The theme of this years International Women’s Day is #betterforbalance.
As a female-led organisation, Rahoo supports this theme and the strive for a more gender-balanced world. It is increasingly obvious (if you become aware, and then you can’t stop noticing) throughout society – education, business and politics – the dominance of the male gender.
Male-dominated Dáil Éireann.
The rise of “manels” (aka panels which are solely facilitated by men).
There was even a recent outcry on Twitter at an Irish principal’s conference, where all the days speakers were men, except one.
Female voice is as valuable and must be heard to ensure a balanced society.
Anyway, enough of our giving out… we leave you with 3 truly inspiring women on International Women’s Day. They certainly had their voices heard!
1. Vicky Phelan
If you have not heard of Vicky Phelan, you must be living under a rock!
An absolute tower of strength whose backbone and courage has meant that everyone has become aware of malpractice in Irish healthcare and testing.
Her refusal to sign a non-disclosure agreement has saved the lives of many Irish women.
Learn more about her:
2. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez
You may not have heard of this name yet, but you will be hearing it more and more over the next few years.
She is the youngest female elected to the US House of Congress and is one to watch. Her entire campaign was crowd-funded and she took the seat of a long-standing politician. She was booed by her peers, simply for being there. Her response?
“Don’t hate me ‘cuz you ain’t me fellas”!
Since in Congress, the naysayers have tried many tactics to discredit and ridicule her, including sourcing videos of her dancing at university. Her open, honest and clear communication style has made politics more accessible to the general population by explaining complex processes in everyday language.
We recommend that you watch her dancing video comeback:
Or her exposure of political corruption:
3. Adi Roche
Adi is a well-known humanitarian in Ireland.
Having founded Chernobyl Children International (CCI) in the aftermath of the devastating 1986 nuclear disaster, she has been the driving force behind what started as a small fundraiser, escalating into a humanitarian organisation that has raised €100million in aid.
When she first heard about the catastrophe Adi began to host tea parties to raise money for those suffering from the devastating effects of the nuclear blast. But she soon felt she needed to do more to help, especially for the children left with serious health consequences as a result.
She has helped approximately 25,000 children in her role.
Learn more about some of the work Adi does:
There are so many examples of inspiring women – these are just three of them.
They are pretty amazing though, right?
Who inspires you?
