Happy International Women’s Day! Let’s talk about individuals and system change
Reflections on how people across the power spectrum can change existing systems to create more equity across groups
Alright, I’ll be honest. I didn’t start out the day paying too much attention to this year’s International Women’s Day.
Then as I found myself pausing on every post on my LinkedIn feed celebrating women today, I finally noticed the voice inside me saying, Helloooooo, aren’t you going to contribute something, too??
So here I am, throwing together a blog post and sketchnote to capture some of my thoughts as I reflect on what International Women’s Day means to me.
Just a warning - this note is a little haphazard, a little less polished. Know that it’s because I’m feeling the time crunch to get something out today. But you know, there’s something kind of fitting about letting my hair down and letting my thoughts fly free on a day when women should be celebrated for who they are and the unique contributions they provide to a world that for the most part was not built for them.
Speaking of worlds (and systems and cultures) not built for particular groups of people, this is where my thought goes when I think about group identities and power and system change.
I’ve summarized these thoughts in the above sketchnote where I share some of my knowledge and ideas for how women and men and people across many other group identities interact with each other to create particular existing systems and some ideas for how we, all together across the power spectrum, could change those systems to create more equity (and happiness and success) among groups.
Much of what I summarize is informed by the work of social psychologist and research pioneer, Hazel Markus, and her collaborators, such as Shinobu Kitayama and Alana Conner. I had the incredible opportunity of a lifetime to learn from Dr. Markus about what a woman leader looks like and how to achieve respect and success by being a multicultural navigator who can channel competence together with warmth.
Through this sketchnote, I aim to capture one slice of how I believe the world works -
how individuals and systems make each other up,
how systems shape the little babies that are born into them and guide them to become people who fit into those systems,
how powerful individuals wield resources and influences to make the world how they want it to be (and that often advantages them and people that look and behave like them),
and why people sometimes feel like they don’t fit into many of the spaces they spend their everyday lives in (because of their experiences in different cultures and systems).
I recognize the sketchnote is dense! And addresses complicated ideas that many people have many opinions about; and that many people have tried to address and fix (and fight) in many ways. One simple sketchnote won’t be able to capture all those nuances, but I hope it can at least spark conversations.
I’ve run out of time to say much more, but rest assured, this topic is near and dear to my heart, head and gut, and will show up again.
In the meantime, if you are a woman, I hope you took the time today to pause, reflect on your awesomeness, and what you uniquely contribute to the world.
If you are not a woman, I hope that you took the time to pause, reflect on the awesomeness of your women colleagues, family and friends, and celebrate their unique contributions to the world.
And if you are someone that recognizes you have power in systems that are not built for women, I hope that you consider ways to give them opportunities to share their true selves in spaces that may not normally give them that chance. We will all collectively benefit from the sharing of more voices.