We Need to Move for Our story

Gender is more equally distributed globally than it has ever been across history, with about 105 boys born for every 100 girls). However, life expectancy for those born female is longer, so that as of 2023, there were

3.9 billion born male and 3.8 billion born female worldwide. Cultural and social factors further influence gender ratios in specific regions, and some countries have significantly skewed ratios due to historical events or policies.

Non cis-males still argue and strive for equal rights. Over the centuries, we inch forward toward equality and slide back. Yet we all emerge from a womb, and many of us are raised, at least initially, by women. Do we need to rethink how we raise and educate males? History, herstory and ourstory cannot be so far apart – and yet they seem to be.

Out of curiosity I asked AI to give me context on relative gender power distribution across history.

• Prehistoric Societies: More egalitarian gender roles due to shared survival tasks.

• Agricultural Revolution: Agriculture from around 10,000 BCE led to men typically taking on labor-intensive tasks.

• Classical Civilizations: In ancient Greece and Rome gender roles became more stratified, limiting women's rights and roles in public life.

• Middle Ages: Women's roles varied from considerable influence in households and trades to becoming restricted.

• Industrial Revolution: The 18th and 19th centuries saw women entering the workforce in factories, leading to gradual shifts in gender roles.

• 20th Century Movements: The suffrage movement and feminist waves significantly advanced women's rights and participation in various sectors.

• Global Variations: Gender distribution and roles vary across cultures and regions, and over time, influenced by local customs and laws.

Social structures shape societies. Take religions. Many seem have seemed to flow from greater equality through to increased subservience – often to meet social norms and due to evolving interpretations of religious texts. For example, Hindu women enjoyed greater freedom and equality in the early Vedic period, but their social status changed over time. While the core philosophy of Buddhism is considered gender- neutral, historical, and social factors led to the development of male-dominated institutions and practices, resulting in women being increasingly subservient. Agnostic gender integration depends on location and leadership, with cultural bias perduring despite active promotion of gender equality. Among Atheists, although women are often more represented in secular movements compared to religious ones, and many atheist organizations actively promote gender equality and inclusivity, disparities exist in leadership roles and visibility.

The Old Testament religions present a mixed picture of women's equality. While foundational texts like Genesis 1:26-27 affirm women’s creation in God's image and shared dominion, other passages and interpretations reflect patriarchal structures and societal norms. The interpretation and application of these passages evolve over time and are an ongoing discussion and debate. For example, the Catholic Church used the Second Council of Nicaea in 787 AD to place hitherto equal Abbesses under Abbots in the monastery hierarchy. Judaism is a patriarchal structure, but women had increasingly less active social roles from about the Middle Ages. Islam originally promoted equality between men and women in various aspects of life, including spiritual capacity, education, and legal rights, prohibiting female infanticide, recognizing women's right to own property, inherit wealth, and initiate divorce – although this has changed.

The Cathars, a medieval Christian cult with gender equality and no objection to contraception, homosexuality, euthanasia, or suicide, believed a person could reincarnate as either a man or a woman. Women thus had more equal opportunities. They were eradicated by the end of the 14^th Century.

Research on Matriarchal Societies led to the:

• Mosuo people (China): Mosuo women frequently head households, inherit through the female line, and make business decisions. Their family structure does not involve marriage as commonly understood.

• Minangkabau people (Indonesia): As the world's largest matrilineal society, the Minangkabau emphasize feminine deities and cultural practices.

• Hopi tribes (United States): The matrilineal Hopi tribes had women passing down land and pottery and were responsible for exporting crafts for profit. While gender ideology favored female superiority, their social reality was one of sexual equality.

• Iroquois Confederacy (United States and Canada): The Haudenosaunee included women in political decisions, including for warfare. Mothers held significant moral and political roles.

So, women had progressively eroded position. We say that we need to press for Education and Economic Empowerment, including equal pay, and equal access to land, credit and other resources and we need to support women-owned businesses with access to the tools they need. We seek Social and Political Representation, and an end to Gender Stereotyping – with shared responsibilities and inclusive language.

Despite knowing all of this, we hope for a magic pen that will declare all humans equal. Do we personally undertake enough to make equality a standard? All of us need to speak up, act as role models, and stand by our choices in life. No one is going to magically make us equal. We need to train our men, and our women, to feel equal, act equal, and promote each other to be equal. Artificial Intelligence could help – but were enough women engaged in its creation and education? I fear that violence and discrimination are the signs of a society facing resource scarcity and erosion of a way of life. We must promote a culture of respect and safety, with support services for victims and survivors. The right laws help, but inaction at the individual level does not.

On August 23, 2025, Women on the Move was proud to host a panel discussion on what moves women to take action and to represent their communities on the public stage, in politics, or to ensure that women’s voices are heard.

We had deeply interesting 90-miniute event, with rich discussion and input from the four women invited to speak, and an audience which ranged from California across the US to Europe. A clear message came through: Women fought for the right to vote – we need to stand up and be heard, and we must vote and encourages others to do so. Feedback since the event has been truly inspiring.

Our next event will feature long-time NYC member, Eva Richter, on her just published autobiography Seeking Home. This is likely to be on Sept 27 at noon, also for 90-minutes. Keep your eye on the NFBPWC Calendar.

Our speakers were:

Josianne Cutajar (Malta) is a political advisor with extensive legal, political, and public affairs experience. She graduated with a Master’s in European and Comparative Law from the University of Malta. At age 22 Cutajar was elected to her hometown’s Local Council and later became the first Gozitan and youngest Maltese Member of the European Parliament ever elected. Prior to that, she worked at the Prime Minister’s Office and held various positions within Malta’s Labour Party.

She currently serves on the Business and Professional Women’s United Nations Standing Committee, focusing on the sustainability agenda as well as online safety.

Natasha Yeeloy Labad (Dominica) is a trailblazing Caribbean business leader and the 2024 Female CEO of the Year, leading Outsource Development in championing excellence in Business Process Outsourcing and Corporate Training. Beyond steering a dynamic enterprise, she has held several high- profile roles, including serving as Senior Technical Officer in the Office of the Prime Minister of Dominica, where she advised the Prime Minister on strategic initiatives.

Recognized as a 2025 UNESCO Peace Leader for her contributions to youth peacebuilding and socio- economic development projects, Natasha also serves as an Executive Member of the Dominica Chapter of Business and Professional Women and sits on the UN Steering Committee for the International Federation of Business and Professional Women—bringing a strong Caribbean voice to the global stage.

A published author with a Master’s in Project Management and certifications in mediation and training, she is deeply committed to advancing women’s economic empowerment and fostering sustainable development throughout the region.

Lelena Tewodros Yilma, (Ethiopia) is a passionate advocate for women’s empowerment and inclusive leadership. She holds a bachelor’s degree in Business Administration and Information Systems and a master’s degree in Human Resource Management, both from Addis Ababa University. Since 2021, she has been working with the National Election Board of Ethiopia—first through IFES-USAID and now as a permanent government staff member—where she serves as a Training Support Coordinator and Expert. In this role, she has contributed to strengthening Ethiopia’s electoral processes through the Training of Trainers model, advancing both institutional capacity and democratic participation.

Beyond her public service, Lelena is also engaged in her family’s gemstone business, where she combines entrepreneurial experience with her commitment to women’s economic empowerment. In April 2024, she joined the Business and Professional Women (BPW) network, a step that has further connected her with a community of trailblazing women who inspire her personal and professional growth. Today, she proudly represents Young BPW Ethiopia, carrying forward her vision of empowering women to take active roles in governance, business, and society at large.

Carolina Auz (Quebec, Canada) is an interior designer and stylist with extensive experience in the decoration field and over nearly twenty years in the specialized magazine industry in Quebec. She supports Entrepreneurship and Promotes Quebec's Creative Talent through her independent business dedicated to showcasing local creators. She founded a successful decoration and gift shop, and joined a businesswomen's association in Quebec, which facilitated key professional connections and helped her participate in the early rise of the Internet in business. Our online store was launched before the major retailers, bringing international recognition through our distinctive expertise.

She became involved in the Board of Directors of the St-Lambert business association (where our shop was located), taking on projects for magazines. Family reasons led her to focus on family, and she focused on decoration and styling for TVA Publications, New Commitments and Political Pathway. In February 2025, she was approached by the local city councilor and offered the opportunity to join her political party, which she officially accepted in April. In early August, after a complex meeting with two members of the party, including the leader, she decided not to pursue involvement with the group.

Nermin K. Ahmad

NFBPWC Women on the

Move Committee Chair

Women on the Move: 

During the UN General Assembly High-level week 2025, there will be a “High-level Conference on the Situation of Rohingya Muslims and Other Minorities in Myanmar” on September 30^th from 10am to 1pm and 3pm – 6pm. This is available for viewing via UN WebTV https://webtv.un.org/en/schedule

Migrants in Vulnerable Situations

Migration is front and center in political, social and economic discussions across the globe as more and more people are on the move, and more and more countries are putting up barriers to easy mobility. Deportation, voluntary and forced, detentions, raids by masked agents of federally constituted agencies under the Department of Homeland Security are all familiar snippets on the daily newscasts, and sometimes these reach into one’s home, as a domestic cleaning person, a landscape worker or gardener, a hospital orderly or nurse’s aide, a local farm hand or handyperson, a restaurant owner or worker is suddenly threatened or arrested and drops out of the work force or even out of the personal service to which we have become accustomed. If we wish to intervene—and we might not, for various good reasons--, is there anything we can realistically do?

Some cities are sanctuary cities which have laws maintaining the personal freedom of all those within their spaces under international human rights protocols. People are free to live without being arrested or removed from schools, churches, hospitals and other public spaces. But it is outside the schools where the parents wait on public sidewalks for their children’s release after school is out, for example, that they are vulnerable to arrest and separation from their children. Under the law, arrest warrants must be shown and a person being arrested has a right to know why he/she is under arrest. Unfortunately, recent arrests have frequently not followed these protocols. It has happened that a person going to a legitimate green card status hearing is arrested on coming out of the hearing at which there

might even have been a positive judgment, conferring regular status on the petitioner. Appeals to city and state officials and legislators may be helpful.

Many migrants have been waiting for years for a hearing, incurring huge lawyers’ expenses in the process. But there are many NGOs made up of lawyers willing to work pro bono or for very little money for migrants wishing to legalize their status. The New York Immigration Coalition (NYIC), for example, is committed to ensuring that communities are informed, prepared, and empowered in the face of federal immigration enforcement. That’s why they have created comprehensive Know Your Rights resources designed for everyone, regardless of immigration status, to learn from and share.

Here are some resources tailored to New York State and available in multiple languages, but similar resources are available across the country. These include:

Wallet cards with phrases stating your rights Know Your Rights presentations Guides on interacting with law and immigration enforcement

And more!

Click here to access the know your rights resources.

If we wish to, we can help by keeping up to date on developments and upholding our commitment to civil and human rights law. Under those laws a person is not a criminal until he or she has been properly charged and has been given a proper legal hearing.

Submitted by, Eva Richter, NFBPWC New York City ungBPWUSA.