Multi-Genre Project Proposal

For my multi-genre research project I've chosen the topic of gender equality. It's a broad topic, so there are a lot of areas that I could focus on. I want to mainly research the domestic aspect of gender equality because many people are aware that it happens in developing countries but they don't realize that it is also an issue in America. The pay gap is one of the issues within the US that I would like to learn more about. As for the interviews, I'm still figuring that out. Ms. James suggested that I talk to someone from SPS's diversity department, so I might end up doing that. I find this topic personally meaningful because gender equality is an issue that directly affects me. As a female planning on going into a profession that is more than 70% males, I am concerned by issues like unequal pay for equal work. I want others to be aware of these types of issues as well.

Multi-Genre Project Reflection

I read Happily Ever After in the Media?, which was basically about how the media, specifically fairytales, affects the way girls think about life as they grow up. While I agreed with the main idea, the author basically repeated the same supporting detail over and over to prove her point.

Overall, I like the idea of a multi-genre research project. It gives us the opportunity to present our research in an exciting and creative way. I haven't decided what I'm going to research for sure, but I'm leaning towards the topic of gender equality. I was interested in the issue of gender equality before I wrote about it for my millennium goals post. The fact that I am already somewhat educated on the issue and that I feel passionate about it leads me to believe that gender equality would be a good topic to research for this project.

Promoting Gender Equality

The goal that interests me the most is number three, promote gender equality and empower women. The specific target for this goal is to eliminate gender disparity in primary and secondary education by 2005, and in all levels of education by 2015. We have achieved worldwide equality between girls and boys in primary education, but very few countries have yet to achieve that type of equality in higher levels of education. Beyond education, women in many countries still face discrimination in work, as well as participation in any type of government decision making.

Poverty is the main barrier between girls and secondary education. Girls in rural ares are dealing with cultural and financial restrictions when it comes to education. In Somalia a program supported by UNICEF is providing girls with scholarships in order to encourage them to pursue education.

To encourage female participation in politics, Uruguay has begun to require that women make up at least 30% of parliament. (That's almost twice the percentage of US women who held seats in congress in 2014.)  In 2012 UN Women held a training program for young female politicians in Uruguay. The women spent time with politicians, who acted as tutors for the women to prepare them for candidacy.

I find the issue of gender equality interesting because as a female, I am directly affected.While equal education is not really an issue in the United States, American women are still facing barriers in the workplace and in government. Women working full-time only earn about 77% of what their male counterparts earn, and only 18.5% of congress is made up women.

Start Something That Matters

Good Spread Peanut Butter was the first story to catch my attention. Good Spread Peanut Butter's aim is to prevent malnutrition in third world countries by providing therapeutic meals to suffering children. They use the profits from every packet of peanut butter sold to give away a packet of a therapeutic paste to a malnourished child. I found this story interesting because I already had some background knowledge about MANA Nutrition and I think it is a wonderful organization.

Half4thehungry does double the good, fighting both hunger as well as obesity. At participating restaurants, customers pay full price for a meal but receive only half the portion. The other half is donated to those in need. This is a great idea because it is an almost effortless way for people to help prevent two issues that are huge in America.

A 2nd Cup is a nonprofit coffee shop that works to fight human trafficking. The proceeds from coffee sales will be used to fund after-care solutions for human trafficking victims including, housing mentoring, and life skills for reintegration into society. This idea really sparked my interest because I find human trafficking horrifying and believe that no one deserves to be devalued in that way. Human trafficking is a serious issue and victims deserve some sort of support.

If I didn't have to worry about money I would want to provide medical care to those in need. I strongly believe that no one deserves to be in pain when they don't have to be. My goal for the future has always been to create a positive impact in the lives of others, and I would gladly do that with or without money.