Project: Fostering Women’s Leadership
Area 1. Human rights protection (including gender equality)
How to break down gender stereotypes, empower local women activists and give them the opportunity to cooperate more widely? This is what the ‘Fostering Women’s Leadership’ project, implemented by the Laboratorium Zmiany Foundation, was all about.
– “I am a bit tired of the fact that when we talk about gender discrimination, it is usually discussed at the highest level, and the proposed solution is to bring women onto company boards. What is often forgotten is the local government level, which is much closer and has a greater impact on everyday life. We find this out every time we talk to women who attend our various events,” says Hanna Żyła of the Laboratorium Zmiany Foundation.
– “In these conversations, for example, there were stories about hard work being undervalued or even merit being taken away. The male mayor cuts the ribbon and the female employee who organised everything stands somewhere in the back and is not even mentioned,” adds Marta Zdybek, also an employee of the Laboratorium Zmiany Foundation.
The Foundation’s ‘Fostering women’s leadership’ project, implemented in the Lower Silesian and Opole Provinces, was a response to this problem. Its aim was to examine the situation in depth and, above all, to empower women active at various levels. The project targeted both women in local government and local activists or NGO workers. At the same time, the aim was not to find high-profile examples of obstacles, but to focus more on the small, everyday issues that, taken together, can result in women either not choosing to implement their ideas or not succeeding as much as they could.
The case of Alicja Wiśniewska was symptomatic. On the one hand, she supported the implementation of the project; on the other, she experienced an unpleasant situation in her work as a councillor.
– “My activities were left out. I did a lot for the public space in my city, I was very much involved in organising public consultations, but I was not even mentioned in the article on the subject. Women’s contributions are often belittled, and if they are responsible for various issues, men are most often given the credit,” recalls Alicja Wiśniewska.
– “During the last election campaign I was attacked. A letter came to the office accusing me of posting a photo on the internet in which I am not wearing a bra. The signatures, however, were forged. Anyway, something similar would certainly not be alleged against a man,” says Monika Ledwolorz-Gierok, a project participant.
In the course of the project there were also stories of situations where a minute’s thought would have been enough to avoid negative consequences. For example, in one municipality there was a meeting about building a new crèche, which ended with the conclusion that it was not needed. However, it was organised in such a way and at such a time that it did not occur to anyone that… mothers caring for their children at home did not have the chance to come and have their say. Another important issue is that however different experiences and barriers are systemic, the local level is specific.
– “At the local government level, this is even more difficult because neighbourhood relationships are often at stake. Taking care of them makes personal success less important. Women do not choose to fight for themselves,” says Hanna Żyła.
– “Not to mention that in smaller towns there is less access to anti-discrimination and equality education. It is neglected. Gender stereotypes are stronger and this makes it even more difficult to change the established rules of the game. It also works in such a way that it is much more difficult to notice that something is wrong and various behaviours are justified,’ adds Marta Zdybek.
The beginning of valuing their achievements
A similar aspect was evident when they conducted a survey. In it, many women underestimated their competence and skills, believing that they were not fit to be asked anything. And this was true even when the woman in question ran an NGO or served as a village leader. At the same time, once they opened up, they told fascinating stories about their achievements. Breaking the imposter syndrome, however, was difficult.
– “Certainly, an important finding of the research is that women are beginning to notice that they have higher expectations of themselves, but also that the environment in which they function operates in this way. At the same time, when things go wrong, men are forgiven much more quickly,” says Marta Zdybek.
– “It was good to meet other women, some of whom I had known before, and exchange experiences. In fact, it allowed me to fully understand that women are often treated differently in politics and social life. What surprised me was that I was not alone in this, that it is common for men to collect congratulations for something that was largely done by women, or even to cut women out of photos. Before, I thought it was due to me saying what I think or someone simply not liking me. Now I know that it is more of a systemic problem,’ notes Monika Ledwolorz-Gierok.
– “However, it is worth noting that sometimes we do this to ourselves. In the election campaign, it was evident that often women themselves did not want to boast about their achievements. They believed that the fact that a project was completed was the result of extensive cooperation. And this is of course true, nevertheless they were often the ones who coordinated activities, were responsible for many things and did a lot of the necessary work. This is why I think ‘Fostering Women’s Leadership’ is a much-needed initiative, because eventually there has to come a point when women start to appreciate themselves more and be proud of what they have done,” Alicja Wisniewska adds.
Another conclusion of the research is the one related to finance. This is something that is simply lacking, not to mention the fact that in order to get a grant, you often have to fill out a lot of paperwork and know how to account for everything afterwards. When you’re doing everything yourself, it can be overwhelming, especially as these are often additional, voluntary activities. So it might be a good idea to facilitate access and increase funding so that women can be much more active in the local community. On the other hand, young women in particular emphasised the need for substantive support at the beginning of their activities. In their case, discrimination was not only based on gender, but also on age.
– “No matter what they did or what ideas they had, they usually heard that they had no experience and were met with disregard. Meanwhile, they know very well what their peers need, because they spend time with them and talk to them every day,” says Hanna Żyła.
Women’s circles as a space for experience sharing and networking
Therefore, part of the ‘Fostering Women’s Leadership’ project were women’s circles, where participants met each other and discussed various topics. This was an opportunity to exchange knowledge, experiences and also to make new contacts. However, they were not moderated by the Laboratorium Zmiany Foundation, but by the women themselves, who were given a package of materials to facilitate the meetings.
– “When I suggested to the girls the idea of doing a circle where we would talk about different experiences, they were delighted. They clearly opened up, showed different perspectives and it empowered them. The project was important for them because it showed that with support you can do different things. Previously, we had tried for two years to organise a Youth Community Council, but this had failed, so there was little left of the initial enthusiasm. Instead of thirty volunteers there were only eight and it just didn’t work out. We also talked about it during the circle and the girls mentioned that they were a bit burnt out by it, but still trying to do something together. After the circle they are clearly getting together more often. It was great for me too, because I like to facilitate, so I was able to test myself in that role further. I’ll know what to look out for, what to disagree with and how to act when, for example, I want to get involved in something at university,’ says Tamara Antosik, a project participant and one of the circle’s facilitators.
As Hanna Żyła and Marta Zdybek underline, the research mentioned earlier was also important because its results made it possible to create better resources for the women’s circles. Ultimately, it was up to the participants what they would talk about during the project. One topic, for example, was how to respond to criticism and that this could be done in a more blunt way, as it is not always necessary to be polite and composed when putting up boundaries. Above all, however, the main effect of the circles was to strengthen each other and to see that there are many women around who are also active, so that there is a possibility for more cooperation.
– “Projects like this should be carried out periodically so that women can meet and work together more often. Together we are definitely stronger. I would like to see a women’s group in my municipality, which would organise workshops and meetings for female residents. It would be great if the activists I met during the women’s circles would show up at them,” concludes Monika Ledwolorz-Gierok.
All the resources, including the scenarios for the women’s circles and the research report produced by the ‘Fostering Women’s Leadership’ project can be found here: https://laboratoriumzmiany.org/do-pobrania/.
The article has been published in the non-governmental organisations portal ngo.pl.
Author: Jędrzej Dudkiewicz
The project’s website: https://laboratoriumzmiany.org/projekty/samorzadne/
More information about the project >>
Photos: Katarzyna Myślińska, Oliwier Zieliński i Hanna Żyła
