women working as researchers, but turning their material over to men who actually wrote the articles.

In 2011, three current employees of Newsweek wrote an insightful article called “Are we there yet?” The writers, young women writers were unaware of the 1970 suit.  When they discovered it, they circulated a book called In Our Time by Susan Brownmiller that had a chapter about the suit. The authors of the article say: Read more…

Did you know that every day 400 new businesses are started by women – more than twice the number that are started by men that same day?  More than 10 million firms are owned by women.  Since 2002, the number of businesses owned by women has grown 55% and now more than 13 million people are employed in firms owned by women. *

One of those businesses is Houston Girl Friday started by Nicole Nicholas.

She says “Houston Girl Friday is a woman-owned, operated and supported company that provides virtual and onsite solutions to small business owners, solopreneurs and busy executives throughout the country.”

Welcome Houston Girl Friday as our newest swagger partner.

Link: http://www.HoustonGF.com

When enough individuals and groups take action, momentum can begin to build that leads to cultural change. Witness the green building movement.  Considered to be a fringe opinion up until recently, the green builders and environmental planners seemed destined to be only tolerated, never understood or taken seriously.  However, in the last few years, everyone has begun to recognize the importance of conserving energy and weaning ourselves from fossil fuel sources that are increasingly unreliable. Even the largest corporations now advertise greenness of their products.  Fringe has become mainstream.

How did this happen?  In addition to growing scientific data and wider awareness, consumers began to express their preference for greener, more sustainable products.  A survey of potential downtown Denver home buyers revealed that energy-saving approaches and design for sustainability were at the top of the lists for what these buyers wanted in a home.

I believe that this same phenomenon can happen with equality for women. Although it may appear that women are equal in the US today, they still earn only 78 cents for every dollar earned by a man. And the Equal Rights Amendment, first introduced in 1923 has never passed.

There seems to be emerging energy behind a number of different efforts that may combine to produce the tidal wave that leads to actual cultural change.  Hundreds of new organizations are forming –  some such as Girl Up with official backing of the UN or other organization and many formed by one or more women who see a need and take action! Look at the list of swagger partners for a glimpse of the many grass roots organizations that have been formed to support girls and women – The Priceless Project, Inspired Girls International, See Beautiful, Courage is Change, the YWCA, YMCA, The Acts Movement,and Boulder Youth Body Alliance are among the organizations supporting girls in increasing their confidence and making their voices heard. Read more…

Do you believe that our next generations of leaders will be women?  For a world in turmoil, I believe that leadership by women is imperative to our survival as a planet. Our current system of domination attempts, war, and exploitation is killing many women and children and damaging the environment.

We need a new ethic not based on the idea that man has dominion over the planet and resources. A new paradigm that respects the limited resources of our planet and supports equal rights for all people is needed. Women are generally more oriented toward collaborative problem-solving and leveling the playing field for all people – rather than trying to win and dominate.

How will our future leaders get the support and training they need? Organizations like Inspired Girls International are providing opportunities for leadership for girls and are reaching out through media resources to convey empowering messages.  The Girl’s Guide to Swagger is proud to welcome our newest partner – Inspired Girls International.

Inspired Girls International creates programming and content for girls and the organizations that support them. Through our signature programs and workshops, girls evolve into feminine leaders and well-adjusted young women.

Visit www.inspiredgirlsonline.com to learn more.