{"id":87,"date":"2026-03-06T14:48:39","date_gmt":"2026-03-06T14:48:39","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/blog.westminster.ac.uk\/belongingatwestminster\/?p=87"},"modified":"2026-03-06T17:28:26","modified_gmt":"2026-03-06T17:28:26","slug":"empowerment-in-everyday-courage","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/blog.westminster.ac.uk\/belongingatwestminster\/empowerment-in-everyday-courage\/","title":{"rendered":"Empowerment in Everyday Courage\u00a0"},"content":{"rendered":"\n
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Around International Women\u2019s Day, I usually like to pause and think about the women who\u2019ve inspired and motivated me. This time, though, I\u2019m really pleased to hand over to my colleague\u00a0Sevgi Sarialtin, who\u2019s written this post.<\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n\n\n\n

International Women\u2019s Day always inspires me to reflect not only on the milestones women have achieved,\u00a0but also on the quiet courage\u00a0of everyday women\u00a0that shape our lives.\u00a0It\u2019s\u00a0a day to honour\u00a0not only well-established\u00a0leaders,\u00a0but the\u00a0friends, colleagues,\u00a0and family members whose support\u00a0quietly shape\u00a0our\u00a0own\u00a0journeys.\u00a0\u00a0<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Honouring Everyday Women<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

While it\u2019s important to celebrate the accomplishments of well-known figures, we can also take a moment to honour the women whose stories often go unheard. These include mothers, daughters, sisters, aunts, and friends who quietly face daily struggles. Whether balancing careers and family, fighting for their rights in the workplace, or overcoming personal hardships, their resilience and determination are significant, even if they don\u2019t make headlines and textbooks. Each women\u2019s journey contributes to the broader narrative of women\u2019s history, whether it\u2019s recorded or not.  <\/p>\n\n\n\n

By acknowledging the silent struggles and strengths of these women, we can deepen our understanding of the diverse experiences that shape our communities and appreciate the collective power that women carry worldwide. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

A Personal Perspective<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

One woman who profoundly influences my perspective is my grandmother. Growing up in difficult circumstances, she took on adult responsibilities well before she should have. She was forced to marry at just fifteen, a time when many girls her age were still navigating their own childhoods.  <\/p>\n\n\n\n

When I\u2019ve asked her about her past and my curiosity takes over, I can see her reflecting on those moments. I notice a slight welling up of tears in her eyes followed by a deep silence. She has often expressed sentiments like – “I wish I had been born a man”  <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Those words still echo in my mind whenever I think of her. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Despite the many hardships she encountered, she showed remarkable resilience and determination to build a life for herself and her family. From her, I learned that survival itself can be an act of defiance, and her ability to transform her circumstances into something beautiful has left a lasting impact on me. She is quite simply, made of steel. Fierce, outspoken, always moving, never sitting still for long, and not afraid to make her voice heard. She has a sharp sense of humour, a legendary slipper-throwing arm, and an unshakable belief in getting on with things. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

She has taught me how to find and build resilience within myself, how to move fast and channel my inner Neo from Matrix reflexes when I see that slipper coming.  <\/p>\n\n\n\n

And in her words, I have no understanding of the word “struggle,” and in some way, she is right. I can\u2019t truly grasp what it was like for a woman to grow up in her time. I admire her immense strength and the lessons she passed down to our family about the importance of hard work, no matter the obstacles.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Reflecting on Advocacy and Small Acts of Courage<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

I continue to be inspired by the small acts of courage I witness in everyday life. Whether it’s a colleague speaking out against workplace injustice or a friend standing by another during tough times. These acts of solidarity ripple outward and create a domino effect of empowerment. It\u2019s essential to recognise that courage isn\u2019t always found in grand gestures. Sometimes, it emerges in the quiet moments in our everyday lives when women lift each other, fostering a supportive network of strength. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

I imagine the pioneers looking down at us, proud of how far we\u2019ve come and how brave we have all been. The generations of women who challenged legal, social, and cultural barriers laid the groundwork for the lives many of us lead today. Their impact is felt not only in history books but also in the everyday freedoms we enjoy today. Their legacy continues through women who speak up at work, advocate for fairness, and support one another in spaces that still require courage to navigate. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Call to Action<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

I invite you, our readers to take a moment to think about the women who have influenced your life – a family member, mentor, colleague, or friend. Acknowledge their impact. Learn from their experiences.  <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Together, we can create an environment where women feel supported and empowered to pursue their dreams and ambitions.  <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Today, I hope each of you will reach out, uplift one another, and explore how we can collectively contribute to building a more inclusive community. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Happy International Women\u2019s Day. #IWD2026 <\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Stay connected \u2014follow us on social media to keep up with events, initiatives, resources, and stories that celebrate inclusion and belonging across our community. #Belonging
\ud83d\udcf8 Instagram: @edi_uow<\/a> | \ud83d\udc26 X: @edi_uow<\/a> | \ud83d\udcbc LinkedIn: EDI UOW<\/a> <\/p>\n\n\n\n

<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Further resources and organisations supporting women:<\/em> <\/p>\n\n\n\n

International Women’s Day Events In London 2026 | Londonist<\/a> <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Home – Victim Support<\/a> <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Women In Business Network<\/a> <\/p>\n\n\n\n

HOME | The Female Lead<\/a> <\/p>\n\n\n\n

The Female Lead – YouTube<\/a> <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Help, support & services | Women’s Resource Centre<\/a> <\/p>\n\n\n\n

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Around International Women\u2019s Day, I usually like to pause and think about the women who\u2019ve inspired and motivated me. This time, though, I\u2019m really pleased to hand over to my colleague\u00a0Sevgi Sarialtin, who\u2019s written this post. International Women\u2019s Day always…<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":971,"featured_media":92,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[15,16,19],"tags":[40,36,41,30,42,37,39,38],"class_list":["post-87","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-diversity","category-equality","category-gender-equality","tag-advocacy","tag-community","tag-courage","tag-empowerment","tag-equality","tag-family","tag-international-womens-day","tag-women"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/blog.westminster.ac.uk\/belongingatwestminster\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/87","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/blog.westminster.ac.uk\/belongingatwestminster\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/blog.westminster.ac.uk\/belongingatwestminster\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/blog.westminster.ac.uk\/belongingatwestminster\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/971"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/blog.westminster.ac.uk\/belongingatwestminster\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=87"}],"version-history":[{"count":5,"href":"https:\/\/blog.westminster.ac.uk\/belongingatwestminster\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/87\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":95,"href":"https:\/\/blog.westminster.ac.uk\/belongingatwestminster\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/87\/revisions\/95"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/blog.westminster.ac.uk\/belongingatwestminster\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/92"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/blog.westminster.ac.uk\/belongingatwestminster\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=87"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/blog.westminster.ac.uk\/belongingatwestminster\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=87"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/blog.westminster.ac.uk\/belongingatwestminster\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=87"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}