The Womens Conference

Taking Back the Power of Self-Worth

05/1/09 | Dr. Cheryl Saban | 10 Comments

Cheryl Saban is a writer and social commentator who holds a Ph.D. in psychology.

Does someone else need to acknowledge our worth to make it real?  Do we crave outside affirmation of our value because we are insecure by nature? 

If women are insecure as a gender, we’ve been given reason to be.

A woman’s culture – our upbringing, our environment, social cues, and our own strongly held beliefs that nuance our experience – defines female status.  And though it’s quite obvious that women have made enormous gains in terms of rights and participation, the global picture of the status of women and girls is not so rosy. When a governing power holds stubbornly to rigid stereotypes, cultural mores, and antiquated mindsets, there may not be much wiggle room for women to discover and express their worth. 

Imagine that you’re a woman living in a country and society which denies you freedom of travel, forbids you to possess your own passport, complicates or denies your access to education and female-centric healthcare, restricts your participation in government, your ownership of property, your ability to obtain loans, to work outside the home, drive a car, or have custody of your children.  Wow.  Seems to me that this lack of freedom and autonomy could easily impact a woman’s feelings of worth, could it not? 

And then there’s the prickly issue of how crime investigations – particularly in rape cases – have been handled in the U.S.  The recent outrage at the backlog of unprocessed rape kits is well deserved.  Rape kits can provide investigators with the evidence they need to find and prosecute rapists, but yet, for some inexplicable reason, many kits are languishing, unprocessed.  How could this be allowed to happen? Does this say something about how we are valued and respected?

Yet, perhaps it’s not that simple. 

Tough as it may seem, we need to realize our worth in order to actualize it.  And step-by-step, we are making changes.  Women are being called upon to take on even more challenges in the current economic environment, and we are clearly up to the task.  Now we need to build our community and support each other. Those of us who have rediscovered our voices, who can expose and express our self-worth, need to help clear the road for those among us who still struggle.

The Dalai Lama said, “According to Buddhism, individuals are masters of their own destiny.  And all living beings are believed to possess the nature of the Primordial Buddha, Samantabhadra -- the potential or seed of enlightenment, within them.  So.  Our future is in our own hands.  What greater free will do we need?”

Indeed.  Perhaps as young girls and women, we will be able to express that free will once more of us are able to model that behavior. 

What do you think about self-worth? We are all part of this important narrative. Share your thoughts with me.

Project to Paint the Modern Portrait of the American Woman

04/15/09 | The Women's Conference | 4 Comments

On Tuesday, April 15, 2009, Maria Shriver announced a new project called, "A Woman’s Nation", which will take a new, empirical look at American women, who for the first time in our nation’s history, make up half of all workers and are becoming the primary breadwinners in more families than ever before.

This is a multifaceted project in partnership with the Center for American Progress and the University of Southern California’s Annenberg Center on Communication Leadership and Policy. TIME magazine will also be involved in research and reporting, as well as co-presenting discussions and roundtables around the country.

“We will take a hard look at how women are doing in the United States today and consider the central question of the role government, business, and faith organizations, as well as individual women and men should play in supporting women’s role now in the workforce and the U.S. economy,“ said John Podesta, president and CEO of the Center for American Progress. “We look forward to teaming up with Maria Shriver on this important work.”

A Woman’s Nation will include roundtables, a national poll, and interviews with icons of the women’s movement and other prominent leaders. The preliminary report will be released in the fall, to be followed by a book.

“Examining ways to improve the lives of women in this country is a noble cause, and I congratulate Maria Shriver and CAP on launching this new venture,” said White House Senior Advisor Valerie Jarrett. “As a true leader in this area, Maria brings the perspective of a professional journalist, a working mother, and a caretaking daughter. Maria’s contributions to better understanding American women today are invaluable, and we look forward to the results of this work.”


Read Maria Shriver's blog on The Huffington Post.

View press release.

What does your Woman's Nation look like? Discuss now.