Making Women Visible Day

By Paul Brightly
The Permanent Commission on the Status of Women (PCSW) hosted Making Women Visible Day on January 24, 2007. Connecticut’s Legislative Office Building (LOB) on Capitol Avenue in Hartford housed the day-long event with women of all ages in attendance. There were many workshops, games, and discussions all focused on women.

The PCSW completed a survey of teenage girls and boys aged 14-17 years old. They released their data during Making Women Visible Day. The poll was facilitated by the University of Connecticut and was designed to research the feelings and challenges of Connecticut’s teens.

According to the poll’s findings, Connecticut teens seem to be optimistic about their futures – both their educations and family lives. 95% of teens polled believed that they will finish high school and find employment. The teens believed that gender equality correlates with opportunity and skill. 80% of these teens agreed that girls and boys are equally good in mathematics and science. 91% of the teens said that men and women are equally qualified to be president and 100% believed that men and women should receive equal pay for the same job.

The survey also found that teens feel adults play a significant role in their lives. 285 of them believed spending quality time with a parent or another adult would improve their lives. Another 41% felt that more time with adults would improve their lives slightly.

During the day-long event, the PCSW announced the winners of a 9th grade essay contest which was hosted by the Young Women’s Leadership Program (YWLP). The question students wrote about was “What would it be like to have a woman president of the United States?”.

Women in Action” was the name of one workshop. It consisted of leaders who are all young women that devote their energy and careers to helping women live better lives.
Another workshop, “It’s All in How You Logo”, asked girls to research work done by organizations in other countries. The researched organizations all focus on helping women and children. The girls used their research conclusions to develop logos and mini public relations campaigns which could be used to market for those organizations.

“Girl Grant Maker”, presented by the Coast Guard Cadets (CGC), gave youngsters an imaginary $45,000. The participants had to decide which international women’s organizations to delegate their funds to, while getting a sense of the real world of grant making.

Making Women Visible Day seemed to be a success for everyone involved. There was a considerable turnout of women and girls flooding the LOB. The Permanent Commission on the Status of Women staged day’s positive workshops aimed at aiding the continued struggle for gender equality in Connecticut.