This is a participatory project between staff and students who decided to accept the challenge to have a conversation about International Women's Day and the part that we can all play in adressing issues of gender inequality. Our challenge was to start the conversation with as many staff and students from the Geography Department, consolidate the responses in a video to share some of the responses, and ask our interviewees as well as the wider public to use our three questions to start their own conversations (sharing with us their experience in social media).
Students and staff framed their "choose to challenge" conversations around three key questions:
- Why do we celebrate International Women's Day?
- What changes would you like to happen regarding gender inequalities?
- What can you do to help?
The responses to these questions raised a diverse range of issues, from the gender pay gap in higher education and other sectors, to the lack of women in the physical sciences, the need for mentoring to support women of colour to reach their full potential, and the role that men have to play as allies.
We hope you find the video thought provoking. Will you accept the challenge to have a conversation about gender inequalities this International Women's Day? Tag us on Twitter @SheffieldGeog to join in the discussion.