My research was mostly based on articles. I found it was more accurate to find multiple different points of view on the topic. It was also the most organized way to do it for me subject wise. I decided to focus on separate subjects every week so I got a more general idea of how gender equality works in Vermont. The first week I mostly focused on current events in Vermont. For example, protests for equal pay and speeches, campaigns, etc. From there I moved on to how my family has been involved in this in the past. It was interesting to look into the history and current state of the political and activist related lives. After that I started to move into pre existing policies in Vermont. Also how Vermont is compared to other states on this issue. I found multiple policies and laws regarding gender equality, but the one that seemed to stand out to me the most was the Vermont Commision on Women (VCW.) They are an organization that looks to make equity a more reachable goal for women in Vermont. One thing that they focus on as well is educating government officials on the subject before they make their laws or decisions. Another research method I tried was to interview certain individuals about their experience with this. Two people that I interviewed were my mom and my school principal. Both gave lot’s of important information. Some strategies I usually use to interview others are preparing questions ahead of time. This helps to keep structure to the interview. Without preparing ahead of time it is harder to get across what I’m trying to ask clearly. 

During my research I came across multiple surprising facts and organizations that I hadn’t heard of before. Something that I found interesting was that my step grandfather was part of a gender equity organization. Apparently he used to work to get equal rights for women in Vermont. I didn’t get a chance to interview him during the information and research period, but I’m looking forward to looking into it in the future. When given the chance I think that it would be intriguing to learn about his experience, and maybe even find a woman part of the program to speak to.  Something else that I found interesting during my research was the fact that Vermont has only ever sent one woman to represent them in congress. I couldn’t believe that with all of the things women do for Vermont and this country they weren’t getting the chance to get their voices heard. It was cool to look farther into our state’s government and set up. 

The conflict that I am interested in is women’s lack of rights and equality. In this world we are not thought of as equal to the men in the workforce. For too long we have been overlooked as something inadequate or unimportant. Although progress has been made in today’s world, there are still multiple inequalities that need to be addressed. I think that the most relevant issue in our world today is the pay gap. For doing the exact same job as men some women are only paid 75% of their regular salary. This directly affects my future and my career for when I am older, and it affects the world I grow up in. People need to realize that women can do anything the same if not better than men. I think one of the worst things isn’t the lack of rights, it is the fact that some authority figures have been aware of these issues and still dismiss them. No one has done anything about this which has forced our generation to take a stand for our future, because no one else will. Personally I think that the best way to solve this problem is to educate others and have others take action. Only when everyone is united in their understanding of this will we be able to find a solution.

I feel like a large authority figure for this subject was Ruth Bader Ginsburg. She stood up for everyone, women or not. She brought an educated, unbiased voice to the table, helping congress make more impartial decisions when it comes to equality. She spoke for those who couldn’t find a voice of their own, and stood by those who could. I’m truly grateful for all of the work that she has done for our country and how dedicated she was to making a difference in the world we have today. I admire how she stood her place even in the hardest of situations. One other voice for women that I can think of is Madeleine Kunin. She works for women everywhere to create a better life for them. She uses her influence in the government to educate and persuade other decision makers to make the right decisions. She is also an influential, powerful woman for young girls everywhere. 

To look further into this subject there are lots of questions I would still like to get answered. One of them being how gender equality has progressed in Vermont through the decades? It would be very interesting to find out more of our state’s history when it comes to this issue. I think that would also be cool to include that in the documentary, a little section on how much we have progressed compared to how much farther we need to progress to gain total equity. Another question that I would like to look into is how Vermont has contributed to the country’s overall social well being. I would like to learn more about how big of a role our state takes in our nation’s gender equality.

I can’t really think of anything that hasn’t been used before, but something that I think would be cool to include in it is a section on how people are standing up for themselves and working to make a difference today. I think that would be very powerful to encourage others to do the same. Something I have found moving in the short films that we watched and discussed in the past is when the film maker chooses to just show a series of pictures. There are no words needed to help you realize what is going on, it’s just a chance to reflect on what you have heard and see what you have learned play out in front of you. I think this is a very smart and captivating way to capture the audience’s attention.

Gender equality is extremely important to me because it directly affects my and my peers’ futures. I want to have a chance to make a difference for my future so I can grow up in a fair world. I know that the probability of total gender equality happening when I am a child is a very unlikely reality, but I’d like to start. Making a pathway for the next generation to improve on what my generation can do would be incredible. I am extremely passionate about it and usually get involved in anything that is related to it if I can. I’m very enthusiastic about it because it is so relevant in our society today. I can see the inequalities happening all around the world and want to make a difference for it. 

I think that there are multiple issues in our country today but I have really only ever focused on two main issues in the past. Other than gender equality I have looked into climate change. I think that it is really important to eliminate this issue because if we don’t we won’t have a world to live in. It frustrates me how government officials can so blatantly refuse to acknowledge its existence in the world today, as it is so clearly laid out in front of us. I do care a lot about this issue because I love nature and the natural world around us, it’s heartbreaking to imagine it gone just because we didn’t address the issue. I think that gender equality and climate change are both equally important, but one is needed to execute the other. Without total equity and unity in our nation, it is impossible to even think about solving other issues.