Women's economic independence 1995-2020

by Arina Angerman who was representing International Alliance of Women (IAW) in the Board of the European Women’s Lobby (EWL) 2014-2021 In 1995 as an expert ‘participation of women in political decision-making’ I was in between jobs and had a big challenge. I found a new inspiring opportunity in the world wide web (internet)! My most memorable moment was being an online reporter to the Netherlands. Before participating in NGO Forum in Huairou I travelled by train 1st from Beijing to Xian 2nd from Xian to Shanghai and 3rd from Shanghai to Beijing and during that trip a small piece of paper with an e-mail address was my ‘diamond’. I remember in the train I read in a hard copy of Fire with Fire The New Female Power and How It Will Change the 21st Century by Naomi Wolf and listened to a cassette with Vogue by Madonna. At the first day of NGO Forum I wrote an e-mail to the city council of Amstelveen. Why? I was in that city an intern as part of my job seeking challenge. At 5th September 1995 I wrote an e-mail from arina.angerman@wcw.apc.org ‘ Women in decision-making’ to Dear women and men in the Netherlands “Half the world; half the power. We love power and it is okay.” This e-mail (in Dutch) is in Atria, Institute on gender equality and women’s history. Photo Arina Angerman at a personal computer in Huairou. She is woman with cap. (Note 1.) This memorable moment affected my life afterwards very, very much. In my professional life I became project manager of the Women Internet Politics website in 1997 and in 2015 I became an entrepreneur Social Media 4 Boomers. Message for the Next Generation in 2020 When I went to Huairou I was 40 years old. I’m writing this blog in the end of 2020 when I’m 66 years old. What I know now and what I couldn’t have known when I was below 30 years old: one in three women (62 million) have experienced sexual and/or physical violence in the EU since the age of 15. My message for the Next Generation is: lifelong learning of new skills can play a great role to improve women’s economic rights and independence! Note 1. I wrote a letter / blog to Young Women in 2016 https://angermaneuropa.blogspot.com/2016/09/internet-financial-independence-for.html In this blog you can find the photo