Why we started to collect stories from working women all over the world

I was the only male sitting at a table with 5 women. It was the lunch break of a storytelling workshop I was facilitating at the LEAD summer school in Berlin. We had just talked about the importance of being the narrator of your own life and listened to some examples of how powerful personal stories can be. One of the talks we discussed was Sheryl Sandberg’s talk “Why we have too few women leaders“. The women sitting next to me were more or less the same age, some of them were mothers and all of them were working women. At some point stories were shared about challenges and prejudices these women encountered at the workplace but also in their private life. Stories about how hard it was to be a good mother and a good employee. Stories about how it feels like to work in an environment created by men, for men and dominated by men. Stories about how some had to justify themselves for starting their own business although they had children at home and others for not having kids.

I knew these kind of stories from many of my female friends. I never hear them from my male friends. These stories reminded me of the uncomfortable truth that we live in a society in which women encounter so many more obstacles and prejudices than men. I am aware of that and yet I forget it. Not because I don't care but because I am so used to it. Just like structural racism, structural discrimination of women too is not a choice you make, you become part of it simply by being part of a society that created these structures. To say that women and men should be treated equally is not enough. You have to constantly challenge yourself how your behavior and your way of thinking too might be promoting discrimination and what you can do to promote equality instead. And for that, you first need to understand the impact these structures have on those who are not benefting from them.

The stories that were shared gave me the opportunity to learn and to better understand what I didn't experience myself. And so I listened. At some point one woman turned to me and asked: "So, what do you think about all that"? I blushed... What do I think about it? That it's terribly unjust, of course! But does that change anything?

Although many of the stories were about discrimination and prejudices, there was also something powerful in them and I could feel how sharing these stories positively affected both the storyteller and the listeners. A couple of days later I still had to think about the stories. And then it hit me. Two years ago I started the project 301 words. It’s an online library where anyone can share a personal story about a significant life experience in 301 words or less. I created this library because I am convinced that everyone has a story to tell and that we all can learn so much form the life experiences of others. Many of the stories I collected in the past two years are about very challenging times but they are never desperate. Instead, they are about resilience, empowerment and overcoming challenges. Telling your story gives you the opportunity to truly be the narrator of your life. Because although you might not be in control of what happens to you, it is always up to you what you make out of what life gives you and how you will tell your story.

After that lunch break, I had the feeling that it was time to have a special publication of 301 words stories from women and about being a woman. One of the women sitting at the table with me was Cassandra Melvin, who, together with Danit Gal whom I already knew for quite some time, founded Rockchain, a women network. I arranged a call with Danit and Cassandra and shared with them how much the stories from the lunch break have impressed me and told them about my idea of creating a special 301 words publication about women. Luckily, both embraced the idea and further developed and sharpened it. Thanks to Danit and Cassandra this small idea evolved in to a big idea and we ended up creating the working women 2020 story competition. Thanks to Caroline Harth who recently joined the Rockchain team, our call for stories was spread all over the world. We asked women to tell us their story what it means to be a working women in 2020. So that other women and girls get inspired by these stories and men get the opportunity to learn. We believe that by sharing these stories we can both empower women and educate men. So that together we can work on a society that provides equal opportunities to all genders.

Excited to read the stories wer received? Stay tuned, we will publish them soon!