News
Feminist Talk Show
On March 7th, the second edition of the Feminist Talk Show was organized at the Impulse Speakers Corner as part of the Feminist Festival, a collaboration between different local organizations in Wageningen and WUR to commemorate International Women's Day.
The event started with the powerful song “Bread and Roses,” a strong anthem for workers' rights, particularly for women. The song highlights the importance of both material sustenance ("bread") and the beauty of life ("roses"), calling for dignity, equality, and the pursuit of a fulfilling life, not just survival, reflecting the ongoing struggle for justice and basic human needs.
Following the music, Chizu Sato (GEO) and Joice Kaschuk (PCC) facilitated a discussion among five brilliant women who work or study at WUR. Fieke Vijftigschild (BSc Environmental Sciences), Rumyana Karlova (PPH), Eira Carballo Cardenas (ENP), Sophie van Lange (PCC), and Marielos Peña Claros (FEM) shared stories of the women who inspired them, their challenges, and their visions for gender equality. The interactive session allowed the audience to share thoughts and ask questions.
Topics ranged from the challenges of motherhood and the unequal burden placed on women to reflections on the difficulties of balancing work and family life. One speaker shared, “While working, I constantly wondered if my kids were safe or what they would eat for lunch at the daycare. This never happened to my husband as he was sure that they would do just fine.” Another reflected on how the expectations placed on women often differ from those placed on men: “I chose to work part-time to take care of my kids, and I am happy with my choice. However, now I wonder whether my choice would have been the same if my husband would have said that he wanted to work less to be with the kid in their early years”.
The conversation also highlighted the importance of men in the fight for equality: “We need to emancipate our men,” one participant stated. The struggle for equal rights, opportunities, and access to resources, regardless of gender, should have more male allies and ambassadors.
However, the importance of understanding gender biases in our everyday lives is often unknown or not discussed. Therefore, educational reforms in chair groups and lectures to prevent harmful gender stereotypes and biases from being enforced are urgent. There is also a need for a safe space and/or events for more exchanges and open discussion on the subject. This can contribute to the consciousness of the organizational challenges. For example, Fieke, Chairperson of the feminist association Thalia, highlighted how educating everyone on the menstrual cycle could contribute to more awareness of the importance of hygiene products provided by the institution.
Discussions also touched on the challenges of being a woman in academia, with one speaker sharing, “The person remembers me because of my skirt, not because of my research.” Dissatisfaction goes beyond the lack of scientific recognition but also stems from the lack of professional respect. For example, one of the speakers shared her challenges in supervision in her early career: "My students did not respect me because I was a woman."
The event was a thoughtful, empowering reflection of both speakers and the audience on the ongoing fight for gender equality, offering a platform for personal stories, reflections, and actionable insights for positive change.
Event was co-organized by Margriet Goris (RSO/Agrosystems), Alejandra Guijo Bermejo (Diversity and Inclusion), Lisa Nguyen (Team Student Life, Wellbeing & Inclusion ), Eira Carballo Cárdenas (ENP), Chizu Sato (GEO) and Joice Kaschuk (PCC).