Wangari Maathai was born in Kenya in 1940—when girls were not supposed to be educated. Fortunately, her father decided to send her to boarding school when she was 11. Four years later, she started high school. It was a big deal for a girl in Kenya, and the local shoemaker made Wangari her first pair […]
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Every little girl
by resolutewoman on November 14, 2020 in change, girls, goals
We hope our daughters will have a smoother path on their way to the offices of president and vice president, says Debra Adams Simmons, an executive editor of National Geographic. And, Simmons quotes Kamala Harris: “While I may be the first woman in this office, I will not be the last because every little girl […]
A girl with a book
by resolutewoman on September 29, 2020 in book, girls, resolute-women
“Never underestimate the power of a girl with a book,” Ruth Bader Ginsberg once said. I’m going to honor Ruth Bader Ginsberg by encouraging girls I know to read a book, get lots of years of education and fight for justice.
A sign they’re ready to marry
by resolutewoman on April 11, 2019 in change, girls, marriage, Uncategorized
Anna Dahlqvist, author of It’s Only Blood, talked to girls in Kenya, and they explained that the first period is seen as a sign that they’re ready to marry. Then, the girls asked Dahlqvist how they could hide their period so that they could delay marriage. “What happens when menstrual shame clashes with poverty?” Dahlqvist […]
The right to education
by resolutewoman on April 4, 2019 in change, girls, sexism
In Uganda, we found that around 50 percent of girls are missing school several days every month because of their periods, reports Anna Dahlqvist in her book It’s Only Blood. “In studies in which the students explain why they do not go to school, the same reasons are repeated: fear of leakage. The smell. Shame […]
Very bad injustice
by resolutewoman on July 5, 2018 in change, girls, resolute-women
When I attended a Girl Scout book club meeting earlier this summer, we discussed the book Who Was Harriet Tubman? by Yona Zeldis McDonough. We learned that Harriet Tubman had to leave her parents when she was six-years-old because she was “hired out” to work for a weaver. When Harriet dropped the yarn, she was […]
Girls today
by resolutewoman on October 19, 2017 in confidence, girls
Girls in this country are ethnically and racially diverse with half—51 percent—white, 25 percent Hispanic, 14 percent Black, 5 percent Asian, 4 percent multiracial and 1 percent American Indian. Four out of 10 of all the girls, ages 5 to 17, in this country live in families with low-incomes. Girl Scouts is trying to include […]
The work of today
by resolutewoman on October 17, 2017 in girls, resolute-women
“The work of today is the history of tomorrow, and we are its makers,” said Juliette Gordon Low, the founder of Girl Scouts. I just returned from the Girl Scout National Convention, which is held every three years, and I’ll share some Girl Scout news in the next couple of blog posts. –Joy
Malala’s going to Oxford
by resolutewoman on August 31, 2017 in girls, resolute-women
Malala’s going to be an Oxford scholar. The antiquarian print of an Oxford scholar hanging in my office—purchased years ago when I visited England—shows a male student in a red robe. Malala Yousafza, 20 now, doesn’t fit the stereotype of an Oxford scholar or a Muslim young woman. And, she’s not interested in doing what […]
Tell a girl that she is smart
by resolutewoman on February 2, 2017 in girls, sexism
Researchers at New York University asked boys and girls to identify a person who is really, really smart. At age five, children associated being smart with their own gender. But, by six or seven, girls were “significantly less likely” to pick women as being really, really smart. The study suggests that girls often believe that […]
What’s this site about?
We wrote our book and we’re writing our blog because we were frustrated. We were frustrated with experts who try to tell people how to lose weight, raise their children and improve their marriages—and be a success—in 10 easy steps. In three weeks. In one book.
Our self-help book and blog are for grownups—for women who know that there are no easy answers to life’s complex problems—that finding solutions requires some self-knowledge and self-searching and hard work.
We want to help women discover their own answers and live with them as their guide. We want to help you and other women Help Yourself!
We write about making changes and also about many other issues important to women, including families, friends, work and food.
