Written by: Mary Angela Aquino
“You’re just a woman,” society said.
“A woman who can lead an army.” Al-Kahina, an African Jewish soothsayer military warrior, proved.
“A woman who can be a part of the law.” Patsy Takemoto Mink, the first Japanese-American woman to practice law and the first woman of color elected to Congress in Hawaii, proved.
“A woman who can be an engineer.” Berta Lamme, America’s first mechanical engineer, proved.
Are you familiar with these three women? It’s sad that they, including every woman today, had to prove that they can do and achieve things just because of society's norm that a woman is intended to stay inside the house, finish household chores, must bear a child, and take good care of her husband and children. But a norm is not always a fact, it’s a subjective belief.
Al-Kahina, Mink, and Lamme are historical figures who have proven that women can do what men can. Nevertheless, how come they are not well-known? Aside from them are thousands of women continuously soaring high in their respective fields yet remaining to be under the shadows. They are left invisible amidst their contributions in innovation, the medical field, engineering, management, or even politics. Thus, the SPARK movement wanted to honor them by giving them the recognition they deserve through an application. ‘Women on the Map’ is an app that features underrated women who have imparted a piece of themselves to let our world become how it is now. Through the initiative of the SPARK Movement and the help of Field Trip, a mapping app by Google, it began in 2013.
According to the website of the SPARK Movement, ‘Women on the Map’ is one of their innovative and educational projects. Through Field Trip, they linked those achievements with IRL places using Google Map technology. It works like this: when you download Field Trip and turn on SPARK’s Women on the Map, your phone will buzz when you approach a place where a woman made history. Yennie Solheim Fuller, one of Google’s employees who worked with SPARK, said in an interview with CNN, "It's one thing to read about a landmark while sitting on your couch… Visiting it in person creates a sensory experience that's harder to forget, and telling a story about the place has the potential to create an even stronger connection.”
It started when the movement observed, based on statistics from ‘Equal Visibility Everywhere’, that a lot of women are not honored the way they deserve. Oftentimes, we learn about significant people in history through books, monuments, street names, movies, holidays, and museums. But the history of great women is rare, thus the creation of the app. It was developed to tell the world that these under-recognized and invisible women existed; that they are part of history and have massive contributions to why the world is innovative and progressive as it is. The SPARK Movement states that this project brings women–and especially women of color–to the forefront of history, where their achievements can be recognized more widely.
The physical features of the app are simple; it does not include any extravagant setups nor settings. Information is accessed conveniently with just one tap. The app will automatically notify the user whenever he or she is in a place where a significant woman lived or succeeded. The objectives are also upstanding; it doesn’t harm nor discriminate against anyone. It is mainly just to appreciate women and provide awareness and knowledge about them. It is helpful for students, especially girls, who need a perfect example of a woman’s depiction: women who lived in different centuries, from different places, with different cultures and were able to succeed amidst challenges because of their gender.
‘Women on the Map’ is a good form of advocacy for feminism, gender equality, and primarily, women empowerment. It also allows other women to look up to their fellow’s achievements, life stories, and courage and to follow their path. These historical women serve as both inspiration and aspiration to those who feel devalued for being “just a woman”; it reminds them that they can do much more from what is expected of them.
For improvements, the application should include more women who deserve recognition for their works. In 2015, 119 women in 28 countries were included. Through the coming years, may the app include more and reveal every great woman who has been in the shadows for years. It should also be available to all countries; to reveal the greatness of each woman not only in a limited area but around the world. Currently, it is not available in the Philippines.
Overall, “Women on the Map” establishes a sense of empowerment and celebration for women. They now have a platform that could help them tell the world their own stories: their struggles, their achievements, and the process they went through. Through the help of the app, every individual from different places may acknowledge and honor significant women in history. This does not establish a sense of insecurity between women nor even from any gender. Instead, it establishes a realistic characterization that may guide every individual to achieve just like how they did, or even greater.
Everyone’s power is limitless regardless of gender, color, and age. The truth is, it just lies within ourselves. Thus, women are not intended to be boxed in domestic works which have been proven by every woman on the app and are continuously proved by every woman of today. They deserve to be honored and celebrated; they are part of history and they have offered a piece of their life for us to attain what we have now.
As fellow women, we owe them recognition because without their stories and continuous fight for gender equality, we would still live in the box that society has created for us. Their courage brought us here. Let’s not waste it and continuously strive until that generation exists: where women are free to choose for themselves without societal pressures.
If they can, society can’t tell you otherwise. Your fellows did; surely, you can too. I’ll see you on the map soon!
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