Our Gender Equality Op-Ed Competition, in collaboration with Malala Fund, saw excellent opinion pieces produced by young writers all over the world. In her winning piece ‘Liberated from Pajeon,’ Maya Zankowski impressed Guest Judge Vee Kativhu with her “direct” and “powerful” writing and struck an excellent balance between personal narrative and factual exploration of current issues. “Human rights should apply equally to everyone at birth,” she says. “I want readers to understand that gender inequality is still a prevalent issue, and many young girls experience it every day.”
Read on to learn more about Maya’s inspiration for her op-ed and what she would most like readers to take away from it.
In your op-ed, you wrote about your great-grandmother and the hardships she faced as a preface to exploring the issues that still impact women around the world to this day. What inspired you to write about this topic, and to use your great-grandmother’s story as your starting point?
Since the age of five, my mother taught me what to do in different situations, such as when a man catcalls me or someone touches me inappropriately. I noticed that she never had these uncomfortable conversations with my brother. At first, it angered me and made me wonder why women have to be so much more concerned than men about being sexually harassed. As I grow up, I’m becoming a determined advocate for women’s rights, and continuously educating myself on women’s issues. Because so many women are silenced, or made to feel voiceless, I want to speak for them and myself.
I chose to write about my great-grandmother because her story is relatable to women everywhere, even today. People tend to disregard social injustices that don’t relate to them. I felt that sharing an experience of gender inequality that impacted generations of my own family could resonate with readers. Writing about the injustices my grandmother endured demonstrates how far we have come in regard to gender inequality, and how much we stand to lose. My great-grandmother was a tough woman who lived through a difficult time, especially for women, and she had some incredible stories to tell.
Guest Judge Vee Kativhu commended how you “struck an outstanding balance of sharing [your] thoughts and drawing on recent news themes.” How did you go about weaving your own experiences into the op-ed whilst keeping a focus on facts and international news?
I thought it would be effective to illustrate life for women in the 1940s and juxtapose it against our current society. It makes the tragedy of women losing the right to make medical decisions for themselves after the overturning of Roe v. Wade more poignant. Although women have progressed substantially since 1940, in some ways, we still are victims of gender oppression, similar to women in my great-grandmother’s time.
What main understanding or ideas do you want readers to take away from your piece?
Growing up, other than occasionally, I never felt much different from my brother. My friends, family, and teachers treated me the same as anyone—or so I thought. It’s both a blessing and a curse to realize that it is not the case. Human rights should apply equally to everyone at birth. In the US, most girls are able to go to school, women are able to work, and most are only subtly impacted by gender inequality. We must not forget that in other parts of the world, gender inequality is more pervasive and oppressive. It’s easy to be complacent, and safe in our comfortable bubble. We can’t ignore that in some countries, girls are taken out to the desert to have their genitals mutilated. Now and here, women who were raped and in desperate need of an abortion have had that right taken away. We should be conscious of the fact that one day, even in the US, a basic human right like a girl’s right to education could be taken away. People need to be vigilant, educated, and vocal so that this never happens. I want readers to understand that gender inequality is still a prevalent issue, and many young girls experience it every day.
*Feeling inspired? Why not check out our library of writing prompts!
