3 minute read
HEAR ME ROAR
Self advocacy carries women to their greatest potential
Addison Mark | Managing Editor and Business Manager
Most women wish to be acknowledged as strong, independent and successful, but to do this, we must break out of our comfort zones and stand up for ourselves. Unfortunately, women have a difficult time advocating for themselves.
Because of long-engrained societal expectations based on gender roles, women are usually raised to be modest, unselfish and afraid to selfpromote for fear of being disliked, according to studies presented from psychology professor Ronnie JanoffBulman on the International Forum For Cell Biology website.
Typically, women are more comfortable with helping and promoting others, rather than themselves. For men, however, the same direct and ambitious behavior is applauded.
In her article, “Self Advocacy: Why It’s Uncomfortable, Especially for Women, and What to Do About It,” communications researcher Vivien Siegel said that often a woman with identical qualifications to a man is paid significantly less, but women do not question the disparity for fear of being considered money hungry or ruthless.
Leading Ladies
Women are paid 22.6% less than men with similar education experience, according to the Economic Policy Institute. Because of this, women must advocate for themselves in order to receive equal pay.
One woman who advocated for better pay is actress Ellen Pompeo. She and co-star Patrick Dempsey had lead roles on “Grey’s Anatomy,” and while Pompeo held the larger role in the show, Dempsey was paid more. When Pompeo realized the unfairness of the situation, she stood up for herself and was presented with a larger salary.
The actions of a selfadvocating woman are regarded negatively while a man with the same behavior will be admired, according to research by psychology journalists Powers and Zuroff, and although self-promoting women tend to rate higher in performance, they are oftentimes not well liked, which can lead to slower career advancement.
So what are we to do in a culture that insists on selfadvocacy, but then criticizes a woman when she speaks up for herself for personal gain?
Silence is Not an Option
Meghan Markle became a member of the British royal family when she married Prince Harry in 2018. A year later, Markle gave birth to their first child, Archie. Prior to his birth, the royal family spoke of concerns about ‘how dark his skin might be,’ given his mother’s biracial identity. In an interview with Oprah Winfrey in March, Markle described how this and other factors led to her suicidal thoughts.
“That’s the sad irony,” Markle said. “The last four years I have advocated for so long for women to use their voice, and then I was silent.”
Markle struggled with the decision to confront the family who, she says, made her feel worthless. She and her husband decided to leave the monarchy. They pushed her away thinking she had no power over them, but she built herself back up and advocated for herself proving them wrong.
On the Shoulders of Giants
All around the world, there are powerful, inspiring women proving that we are not the weaker sex, but to be viewed as equals, we must speak up for ourselves, even when it’s difficult.
Throughout history, women such as Zendaya, Rosa Parks, Malala Yousafzai, Kamala Harris, Issa Rae and Taylor Swift have all broken out of their comfort zones when they needed to stand up for themselves. They set examples for girls and women around the world when they chose not to be diminished, to keep getting up and using their voices to not only selfadvocate for themselves, but to advocate for those around us.
When we walk into a room, we will lift up our heads and show the world what women can do.
MALALA YOUSAFZAI
