Not Just for Women: UW Women’s Conference

womensleadershipconferencetitle
Photo Courtesy uwyo.edu

Women in the media, women in politics, five stand-out women of distinction from UW and a top-notch keynote presentation were all part of this weekends women’s leadership conference. This year’s theme was “authenticity: come as you are” and showed that the best thing you can possibly be is yourself.

Hosting such an event is especially important in Wyoming, we have the highest gender income gap in the country where women make 67 cents to every dollar a man makes, according to money.cnn.com. On the issue of equal representation it’s not looking good either, where the newly elected congress is only 18.5 percent women, according to the Center for American Women and Politics 2014 factsheet. Feminism may appear to be a dirty word, but if the numbers are any indication Wyoming has a long way to go before fully becoming the equality state.

The topic of authenticity was explored in many different angles, but the take home message was the same: just be yourself. One panel discussed how women are portrayed as objects or photoshopped to create unrealistic beauty standards. Another talked about how the ideal leader is male and voters, including other women, are less likely to vote for a female candidate. The women of distinction and the keynote speaker told the audience that they got to where they are today by being true to their selves, be it coming out of the closet, battling negative body issues or remembering to take time off.

As young women soon to embark on the job market, raise a family and run for office now is the time to start putting the theory into practice. Sadly, the world is still a man’s world, where the glass ceiling of gender inequality is still in place. There may be more cracks than during our grandparent’s generation, but “equal opportunity” is still a bit of a pie in the sky dream. Don’t lose hope, if the conference proved anything it is that Laramie is full of inspirational women and men who support your dreams, no matter what they may be.

#GamerGate, restricting abortion access and the income gap are important issues for everyone. As Emma Watson told the UN, men need to join the fight too. Gender equality is by and large improving, but it’s better to know everyone has a fair chance, that your friends, girlfriend and mom have the same opportunities as everyone else.

The conference’s message was empowering to be yourself, a message that resonates with men and women alike.

Leave a Reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *