Gender Equality Stories

In collaboration with the Gender Equality Interest Group, The AEGEEan decided to create a form where members could share with us their stories about the (lack) of gender equality they experienced in their lives. We gave the opportunity to people to share their stories in an anonymous form, and you will find the reason in the last contribution. The form can be found here and it is still open for everyone to share their stories.

 

I want to share a somehow common situation in Europe that you might have encountered as well. I have seen many pubs where guys have to pay whereas girls have their entrance fee waived, making me as a girl like a product, given that if you do not pay for a product, the product is you.

Celia Riveres, AEGEE-Zaragoza

My story is that I was treated for what I am. A human being.

Anonymous

Walking with a friend to class, on a Tuesday morning, a man shouted at us: “Hey, why don’t you come here to play! Sit on my lap and warm my di*k”.

Anonymous

“Are you sure you are a woman? You are too good at your job to be one” – My boss.

María Ballesteros Melero, AEGEE-Madrid

This is not my story, but something that happened to a colleague of mine. Before landing the position where we worked together, she had to do many interviews. At some point, one of the interviewers asked her “well, well, well… 30-something, just married… How do I know that in a couple of months you will not show up here with a pregnant belly?”. Apparently, this had been happening in most interviews. She was so angry and fed up that she answered “I am sterile”. That shut him right up! I laughed when she told me the story, but afterwards I was really discouraged that, even if it is illegal, interviewers keep on making these questions, but only to women.

Anonymous

I said “No” but he was stronger than my voice. I lied there waiting for it to go by fast, for the night to be over. But it has not. It has been over two years and that night is not over yet. It was in an AEGEE event.

Anonymous

During Spring Agora Patra, we were three candidates for president, two women, one men. I cannot count how many time the word “cat fight” was mentioned, always referring to the two women. I also remember clearly someone telling me that  “a tall men in a suit will always represent better AEGEE than a small woman”.

Léa, AEGEE-Paris

I was in a bar once with some friends, when a guy approached me. I was barely 18, I had not clubbed much, and I thought you couldn’t just be mean to every single guy you encountered – some might be nice people, you’ll never know if you don’t give them a chance to speak. So, I started talking to him. He was pretty drunk, we spoke briefly about what he studied, I made a joke and he laughed. Then he said “You’re funny. Here, hold my drink. I’m gonna show you my dick”. Obviously I left the club running and when I met my friends again outside, one of them said “What happened? I suddenly turned around and there was a guy in his underwear!”.

Anonymous

The worst stories experienced by our members are not going to appear in this article because of the victim blaming and the hate people denouncing sexism suffer, as well as because of the fact it is still considered a private thing, so we keep them in private, do not denounce and try to forget them.

María Ballesteros Melero, AEGEE-Madrid