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Everyday Sexism Project founder Laura Bates visits St Swithun's School |
Laura Bates, acclaimed author and founder of the Everyday Sexism Project, spoke to senior students at St Swithun's school for girls in Winchester about gender inequality in everyday life. With L5, M5 and U5 she spoke about how and why she created the project, her published books and journalism work. Laura talked about how to get involved in activism work and took questions from a very engaged audience which involved an exploration of her career, legislation changing, AI and how to stay safe online.
To our older students, L6/U6, Laura discussed everyday sexism and online extremism in further depth and painted a picture, using statistics and facts, of today's gender inequality challenges. She spoke to the girls about the wide variety of influences that contribute to young peoples' perceptions of gender roles, how responsibility is beyond that of a parent or carer', and how sexism effects young people in schools and beyond.
Of particular interest was her deep dive into the impact of today's AI on reinventing misogyny, exploring generative and algorithmic AI, deepfake technology, metaverses and AI girlfriends. Laura spoke about intersectionality and then went on to explore viable solutions. The girls took the lead, impressively, at the end of the talk with their questions; these included exploring how legislations around AI can be implemented, and whether we will ever see a fairer society.
Laura Bates said, "I believe it is so incredibly important to talk to young people about issues around gender inequality and the ways in which they can go out into the world and make a difference to some of the changes we hope to see."
Students left the session feeling inspired and empowered, with student Claire C commenting:
“My friends and I unanimously agreed that this was THE BEST talk we've ever had. It was truly so captivating and important in this day and age.”
Here at St Swithun's, a flourishing independent day and boarding school for girls in Winchester, our vision is a world where young women see possibilities, not barriers. We develop independently minded young women who show courage, compassion, commitment and self-confidence.