I have no place to live.
Gioconda Belli
I chose the word to speak for those who are silenced,
to understand the rage that nothing can appease.
Hedy Lamarr studied engineering, which she abandoned to study acting. She was the first actress to appear nude in a film. She married a war weapons entrepreneur who supported the powerful arsenals of fascist governments. Close to her possessive husband, Hedy was forced to attend his business meetings, where she understood the immense arms power and its high technology. She learned about communications during World War II, in which the weapons guidance system was remote-controlled through radio signals, which were easily tapped by the enemy.
In order to support the Allies, Hedy and her partner, musician George Antheil, invented a spread-spectrum transmitter, that is, a secret system for generating and transmitting plural frequency waves, which allowed long-distance wireless communications with little chance of being tapped. The invention was patented as a “Secret Communication System” in 1942, but Hedy was not recognized until the end of the century: nobody trusted the intelligence of a Hollywood actress. To learn more about the life of Hedy Lamarr, follow this link.
Today, many wireless, interference-free, voice and data-oriented communication systems use a system similar to the one invented by Lamarr, such as cellular phone, WiFi, or Bluetooth. Examples are cellular telephony, WiFi, or Bluetooth. Who could imagine life today without these technological advances? However, the United Nations has denounced that about 37% of the world’s population of women lack access to digital technology, which limits their skills development, while they lose opportunities because, as we know, the applications of this technology are very diverse: it is essential for communication, education, to make economic transactions or contact services. The world’s poorest girls and women are therefore the most affected.
On International Women’s Day 2023, the UN states that in 20 years, 75% of jobs will be related to technology and communication by virtual means. Today’s inequality influences tomorrow’s inequality, gender disparities are particularly alarming for science and technology or STEM (Science, Technology, Engineering, and Math, Computer Science) careers. These are the jobs of the future, the driving force for innovation, inclusive growth, and sustainable development.
On the other hand, Hedy Lamarr’s story also coincides with the concept called “glass ceiling“, created by Marilyn Loden in 1978. This human resources expert argues that there is an invisible obstacle of barriers and unwritten rules for advancing up the career ladder, which prevents women from ascending to high hierarchical positions in organizations, as well as promotions in university positions, scientific councils, or spaces of power and decision-making.
Loden explains that women, throughout their lives, face cultural barriers, for example, working mothers are not committed to their careers, because if women devote time to motherhood, breastfeeding, and domestic activities, this translates into fewer promotions. The idea that women are too emotional in their work life and the underestimation of sexual harassment in the workplace are rules imposed by powerful men and normalized in the corporate world. The consequences of these circumstances are the presence of obstacles in the integral development of women, low self-esteem, insecurity, guilt, perfectionism, and fear of living in a sexist social structure.
Science has contributed to debunking myths that affect women. It has been proven that in adverse circumstances they are more resistant to hunger and disease. They have been systematically relegated from positions of intellectual power and self-sufficiency, for example, women in rural environments acquire non-formal education in technological and scientific skills for agriculture, cooking, medicine, pottery, or looms and this way of learning is not recognized by educational institutions.
We leave you these #information tools as support to transform our thinking about the social and work life of you or the women around you:
- It is not necessary to have a partner to protect yourself or to be better. A partner is for companionship and love, not dependence.
- Believe in yourself, develop your talents, and find your own resources to grow.
- It is necessary to achieve a balance between personal life and work life. It is fair and necessary to ask for help from other women.
- Let’s eliminate myths about the existence of separate activities for women and men.
- Women are half of the world’s population: their knowledge is necessary for any progress or social transformation.
At Del Pueblo Funeral Home, we join the demands for equity that are exalted every March on International Women’s Day, because we care about social justice, and so we remind you that we make the most difficult moments easy.
