A Woman’s Perspective

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The World Bank estimates – based on 2018 data – that women make up 49.6% of the population and number some 3.7 billion individuals. Across continents, nations and cultures, those women have a lot of stories to tell and experiences to share, but their voices aren’t always heard.

 

That’s why, when we’re planning our school-travel itineraries, we like to shine a spotlight on female lives. This month, we take a look at why getting a woman’s perspective is important for all young travellers.  

 

Meet the Women of the World

When travelling, we’re constantly struck by one main contradiction: the lives of the people we meet may be outwardly vastly different, but at the same time they’re very similar. Many students who take our trips are greatly affected by meeting locals and gaining insight into their day-to-day existences. While they may seem culturally or geographically poles apart, there are always common ambitions, emotions and anxieties at play.

 

For young travellers from the UK, gender equality may not be perfect, but it’s an expectation. In many of the countries we visit, expectations can be very different. Societies with deep religious, traditional and patriarchal roots define the roles of men and women keenly. This means the lives of women and girls often feel alien to the students travelling with us. 

 

Seeing these lives in reality and meeting women from different cultures can have a powerful impact on young people. That’s why we’ve shaped a number of itineraries and added experiences into others to offer students a glimpse of the world through a different lens. The purpose of this is not to make direct comparisons or to judge and disapprove. The purpose is to understand, learn and inspire.

 

The women we meet on our travels range from entrepreneurs in China through to Fairtrade olive growers in Israel and tribal matriarchs in Costa Rica. They have stories to share that deal with hardship and challenge, as well as progress and opportunity. They’re often the members of society tasked with upholding family values and working out how to blend tradition with modernity. Sometimes these are multitasking mothers who raise children while building businesses. Other times they’re village elders navigating the tricky task of making a living while balancing traditional values with real-life needs.

 

Collaborating with such determined, enterprising and generous individuals gives us authentic insight into the joys and toil of everyday life – and how that shapes a culture and a country. Moreover, it gives students the chance to appreciate their own lives while seeing beyond their own experience.

 

From Asia to Africa, the Americas to the Middle East, we have itineraries that embrace the work that women do and the stories they have to tell. Read on to be inspired by a few of our favourites.