career
The housewife stereotype has long since shattered - it's all about leaning in, breaking the glass ceiling, closing the wage gap and more.
Accountability in Educational Theatre and Beyond
The theatre industry, like many, has always been a male-led industry, its content and conventions created by and for men. There was a time when women weren't even allowed to perform or attend performances. Yet, somewhere along the line, boys' masculinity began to be measured by how skilled they were at athletics. The performing arts became too "feminine" of a career choice, likely discouraging many young men to try out for the high school play, and thus discouraging a potential introduction to careers in theatre. In high school and community theatre productions, where many current professionals discovered their calling, recruiting men who can act (and sing, and dance) can be difficult. Often, if it's harder to fill male roles, a director or teacher is more willing to be flexible in order to have a successful show. Maybe they add Maria into "Edelweiss" sooner to mask Captain Von Trapp's tone-deafness. Maybe "Jimmy" is late to Thoroughly Modern Millie rehearsal a fourth time and they decide not to cut him because they have no replacement. In educational theatre, where there are usually more talented young women than a show can hold, women are held to different standards. It gets cutthroat. They have to work harder to "outshine" their peers. And they're replaceable. "Millie" gets kicked out if she's consistently late, because "that's how the real world works." And even though "Jimmy" was kind of a nightmare, he still gets cast in the musical the following spring.
By Briana Beeman7 years ago in Viva
The Fight for Equal Pay
One of the most subtle but life-altering realities for women in the United States today is the gender pay gap. Women have been fighting for years against misogynist, patriarchal workplaces that undervalue their abilities and skills, and of all the ways that women are discriminated against, this is one that can very tangibly change the way they live their lives. Lower income means less freedom in the way they spend their money and likely leads to increased levels of stress. According to Anxiety.org, 30 percent of women reported higher levels of stress due to financial reasons, whereas only 17 percent of men said so (Sharf). The head researcher stated that women may feel more stress about money because they feel obligated to take care of the home and children, which is another result of patriarchy. So not only does patriarchy pay women less, it puts us in a position to worry about how we’re paid less. This is the reality that women face going to work every day.
By Mady Masters7 years ago in Viva
The Only Female Comic in the Room. Top Story - July 2018.
To the men that I share the stage with, know that I don't hate all of you. Some of you are very, very funny and I admire your work. I would even go as far as to say that I would be honored to collaborate with you someday, if you will have me of course. You know what? I think some of you are up there with George Carlin! Dave Chappelle! Bill Burr! Joan Rivers—oh, sorry, of course not... Steve Martin!
By Natalie Toland7 years ago in Viva
The Funeral Industry. Top Story - June 2018.
What’s a woman’s role in the funeral industry? From my view, nothing of any respect. That probably sounds a little harsh, and granted, I am speaking from my own personal experiences (which are many and varied)—but from what I’ve witnessed, the funeral industry is one of the last bastions of ‘Good ole boy’ chauvinism.
By Andrea Van Scoyoc8 years ago in Viva
Societal Expectations
I’m 21-years-old, and I’m alive and well in the year 2018. A time to be alive for a woman. Being able to own property is cool, being able to receive an education, being treated as a person instead of an object (most of the time), and having fundamental human freedoms. Why is it, that in 2018, I still feel like I must choose between having a relationship and a career? It’s one or the other, right? That’s how we’ve all been trained.
By Mallory Jones8 years ago in Viva
Inspiring Women Who Work in Tech
I never identified as a girl—not primarily, anyway. To me, I was "Jovelle"—and I happened to be born with the reproductive organs associated with the word "female." I didn’t really care that I was a girl, didn’t care if others were or were not girls, and gender roles weren’t a big deal to me. If you're wondering why traditional gender roles are dying out, picture me.
By Jovelle Avancena8 years ago in Viva
The Concerning Trend of Our Bodies and Image Becoming Commodities
For my university project, I had to pick a study and design an academic poster about the topic. This is basically a colourful illustration of the findings of the experiment with charts, illustrations, and huge headers. You know, teachers forcing us to do something "fun" and creative between a 1,500 word lab report and a 4,000 word essay.
By Maura Dudas8 years ago in Viva
Equal Work for Equal Pay
I believe in radical changes with equal work, equal pay. Women get paid less than a man in many areas of work. Feminism seeks to level the playing field. Feminists want to help women climb the corporate ladder as equals to men. But in this political climate where the Republicans couldn’t stand having another liberal for president this time around, women are hard-pressed to find social equality at all. I value my brain and brawn over my body in general. I value my brains more than I value my physical attractiveness. I would much rather be known for academia than my beauty.
By Iria Vasquez-Paez8 years ago in Viva
10 Inspiring Female Journalists. Top Story - April 2018.
Compared to how it is today, in the past, the majority of women weren't taken seriously in their professions. In fact, it was pretty difficult for women to obtain higher and professional jobs, because men believed that they weren't properly equipped for them. But when women do work as professionals, they're still not being taken seriously.
By Lilliana Backman8 years ago in Viva
Strong Woman Syndrome: Part II
In case you are interested, there is a part one to this story. Find it here. Within the ten days after my diagnosis, I found out that at least two other female employees had similar interactions with the owner. They too were diagnosed with Strong Woman Syndrome.
By A Fillmore8 years ago in Viva
The Glass Ceiling
As of 2017, women make-up just over 50 percent of the population, and yet we still haven't reached equality in either pay rate or job status. Women earn 60 percent of all four-year college degrees and 60 percent of all Master's degrees. Law degrees? We earn 47 percent of MBA's and 48 percent of all medical degrees. and 47 percent of other specialized Master's. We comprise 47 percent of the general workforce and 49 percent of the college-educated workforce, yet we are poorly represented in the upper echelons of nearly every possible field. The massive progress of the last few decades of the 20th century has all but come to a standstill. As of 2011, we hold only nine percent of top management positions in S & P 1500 companies. As of 2016, women hold just 18 percent of S&P 1500 board seats.They are just 25 percent of executive and senior officials and managers, 9.5 percent of top earners, and 6 percent of CEOs in S&P 500 companies. Women don't fare better in law or medicine. Although females make up 45 percent of lawyers, we only make-up 22 percent of law firm partners. In medicine, we represent 37 percent of all physicians and surgeons, but only 16 percent of medical school deans. In television and film, the results are equally dismal. Women accounted for just 17 percent of all the directors, executive producers, producers, writers, cinematographers, and editors who worked on the top-grossing 250 domestic films of 2016. Many films are designed to get female viewers and yet they have only a small hand in creating them. Women were just 26 percent of all off-screen talent on broadcast networks, cable, and streaming programs during the 2015-16 season. Women of color were only 3.9 percent of the executive or senior-level officials and managers and 0.4 percent of CEOs in the companies that produce our entertainment. In 2017, after the departure of Ursula Burns as CEO of Xerox Corp., there were no African American women heading Fortune 500 companies. As recently as 2013, more than two-thirds of Fortune 500 companies had no women of color as board directors at all. So what can be done to eliminate the ceiling?
By Monica Bennett8 years ago in Viva
