Every woman worldwide suffers through different degrees of suppression in their culture, religion, or lifestyle. Meeting a woman that has her own shop in the heart of Marrakesh, Morocco shows there is hope. Learning how different cultures treat women intertwines the mindsets you’ve created of your life at home, and the reminders of how it still can be. Be grateful.
I wanted to write about the experience I had while interacting with the women in Morocco. Here I am, a strong, powerful, independent woman that is allowed to stand on her own two feet (with societal exceptions still in the works of being shifted) looking at these women covered from head to toe not wanting to be photographed. The streets are overflowed with men, but seeing women around is kind of like the gems of the city. Where are the majority of the women, you ask, while walking the streets of Morocco? The women are usually home cooking, caring for the family’s needs, and everything else in-between following the reoccurring housewife lifestyle. The Islamic culture surrounding women is very intense to this day. They follow the same traditions and old family values of the women staying home and the man working because the lifestyle has such close ties with their religion. I only met one women in my one week trip across multiple cities in Morocco where she owns her own store. Take a step back and realize how crazy that sounds. Living in a cosmopolitan city back in the states, we already surpassed women creating their own companies. We are now at the nitty gritty level of workforce to advocating the closure of the wage gap, break through glass ceilings, and steer away from sexual harassment from our male coworkers. We are making change happen for women around the world to see there is hope. There is a way out of this repetitive, suppressive lifestyle in marriage thought of as slavery, not a partnership. I know how I am explaining it sounds intense, but IT IS INTENSE. Learn about those outside cultures around you and be thankful for the one that you are currently living in if they are more accepting for women. And if you are reading this in a country that is not, know there is hope. It takes a lot of courage to turn away from what society wants everyone to follow. But, never forget, you are as valued as men are. There shouldn’t be a 1st and 2nd places to the only two sexes in the world. Believe what you want biologically wise of the difference between men and women, but at the end of the day we can still work as hard or even better than half of the male CEO’s of the world. You just need to had that mindset of power, resilience, and overcoming everything you want in life. Whether it is creating a company in a very male dominated country like Morocco or asking for a promotion in your job because you know you deserve it and, of course, are qualified, do it. Make it happen.
By: Amanda Delgado
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