6 Amazing TED Talks On Women

 

Do you like watching TED talks?

 

Well, I kind of do, especially when I’m searching for inspiration and especially when women’s issues are on my mind. I don’t know, I just like listening to people who work for women, with women and who care about women. Also, the fact that they can articulate our issues a lot better and provide some insight helps.

 

These past few weeks, past few months rather I have been feeling sort of claustrophobic about being a woman because I realized I’m tied in so many directions. Or, maybe it’s just that I miss the freedom from responsibilities. I don’t know. But that thought of being watched by society, tied down by my body every single month and more, sort of spiralled into all that women have to juggle, the injustices we have to tolerate, the laws that aren’t much help, the safety which is an illusion, the workplace which is so biased and more.

 

In my quest to feel a little better or find some answers, I chanced upon some great TED Talks on Women. They were encouraging, insightful and so well enunciated, that it helped me make sense of my restlessness to an extent. It helped me come to terms with what is and what can be done about it albeit in my own small way.

 

So, I thought why not share a few of those TED talks on women with you for this month’s #FeministMondays post?

 

Good idea, right? A break from my usual whining.

 

Here they are.

 

6 Amazing TED Talks On Women

Women should rethink their Inheritance | Leila Seth | TEDxGatewayWomen

 

Here, Leila Seth, the first woman judge on the Delhi High Court and the first woman to become Chief Justice of a state High Court talks about women and their right to inheritance. She talks about 4 steps of equipping women to fight this stubborn, slow changing patriarchal society of ours, to stop dowry-related torture and deaths. The steps – Awareness, Assertion, Attitude Change, and Action. She says ‘Don’t hanker after dowry. Don’t demand dowry. Demand your inheritance. Inheritance, not Dowry. Repeat it. Act upon it. Get others to act upon it as well.’

 

You can watch it here.

 

Everyday sexism: Laura Bates at TEDxCoventGardenWomen

 

Here, Laura Bates talks about Everyday Sexism, something we just seem to ignore in our day to day lives. She talks about everyday sexism when we women don’t retort because it’s seen as ‘making a fuss’. She makes you realize how the ‘equality’ that is more or else assumed to have been ‘achieved’ by women is just a hogwash.

 

You can watch it here.

 

We should all be feminists | Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie | TEDxEuston

 

Well, I think this is one of my absolute favorites when it comes to TED Talks. She talks about why we should all be feminists. Needless to say, it’s one of the most inspiring talks on feminism and women that I have ever heard. In fact, my #FeministMondays series began after listening to this very TED talk.

 

You can watch it here.

 

Girl Up: The Secrets to an Extraordinary Life | Courtney Ferrell | TEDxRVA

 

She talks about how women are taught to aspire to perfection but it’s not a human quality. It’s enough to show up with self-confidence and love, to do our best. She talks about being authentically you and practicing self-love because women are so hard on themselves. She talks about women not being each other’s rivals. I think it is a talk every girl should watch. Girl Up.

 

You can watch it here.

 

Why we have too few women leaders | Sheryl Sandberg

 

Here Sheryl Sandberg makes very pertinent points about keeping women in the workforce. She talks about how there are too few women at the top levels all around the world. She underlines how women face difficult choices between careers and family life as opposed to men. You can say it is a minor preview of her book Lean In and you’ll love it especially if you are a woman because these are all truths, our truths! She talks about how women subjectively underestimate themselves while attributing their success to external factors. Men don’t do that. And we should learn from them. But it’s not easy, is it especially when all the ‘positive qualities’ in men if imbibed by women are given a negative connotation?

 

You can watch it here.

 

Teach girls bravery, not perfection | Reshma Saujani

 

Why are we not raising our girls to be brave? Why are we teaching them to be perfect? This is the reason why the representation of women in every field is lower than men because women are so obsessed with chasing perfection that they take so few chances. She talks about how a study showed that men apply for jobs even if they meet 60% of the job criteria while women do it when they meet 100% of the criteria. Trust me I know this is true because it is me. We just need to stop trying to do everything so perfectly and just do it.

 

Watch it here.

 

 

Hope you’ll watch and love these as much as I did. And if you know of any TED Talk on women that I should watch, let me know, please.

 

***

 

Feminist-Feminism-Mondays-Women-Random-Thoughts-Naba

 

This post is part of the #FeministMondays series (previously called #IAmAFeminist series) on the blog. Inspired by a TEDx talk by Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie – We Should All Be Feminists, I intend to talk about the need for feminism through my posts, posts on my experience and observation as a female. I intend to talk about issues concerning women.

Join me and let’s work towards a world of gender parity. Remember, each voice counts. Tell me your story.

 

***

7 thoughts on “6 Amazing TED Talks On Women”

  1. I am bookmarking this post, Naba. I will surely watch each one of them. There was a time when I religiously watched TED videos everyday. Somehow have stopped doing that now. Don’t know why. Thanks for sharing your favourite list with us.

  2. Hi Naba,
    Great compilation of TED talks. I have to share and bookmark this post of yours. A lot of people have a misconception of what feminism is and I have to share this for awareness. These TED talks are really empowering. Thank you so much for sharing them.

Comments are closed.