#CSW-parallel event

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Wie kann AI gerecht werden? Das Panel handelt von Inklusion und gerechter Techwelt.

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A Woman's Life, A Woman's Choice: My Unfortunate Experience at a CSW Side Event & How the Conversation Around Motherhood Needs to Change

by Molly Dye

My experience as a virtual delegate for the CSW was an amazing one, although some moments that were not so amazing stuck out to me and made me realize that there is still a need for change, even within UN parallel events. As a virtual delegate for the 65th Commission on the Status of Women, I had the opportunity to attend many parallel events related to critical issues that face women around the world. One of the sessions that I attended was called “Preparing Women For Global Leadership and Having Time For Family Too” held by the Worldwide Organization for Women. As a woman who wants to focus on global leadership in the future as well as have a family, I was looking forward to this session. I signed up to attend because I wanted to learn more about balancing being an advocate and having a family, and I hoped to gain more knowledge on that subject.

However, as I began attending the session I realized that the session was not going to be teaching me any of the things I had wished for. Instead, the speakers focused on tearing women down for not wanting to become mothers and spewed anti-abortion rhetoric on unsuspecting delegates and attendees. I want to shed light on the unfortunate happenings that took place at the Worldwide Organization for Women session and to provide examples of how the conversation around motherhood needs to change in order to stop villainizing women for taking control of their lives.

When I began the Worldwide Organization for Women’s webinar I was excited to learn about the different issues that working mothers face, and the different ways in which women can take control of their lives in relation to their choice of having a family as well as participating in global leadership. But, after the session, I felt less empowered and more disgusted by what I had experienced. We started out the session with panelists talking about their different experiences with motherhood, and how it has changed their lives and impacted their work. At first, I had a positive reaction and was interested in what I was hearing, but as the speakers went on I noticed a pattern. Each speaker was preaching that motherhood was the end all be all to womanhood. They described motherhood as integral to a woman’s life and made it so that if an attendee who was watching did not want to be a parent, they would feel bad about themselves. They implied that not choosing motherhood made you less of a woman. This type of judgment on other women’s choices and lives put a bitter taste in my mouth as groups such as the Worldwide Organization for Women should be working for advocating for women having the same opportunities in global leadership whether they have a family or not and not making the women involved in global leadership feel unworthy if they do not choose to have a family.

Furthermore, the session only got more damaging from that point as the President of the organization started sharing a slideshow that pushed antiabortion rhetoric onto the attendees making them very uncomfortable and in some instances very upset. For the rest of the session, the panelists talked about their religious beliefs and spread hurtful claims around women having the right to choose motherhood, as well as women choosing to not be a mother. Although I stayed through the entirety of the presentation hoping something would change, many delegates left early leaving angry comments and I exited at the end with a sour taste in my mouth. No woman should be made to feel less than as a result of their personal choices. Motherhood is not for every woman and we need to work together on changing the conversation around a woman’s right to choose motherhood, and to ensure that people know it is okay if the choice to become a mother is not one that a person wants to make.

When leaving the meeting I came up with a list of things that I wished I had learned through the session as well as the important argument that the conversation around motherhood needs to change. I feel as though the session I had signed up for “Preparing Women For Global Leadership and Having Time For Family Too” held by the Worldwide Organization for Women could have provided specific examples on how women within their specific organization had balanced motherhood with global leadership. I also think that the session could have trained women on how to look for or create family-inclusive leadership opportunities as well as shed light on different working women’s movements.

Lastly, I wish the organization had stressed the importance of a woman’s choice, and that motherhood or not, being involved in global leadership as a woman is a very important and admirable job. It is disheartening to sign up for something expecting to learn something and only gain anger from your experience, but, with anger comes ideas and progress. Hopefully, someday I will be able to attend a session that truly provides women with inspirational knowledge that not only supports women leaders who are mothers, as well as those who are not.

Women deserve to be valued whether they are a mother or not, and it needs to be a priority that the conversation around motherhood is addressed because it is not good for women’s empowerment when groups of women tear other women down when it comes to their life choices. Every woman's life is valuable and important and whether they choose to have a child or not they should be given the same respect as everyone else. We can’t have equity and meaningful global leadership when women make it their priority to not respect each other’s choices.

Citations-

“Fatih, Family, Sovereignty.” Worldwide Organization for Women, 1 Apr. 2021, worldwideorganizationforwomen.org/.

Https://Res.cloudinary.com/Teepublic/Image/Private/s--0AbquznB--/c_crop,x_10,y_10/c_fit,w_830/c_crop,g_north_west,h_1038,w_1038,x_-104,y_-129/l_upload:v1565806151:Production:Blanks:vdbwo35fw6qtflw9kezw/fl_layer_apply,g_north_west,x_-215,y_-240/b_rgb:000000/c_limit,f_jpg,h_630,q_90,w_630/v1554835209/Production/Designs/4605587_0.Jpg.

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Unchained At Last | Join us for a movie night/United Nations Commission on the Status of Women (CSW)

Unchained At Last for End Child Marriage

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Join us for a movie night/United Nations Commission on the Status of Women (CSW) parallel event: We’ll screen the gorgeous film woman and discuss the central question the film raises: How far have women come, & how far do they still have to go? Register now:

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Clinic’s Architectural Design Delivers Cutting-Edge Life/Safety

HennepinHealthcare Clinic & Specialty Center (CSC), a new $221 million marvel ofclinic design in downtown Minneapolis, is lauded by both the general public andarchitectural critics for its aesthetic use of natural lighting, way-finding,convenience and use of life/safety photoluminenscent (PL) egress path markings.

Designed by 96-year-old architect firm BWBR, Saint Paul, Minn., CSC’s towering six-story-high glass facade and a 190-foot-long glass/steel skyway that stretches across 8th street to the Hennepin County Medical Center campus garner much of the visual attention. The 327,000-square-foot facility is also expected to receive international recognition when awarded future Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design (LEED®) certification. BWBR, a 160-employee design solutions firm with practices in architecture, interior design and master and strategic planning, applied for LEED Silver, but the project’s heralded green aspects may ultimately qualify it for Gold certification.

While the exteriors and interiors exhibit cutting-edge way-finding, natural lighting and convenience, lower profile areas such as the clinic’s five state-of-the-art stairwells showcases one of Minneapolis’ first life/safety specifications of PL egress path markings. The CSC’s stairwells use a variety of PL methods including IllumiTread 98 x 8-inch stair nosings supplied by Balco USA, Wichita, Kan., which manufactures a variety of PL-based egress products, such as stair nosings with embedded PL aluminum strips, PL aluminum strips for handrails and obstructions, PL signage, as well as life/safety fire-rated expansion joints for the facility.

Project general contractor/manager M.A. Mortenson Co., Minneapolis, installed the 3,000 linear feet of cast-in concrete stair nosings that protect the stairwells’ concrete stair edges from damage, help prevent slippage via a built-in abrasive tread surface, and provide PL illumination with embedded aluminum strips permanently coated with a rechargeable phosphorescent chemical.

The 2015 Minnesota Building Code (MBC) was enacted during the CSC’s design stage, thus the clinic is one of the first healthcare buildings to comply, according to Pete Haag, AIA, LEED® AP, CDT, a BWBR senior job captain.  Previously, PL was not code-mandated and was used only voluntarily in a handful of Minneapolis commercial building projects. However, the CSC represents one of the first PL specification compliances under the MBC’s Section 1024—Chapter 10 Means of Egress, which was adopted from the Washington, D.C.-based International Code Council’s (ICC) 2012 International Building Code (IBC).

                                    How Rechargeable PL Works

The stair nosings’ PL strips are energized continually by LED lighting and natural light from a wall of glass windows that span the entire height of the stairwells, the latter being another aesthetic BWBR feature not commonly found in high-rise stairwells.  According to the MBC, the PL is required to glow for a minimum 90 minutes when energized by 60-minutes of exposure from a minimum 11-lux light source as per test standards UL 1994 or ASTM E2072. In the event that power and emergency lighting fails, the stair nosings’ PL strips, combined with PL demarcation tape applied to all steel railings, handrails stair landings and exit doors outlines, will expedite safe occupant egress. The PL treatment is equally important for first responder ingress safety (see Sidebar #1). This similar application was used in the former World Trade Center and was reportedly responsible for helping thousands of survivors exit the buildings before they collapsed on 9/11 (see Sidebar #2).

Typically stairwells in commercial high rises are barren structures; however the CSC stairwells’ plentiful outdoor light exposure purposely parallels the facility’s underlying theme of “natural light promotes healing,” as well as recharging the PL treatments. The natural light theme is incorporated into every aspect of BWBR’s architectural design from the stairwells to the expansive exterior glass façade curtain wall and large windows in patient rooms. Many of these innovative treatments are also evident throughout BWBR’s extensive healthcare portfolio, which includes high profile projects such as Avera Prairie Center, Sioux Falls, S.D.; Mercy Medical Center—West Lakes, Des Moines, Iowa; and HealthPartners Neuroscience Center, Saint Paul.

                        Cutting Edge Stairwell Design

Other components of the all-concrete stairwells go well beyond a typical high rise building’s requirements. The stairwells also boast drywall and other aesthetic interior finishing features, such as color coding each floor for easy wayfinding. “Most buildings don’t put much investment into stairwells, but the CSC design team wanted the stairwells to be inviting to employees and guests and designed it that way,” said Haag, who spearheaded a BWBR team for the CSC’s stairwells and exterior envelope architectural design. 

                        Other Life/Safety Architectural Designs

Besides PL, another life/safety design feature is the one-inch expansion joints between the free-floating second story skyway and the buildings it connects across 8th Street.  Manufactured by Balco, the No Bump Series floor-to-floor mechanism expands/contracts from 50 to 100-percent and is protected with an aesthetic three-inch-wide stainless steel linear cover that also offers a seamless, solid walkway between the structures’ joint. Likewise, expansion joint assemblies are also employed in the skyway/building joint’s ceiling and walls with a stainless steel covers that match the doorway finish. The joint also includes Balco’s MetaBlock two-hour-rated firestop consisting of  2-1/2-inch-tall expansion foam with an internal intumescent layer that swells in the presence of extreme heat to prevent fire, smoke and toxic gas infiltration through the joint.  

The CSC is a good example of how life/safety, wayfinding, convenience and even stairwells can be equally innovative as the highest profile features of a state-of-the-art healthcare facility.

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SIDEBAR #1: Imperative PL Safety

Aluminum PL strips have high durability; high longevity

Aluminum PL strips are easy to clean & maintain

Aluminum PL strips have high visibility

PL is non-toxic, non-radioactive

PL is charged by variety of light sources

Abrasive in close proximity to PL is crucial to maintaining slip resistance

Abrasive significantly lowers risk of falls and liability, both of occupants and emergency personnel

Aluminum base protects stair nose from wear and/or damage

PL line is code-compliant and suitable for any stair application

SIDEBAR #2: 9/11 Attack Put Photoluminescent Specification in the Fast Lane

The 1993 World Trade Center underground parking garage bombing proved to building designers that emergency electrical lighting can be knocked out during catastrophes and a supplemental source of egress lighting was needed. Afterward, photoluminescent (PL) egress path marking, a quick-emerging technology at the time, was installed throughout in the World Trade Center. The PL installation later proved invaluable for helping survivors see a pathway down darkened stairwells during the 9/11 terrorist attack in 2001. Consequently, the United Nations installed PL in 2003 and New York City pioneered the trend toward PL during the passing of Local Law 26. Ultimately, the International Code Council (ICC) adopted PL provisions into the 2009 International Building Code (IBC) for certain building types under Sections 1022.9 Floor ID Signs and 1024 Egress Path Products.

Those milestones brought PL to the forefront of building life/safety and is gradually being instituted in local jurisdictions, such as the 2015 Minnesota Building Code’s adoption of recent IBC updates. Besides the IBC, other organizations are also including PL provisions, such as The National Fire Protection Association’s (NFPA) Life Safety Code and Building Construction and Safety Code.

The U.S. General Services Administration (GSA) also outlines PL for its Facilities Standards Buildings for the Public Buildings Service–Section 7.9 “Exit Path Markings.”

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About Balco Inc.: Balco, Wichita, Kansas, is a leading manufacturer of high performance construction products in the categories of expansion joints, stair nosings, mats/grids, trench/access covers, partition closures and photoluminescent egress systems. These products are specified by architects, engineers and contractors for commercial buildings. Established in 1957, steady growth over the years has been maintained through a commitment to providing high quality products and customer services that include customization, turnkey design and education/certification programs. Balco is an ISO 9001-certified manufacturer with its own in-house UL test and research laboratory. Balco is a member of the American Institute of Architects (AIA), Construction Specification Institute (CSI), and International Concrete Repair Institute (ICRI). Balco is a portfolio company of CSW Industrials Inc., (NASDAQ GS:CSWI), a publically-traded company specializing in industrial products, coatings/sealants/adhesives, and specialty chemicals.  For more information, visit www.balcousa.com, or call (800) 767-0082.

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Wellbeing in Technology

Tuesday March 15th at 2 pm German Time on zoom:

https://us02web.zoom.us/j/82555983625?pwd=SmVBWldRMzA0Z09NREEzVjlEWFdTZz09

Meeting-ID: 825 5598 3625

Code: 598381

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Pushing back the pushback with women and girls in technology!

17. 3.2021

17.30 Uhr deutsche Zeit

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Women and Girls in Technology

Pushing back the pushback with women and girls in technology!

17.3.21 um 17.30 Uhr

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Unchained At Last | #ICYMI: As the United Nations launches the 64th session of United Nations Commis

Unchained At Last for End Child Marriage

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#ICYMI: As the United Nations launches the 64th session of United Nations Commission on the Status of Women (CSW), we’re launching a parallel event. We’ll screen woman & discuss the central question the film raises: How far have women come, & how far do they still have to go? Register now:

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Unchained At Last | Ahead of our March 12 United Nations Commission on the Status of Women (CSW) par

Unchained At Last for End Child Marriage

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Ahead of our March 12 United Nations Commission on the Status of Women (CSW) parallel event screening of “Woman,” here’s a Q&A from Women Across Frontiers. Inc. with #Woman director Anastasia Mikova. United Nations NGO CSW NY (NGO Committee on the Status of Women, New York) White & Case LLP Girls Not Brides UN Women

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Unchained At Last | WOMAN @ CSW CANCELED: Due to the #coronavirus outbreak, the 64th session of the

Unchained At Last for End Child Marriage

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WOMAN @ CSW CANCELED: Due to the #coronavirus outbreak, the 64th session of the United Nations Commission on the Status of Women (CSW) has been postponed until July. All side/parallel events, including our #WomanAtCSW parallel event scheduled for 3/12, have been canceled for now. We’ll keep you…

المزيد

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child marriage 1/27/2020 Will you join us on March 12 for Woman @ CSW, a UN parallel event?

child marriage 1/27/2020 Will you join us on March 12 for Woman @ CSW, a UN parallel event?

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As the United Nations launches the 64th session of the Commission on the Status of Women — the world’s largest annual gathering on women’s rights — we are launching a parallel event.

Join us for an exclusive screening of Woman, a gorgeous documentary film that examines the lives of hundreds of women around the world (including, briefly, our founder/executive…

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child marriage 1/24/2020 Will you join us Mar. 13 for a UN parallel event?

child marriage 1/24/2020 Will you join us Mar. 13 for a UN parallel event?

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WOMAN le film at CSW Parallel Event of the 64th Session of the Commission on the Status of Women Location: White & Case LLP, 1221 Avenue of the Americas, NYC Date: March 13, 2020 Time: 5:30 p.m. to 8:00 p.m.

  Moderator

– Faith Mwangi-Powell, CEO of Girls Not Brides

Panelists

– Fraidy Reiss, Founder/Executive Director of Unchained At Last – TBA, UN Women

  **More…