Summary

  • More than 150 #100Women debates going on around world asking if women are under pressure to conform

  • Women in London have been discussing whether you need to be beautiful to succeed in the workplace

  • Email stories and comments to BBC100.Women@bbc.co.uk on Tuesday 1 December 2015

Live Reporting

Pippa Stephens, Elaine Okyere, Harry Low, Josephine McDermott, Sarah Buckley, Neil Arun, Lesley Sixsmith and Jasmine Coleman

  1. 'Now we can talk about professionalism, not gender'

    Russia

    Google Hangouts has been used around the world today for people to join video conferences and share messages. 

    Here are some messages from the Russian 100 Women debate on Google Hangout.

    If a woman wants to be traditional and behave traditionally – she has this choice today. And it’s important to have this choice.

    Natasha Hart, Chief executive, Newham All Star Sports Academy

    We should be very grateful to our predecessors to have civil rights, to study, to drive etc. But now, when we have all these opportunities, let’s talk about professionalism not gender.

    Marina Zhunich, Communication director, Google Russia

  2. 'Look good for yourself'

    Daniela Galindo, an MIT young innovator says: “It’s important to look good for yourself.

    "It is important to be happy with yourself to have self-confidence, not because of what other people think."

    Mundo hangout

  3. Can women have it all?

    Lesley Pyne, a coach for childless women, believes women need to know more about their fertility. 

    Lesley Pyne,

    She told the BBC 100 Women debate in London: "As a woman I am childless and I probably left it too late to start trying as your fertility drops. 

    "The longer you leave it the harder it is to get pregnant."

  4. 'Women have to express view that satisfies society'

    Jordan

    At the the Jordanian Women's Union, they agreed women are "unable to express their opinions - they have to express the opinion that satisfies the society".

    Women in Jordan

  5. Do children go off the rails because mothers work?

    Ieva, a guest at the 100 Women debate in London, said she wants to stay at home.

    "I actually come from a family of very strong women and me personally I would like to spend more time at home because I feel society pressures women in the other way to go out to work and be successful in their definition of success," she said. 

    Ieva

    However Reverend Rose Hudson-Wilkin stressed women and men should have a choice of whether they go to work or stay at home. 

    She said: "It takes two to tango - I think it is wrong to say children are going off the rails because mothers aren't there."

    Reverend Rose Hudson-Wilkin

  6. We care what you think!

    What are we doing right? What could we do better? Please get in touch.

  7. 'Gender equality intrinsic part of Islamic faith'

    US

    Daisy from the Wise Muslim Women debate in New York says "gender equality is an intrinsic part of the Islamic faith" and "women are the glue that holds societies together".

  8. 'There is a pressure on men and women'

    At the 100 Women debate in London, the group is discussing whether men feel emasculated if they stay at home to look after their children. 

    "We talk about it, it took him about two years to adjust to the fact he was a full-time dad," said Olga Klimanovich, an executive coach, whose partner takes care of their children.

    Olga Klimanovich

     "There is a pressure though - what if the woman, a breadwinner, loses her job?"

    I think it’s a whole society pressure on both

  9. 'Promoted image is obedient, faithful woman'

    Argentina

    Mabel Bianco, president of the Fundación para Estudio e Investigación de la Mujer in Argentina says: “Latin American societies are fundamentally Catholic."

    Woman on Mundo hangout

    "The promoted image is that of an obedient, faithful woman, ready to attend to her partner, who takes great care of the children and is always available, regardless of whether she works and brings the bacon home," she adds.

  10. 'To lead, be yourself'

    In Berlin, the debate has examined what it takes for women to become leaders.

    Leadership qualities are gender neutral. Visionary, decisive, supportive. Leadership style is gender specific. Women are more empathetic, more consensus building. A woman should act like a woman... 'Acting like a man' may be key, but acting is artificial... We have to be ourselves.

  11. 'We live in a materialistic society'

    Mizan Raja, owner of Muslim Marriage Events, said: “We are putting a lot of pressure on individuals…it used to be the whole family, the grandmother, the aunt would help in previous generations".

    "We live in a more materialist society, ” he told the BBC 100 Women debate in London, 

    Mizan Raja

  12. 'No stigma for stay-at-home dads'

    “I don’t think there’s a stigma, it was more fascinating, walking around…I think we do [get more praise] because it’s not the norm," said stay-at-home father Rob Garrett, partner of Jenny Garrett.

    Speaking at the 100 Women debate on relationships in London, he said: "It’s about differentiating between what is a necessity and what is practical”

    It’s not about comparing roles between men and women."

  13. 'I love being a stay-at-home mother'

    Chloe Tilley is hosting a debate on relationships on the BBC World Service and asked the audience how they felt about whether men or women should stay at home to look after children.

    Anne Fennell and her husband Peter

    Mother-of-six Anne Fennell, who is also the vice-chair of the support group Mothers at Home Matter, said: "I always wanted to be at home, Peter asked me what I wanted to do. I probably didn’t think about it any other way. I made a decision and I love it."

    Her husband said: "Anne was successful and was in a publishing career. We thought about how can you be so useful to a community? We just thought let’s experiment."

  14. GDP 'doesn't count women's work at home'

    From the debate at Brown University in the US:

    Gender inequality is deeply institutionalized. Take measurements of GDP - we only look at the formal economy, and not the informal economy. It is as if the work of stay-at-home women disappears; it is not perceived as legitimate work.

  16. 'Relax and stop rehashing gender issues!'

    UK

    My wishes include that women would forget about beauty and making themselves attractive because they already are. They need to realise men are not a threat and are actually probably often more frightened about life than women. Understand how much men value and respect femininity in their wives daughters and sisters, relax and stop rehashing the gender issues, help men to learn how to be as emotionally intelligent and empathetic as women

    Philip Iszatt, From Coleford, Somerset in England

  17. 'Family' and 'equality'

    Our latest word cloud from your debates

    Word cloud

  18. 'Stop being a superwoman'

    Cartoon from a comment made earlier in Kenya

    Superwoman cartoonDavid Lewis

  19. 'Education, mentors, empowerment'

    Sierra Leone

    The debate on leadership in Freetown earlier brought out the following buzz words: education, mentors, empowerment, quotas, self-confidence.

    Sierra Leone women

  20. Pressure, expectations and appearance debated

    Ukraine

    Global health and human rights organisation Health Right International in Ukraine has tweeted pictures from its discussion.

    A woman holding a sign saying 'Women are created for beauty and love'Health Right UA
    Group discussionHealth Right UA