Last Friday marked International Women’s Day 2024, and in celebration of the event we were delighted to see Anushka in Year 12 host her very own workshop on Intersectional Feminism. Taking place in the Junior Hall over lunchtime, it was fantastic to see almost 60 pupils from across Senior School join her for the session.
In her presentation, the newly-appointed Head Girl explored a number of important themes and posed several thought-provoking questions to the attendees: ‘Who’s a feminist?’, ‘Do feminists hate men?’, ‘What does intersectional mean?’. Outlining the four waves of feminism, Anushka highlighted the power of social media at present and explained how this gives us further access to the views of others and provides a platform for movements such as the #MeToo campaign.
The workshop was accessible for all and Anushka did a fantastic job of breaking down key terms and ideas for pupils in the younger years. After identifying what ‘intersectional’ means, the group explored examples of discrimination throughout history and in the present day. A poignant comparison was made between a picture of Iranian women protesting in the 1970s and young Iranian girls protesting in 2022.
The session proved extremely informative, with students from Year 7 to Year 13 learning something new about the society we live in and the perception of women throughout history. It was particularly shocking to learn just how many people still don’t identify as a feminist in the UK and across Europe. Anushka revealed that a 2018 YouGov poll found only 34% of women in the UK said “yes” when asked if they were feminist – a truly disheartening statistic.
Concluding the presentation, Anushka encouraged her peers to take action and use their voices to #InspireInclusion. Speaking on the importance of having open conversations, broadening horizons and taking initiative, she inspired attendees to be active in the fight for gender equality.
