Our first webinar was on “Women Empowerment and its Values,” organized by Bold and Becoming. We had the privilege of bringing together three amazing leaders and educators to share their perspectives and knowledge with us.
According to World Vision, “Women’s empowerment can be defined as promoting women’s sense of self-worth, their ability to determine their own choices, and their right to influence social change for themselves and others.”
There are still various misconceptions about women’s empowerment. It is oftentimes viewed and boxed with limited beliefs.
One of our guest speakers was Shehreen Ataur Khan, a great luminary and spearheading leader. She is currently an Assistant Professor in the Department of English at Jagannath University. According to her, one of the core misconceptions most families and society have is neglecting the importance of financial independence for women.
Financial stability is one of the essential aspects of women’s empowerment, which we culturally don’t tend to teach our girls. Despite having several ways or tools such as the internet, books, podcasts, or professional advice, it is still a struggle to be aware and educate women about the importance of financial stability.
We were also humbled to have Shammy Wadud, current president of “United Nations Youth and Students Association of Bangladesh” (UNYSAB). She is a youth activist and global change maker. She courageously shared her battle with cancer and her emancipation from the constant pressure and nagging of getting married. She explained how gender-specific roles become labeled due to daily household actions.
Women, especially in Bangladesh, are brought up in a way to sacrifice their desires, dreams, and goals at an early age. Prioritizing themselves is often considered a selfish act. Most of the time, these glitched values systematically permeate down from the older generations due to the cultural conditioning of the country. Most of the time, young girls pick up these values from their mothers, who may have shaped theirs from their mothers.
After years of cultivating these values, it becomes difficult to unlearn them and embrace the new ones. Thus, when a grown woman finally wants and takes action to unlearn these, certain members of society tend to misunderstand and judge her. And make the transformation process more challenging.
We were lucky to have Abdur Raquib, a great educator, a trailblazer, and a senior science teacher at Maple Leaf International School. He believed that respecting children’s decisions could create confidence in them. And confidence can help them achieve self-worth and self-love throughout their lives.
It might be difficult to unlearn those values. It may take years. But when someone takes the first step, they can create a path for others to follow.
What are the values that you want to unlearn or have already unlearned? What was the process of unlearning?
Let us know at boldandbecoming@gmail.com.
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