Opening people’s eyes to gender stereotypes

My name is Melody Pazan and I live in Cuenca, Ecuador. When I was younger, I didn't even think about what gender was. It wasn't something that was even mentioned at school. I only started to think about these issues when I joined Cuenca State University to study medicine. I'm on a psychiatry rotation at the moment and I noticed a pattern. It is mostly women who come for psychiatric appointments at the surgery. They come for many reasons: some have experienced violence, some have attempted suicide while others have faced the discrimination and frustration so common to women in our country.

When I understood how women are marginalised in so many ways in Ecuador, I decided to become an activist with women's organisations and am now president of the university's women's association. The discrimination, poverty and neglect I see around me gives me the motivation to continue the fight, to continue working with and supporting women, even to promote ambitious projects in the university.

One such project over the past two years has been to help bring an exhibition on sexism in television, radio, the press and advertising to the university. The exhibition is curated by Progressio's partner organisation in Ecuador GAMMA (Grupo de Apoyo al Movimiento de Mujeres del Azuay), a support group for the Azuay region's women's movement. The GAMMA foundation is also based in Cuenca, the capital of the Azuay region, where it works with community organisations to build people's understanding of gender and discrimination in communication. One of Progressio's development workers from Argentina, Sergio Vergne, works with GAMMA. He's part of a team running the Citizens' Communication Observatory, a project that enables people to understand and criticise media messages which reinforce discrimination against women or undermine human rights.

Example of an advert creating a positive image of gender equality

The GAMMA exhibition aims to raise awareness of and build support for communications that promote relationships based on social and gender equality rather than discrimination, violence and sexism. At first it was new issue for the students at our university. Some of them understood what it was about, and some didn't. Some were a bit shocked by it. The following year's exhibition, however, attracted more interest. This time they joined in to vote for the worst and best adverts, such as one [pictured] showing a man cradling his baby while on the phone, or the winning print media advert showing a man at home tying his daughter's shoelaces. I think people have now grasped what the exhibition is about, and how sexism works in advertising and the media.

At a more immediate practical level, our university's women's association is pushing for a university nursery, as lack of childcare is a big reason for female students dropping out. I'm a mother and I'm divorced. I'm studying for my degree almost full-time, so I know the obstacles that women students have to overcome. For women with children, if you don't have the support of your parents or your family, there is no opportunity to move forward. Even among my classmates, there are women who say 'I'm pregnant, I'm going to quit university'. We should say to them 'no', because the women who drop out end up getting low-paid jobs and locking themselves into a state of poverty. We know that men are the ones who wash their hands when it comes down to it, at least here in Ecuador. That's my situation too: I don't receive any financial help from my daughter's father, I have to pay my university fees. So I'm studying and working as well.

I guess for the rest of my life there will always be difficulties, but one way or another I will work them out. Women are capable. Based on my own experience, I will be saying to my daughter, always move forward. Accept life's difficulties but never let adversities bring you down. And trust your family, trust people. Many times when we encounter problems, when everything is black, everything is dark, there are friends around you who are ready to lend a hand to help you.

The thing that has always motivated me and has made me feel good about things is to think about my daughter. When you're a mother, you need to stay calm and look at the solution. I know that if I don't do my part, I will just pass my problems onto my daughter. So I have to be the best I can, for her.