Women Around the World

The California State University, Chico Study Abroad Office presented a panel of international women for a question and answer session during the International Education Week. The event was held on Friday, May 2^nd at noon in a small room on the third floor of the BMU. The venue was casual – several rows of foldable chairs facing a single row of foldable chairs – and encouraged honest and open interaction between the audience and the panel. Many students attended, and by the time the session began there was standing room only.

The panel included five female students selected from the approximate five hundred international students on campus. The students were Shuting from China, Motoko from Japan, Khulood from Saudi Arabia, Vanita from India, and Susana from Costa Rica. Each student gave a unique firsthand account of their experience as a women living in their country.

The topics ranged from co-ed education to career paths, and while many answers remained on the boarder of generalities, much additional insight could be gleaned by the manner the answers were framed and expressed. The women really are embodiments of their culture and everything about them, from their accents to their clothing, tells a story.

Here are a few of the answers that caught my attention…

India – There are more female computer science and electronics college students.

Japan – Approximately 50 per cent of the population goes to college, and close to 100 per cent of grads work.

Japan – On average, women get married at 29.4 years.

Saudi Arabia – Women are not allowed to drive; however, most families hire household drivers for them.

Costa Rica – There’s a saying, “If a girl knows how to cook, she is ready to get married.”

China – The law is one child per family; exceptions tend to send boys to school.