GLOW Leaders

Our last inspiring woman of the week is Sylvia Rivera! Whilst we've only posted about women over this week, celebrating women who have inspired us and impacted the world should happen every single day! So keep being inspired and inspiring others!

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'Sylvia Rivera was a Latina-American drag queen who became one of the most radical gay and transgender activists of the 1960s and 70s. As co-founder of the Gay Liberation Front, Rivera was known for participating in the Stonewall Riots of 1969 and establishing the political organization STAR (Street Transvestite Action Revolutionaries) with fellow friend and drag queen, Marsha P. Johnson.

In honor of Rivera's activism in the gay and trans community, The Sylvia Rivera Law Project (SRLP) was founded in 2002 — the same year of her death. As a legal aid organization, SRLP “works to guarantee all people are free to self-determine gender identity and expression, regardless of income and race, and without facing harassment, discrimination or violence” by giving gay, trans and gender-fluid individuals access to legal services, as well as teaching leadership and advocacy skills.'

Above history copied from: https://www.biography.com/activist/sylvia-rivera

Dame Paula Rego is a Portuguese-British artist born in 1935.

Often considered one of the most influential contemporary figurative artists in Europe, Rego is known for her bold and politically charged paintings and drawings.

Often pulling from psychological and feminist themes, Regos art is often challenging. She was influenced at an early age by femisit writers such as Simone de Beauvoir as well as her father's anti-fascist ideas. Born just after the dictator António de Oliveira Salazar came to power in Portugal, Rego expressed her radical and anti-regime ideas through art. When asked if she was brave for doing so she replied "Every picture takes courage. All artists are brave".

In 1990 Rego became the Tate's first artist in residence. And has continued to have shows there as recently as last year. This is in addition to many international exhibitions.

Rego once said: "I try and get justice for women... At least in the pictures... Revenge too." Perhaps her most infamous series was her series of pastles 'Untitled' (1998) during the Portuguese referendum on abortion. An ardent critic of anti-abortionism, many believe Rego's work and activism contributed to the campaign for a second referendum in 2007.

Rego was never afraid to show the ugly and challenging side of society or of women's issues. This is something often missing from many artists' depictions of women. Rego provides an inspirational figure. She shows us to not shy away from taboo or uncomfortable topics when pursuing justice. She continues creating art to this day.

Marie Salomea Skłodowska Curie

Born in 1867 in Warsaw, Poland. Against many odds she pursued her passion for science and research and her accomplishments inspire to this day.

Marie Curie was the first woman to ever teach at the Sorbonne university. Together with her husband, Pierre Curie, Maria discovered Polonium and Radium which won them a shared Nobel prize in physics making Marie the first woman to win a Nobel prize ever. 

Her continued research was awarded with a second nobel prize, this time in Chemistry, making her one of 6 prize recipients and the only woman to this day to win more than one Nobel prize. 

During World War I, together with her daughter, she devoted time to studying the use of her research in medical application. As one of her accomplishments she developed mobile radiography units to provide X-ray services to field hospitals. She received many medals and recognitions for her work in France, Poland and all over the world.

In 1995, she became the first woman enshrined in the Panthéon in Paris. 

Which of her accomplishments do you find the most inspiring?

Happy International Women’s day! Here at GLOW, we are celebrating this day for the whole week!

Today let’s through appreciation.

Who was Mary Seacole?
Mary Seacole was a British-Jamaican nurse and business woman, who was born on the 23rd November 1805, and died on the 14th May 1881.

What was she known for?
Seacole is best known for setting up the ‘British Hotel’ behind the lines during the Crimean War, which was a refuge for wounded service men on the battlefield, and where Seacole would care for them using herbal remedies. Seacole established this refuge after being refused entry into the nursing contingent by the War Office, with the hope of helping the wounded during the war.
Seacole’s compassion made her popular with the servicemen, so much so that they helped fundraise for her when she was facing destitution after the war. Despite the fact that Florence Nightingale is probably the first that springs to mind when one thinks of famous nurses, it was Mary Seacole who was the first nurse practitioner. Her significance in this regard led to her being posthumously given the Jamaican Order of Merit in 1991 and being voted the greatest black Briton in 2004.

How are you celebrating International Women’s Day? Let us know in the comments below ⬇️

International Women’s Day is coming up and here at GLOW, we want to celebrate it for a week!

Today let’s through education.

Intersectionality is a concept coined by K. W. Crenshaw to acknowledge that inequality is felt by different people in different ways. Intersectionality acknowledges that within groups of people who have commonly shared identities, i.e. through gender or race, etc., there are intragroup differences (individual differences within each identity) that can heighten the disadvantages of certain people.

The best way to illustrate intersectionality would be to imagine it like a jigsaw. The whole individual is made of a combination of different identities - each one carrying with it a different weight in terms of how disadvantaged it makes that individual in the face of social norms.

Just because two people share one of these identities does not mean they are as disadvantaged as each other because they may have other identities that either contribute to or mitigate their overall perceived level of disadvantage.

How do you think we can better incorporate intersectional ideas going forward? Let us know in the comments below?

Happy Menopause Awareness Day! In our recent Women in Work Study, we found out that whilst 79% of our participants knew the definition of menopause, only 29% knew how to treat the symptoms!

What do you know about menopause?

Lewis Silkin, a UK Top 100 Commercial Law firm, is running a panel event to aid organisations in understanding how menopause supportive policies can be adopted in their workplaces. This is welcome news for understanding and recognising the direct and indirect impacts menopause can have on working life, and allowing employers to have a support plan available for those who require it!

With the position of menopause in employment law still unclear, such an event helps to clarify how it can be introduced as part of general employee wellbeing and giving the topic of menopause the due agency it deserves. With around 80% of the UK’s workforce at menopausal age (Faculty of Occupational Medicine, 2021), workplaces need to do more to create a working culture that recognises and supports those going through menopause.

Lewis Silkin
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In our ‘Women in Work’ project, we asked respondents about their experiences and thoughts about menopause and the workplace – only 10% of respondents (who were going through menopause) felt like they were supported at work! If you would like to know more and to read about our other topics, visit the GLOW website – https://www.glow-growing-leaders.com/about-us-1

Science, technology, engineering, and mathematics. We all know the importance of these complex subjects and the diversity within the STEM fields is often a topic of much discussion. The majority of people working in stem careers are men; women make up just 26% of the workforce in 2019. But why is this the case? 🤔

Check out GLOW's new blog for their opinion series, where Ross talks about women in STEM. Let us know what you think! ⚗️

https://buff.ly/3mKo3mR

I can safely say that stories have had a profound impact on me, but how have they impacted you? Whose stories do you find the most inspiring and impactful? What story of yours do you think will inspire someone else? 📖

Check out GLOW's new blog for their opinion series, where Catherine talks about the importance of storytelling in 2021. Let us know what you think! 🙋

The link to the article is below:
https://buff.ly/3AdDfO6

Can't believe that 1/3 of women do not currently have a business support network. 😮

Do you have a business network? Do you think creating meaningful relationships in the workplace is important? 🤔

Why not check out what the fantastic women we surveyed through of workplace relationships in 2021? Link to the Women in Work journal is here: https://buff.ly/3AAQSIM!

Did you know 90% of women said their mental health is affected by their job? Yet only 48% said their employers have enough in place to support their mental health?

Want to find out more? Check out GLOW's Women in Work journal where GLOW asked various women about their experiences and opinions of the workplace in 2020! 🙋

Check it out here: https://buff.ly/3AAQSIM ! ⭐️

Have you heard about Women In Work? 🤷

This research project by GLOW asked various women about their experiences and thoughts on menopause and the workplace, which included fascinating stats like only 10% of respondents (who were going through menopause) felt like they were supported at work! 😯

Click the link to find out more: https://buff.ly/3AAQSIM