Blog

Jesamine Rikisahedew

Why Are So Many Young Women Afraid of Ageing?

Firstly, what even counts as “old” these days? I’m the eldest child in my family, and I remember the creeping anxiety that came with being the first to turn 30. It feels like a scarily big number – the age that makes everything feel official. I’m meant to have everything (career, relationships, and beauty) figured out. If I haven’t, it must mean I’ve failed. That fear doesn’t come from nowhere. It’s baked into the media we consume, the social norms we’ve internalised, and even the influencers we follow (many of whom are just as young and anxious). The result is a cultural obsession with youthfulness that makes the natural process of ageing feel threatening instead of inevitable.

Emilia Celina Miller

Child Custody Law in Estonia: A Guide for Migrant Women

Custody is the duty and the right of a parent to take care of their minor child and their child’s property, as well as to represent them. Custody can be physical/legal and sole/joint. Physical custody determines the child’s primary place of residence, while legal custody determines who has the authority to make major decisions on behalf of the child. Joint custody allows both parents to share rights and responsibilities. Sole custody grants one parent the rights of the child. Having sole custody gives one parent legal and/or physical custody of the child. In cases of sole physical custody, the other parent may have visitation rights.

Blog Cover. Design by Sümeyye Temirov, IWNE
Maria

Conditioning Through Education: Gender Bias and the Hidden Curriculum in Textbooks

Education is often recognized as a tool for creating equal opportunities for everyone to succeed despite their background. However, gender bias within the educational system, frequently perpetuated through textbooks and curricula, significantly shapes the experiences of students, particularly women, by creating gender stereotypes. This article explores the many ways gender bias finds itself a place in the curricula and the vulnerabilities it creates for students, particularly women. In this article, I argue that it is essential to recognise that gender bias is not a single, static problem. Instead, it can manifest in multiple ways, including the representation of gender roles, language used, segregation of occupations along gender lines, and reinforcement of stereotypes. It makes gender bias a complex assortment of problems, requiring attention to each of the facets of gender bias, whereby textbooks and curriculum being one. Why Textbooks? Textbooks play an essential role in shaping not only the classroom discourses but also the upbringing of the students. Sadker and Zittleman (2007) cite that ‘‘students spend as much as 80 to 95% of classroom time using textbooks, and teachers make a majority of their instructional decisions based on these texts’’ (p. 144). The considerable amount of time that students spend

Sümeyye Temirov​

Amplifying Palestinian Voices: An Interview with Loor from the GENARRATION Project

As part of the GENARRATION project, we had the privilege of conducting a face-to-face interview in Tallinn with Loor, a young Palestinian from Jerusalem. In this conversation, Loor shares her personal story, the challenges faced by Palestinian youth, and the importance of reshaping narratives surrounding Palestinian identity. The interview was conducted by our member Fatya, with questions prepared and editorial work by our member Sümeyye.

International Women’s Network in Estonia (IWNE)

The Woman Who Inspires Me Most…

The members of IWNE have shared stories of the women who inspire them—women whose courage, kindness, and determination have shaped their lives. From teachers and activists to sisters and pioneers, these women remind us that inspiration is found not only in history books but in everyday acts of strength and resilience.

Maria-Katarina Johannesson

The Perfectionist’s Guide to Starting and Growing a Business

“Just do it” Just start the business. Be that cool, tech-savvy entrepreneur who just quit their job and then starts their entrepreneurial journey. I don’t know about you ladies, but I never thought that was very realistic. More importantly, I could never relate to it. Oh, I’m Maria-Katarina Johannesson by the way, or you can just call me “Maria” or Linksandmaria. I am not one of those cool entrepreneur people. I am a female business owner who is still trying to find her place. And honestly, it’s quite a lonely place to be, which is why I believe communities like IWNE play such an important role. I am still on my journey, it’s a bumpy one (especially since I have this not always very charming trait of being a perfectionist, which sometimes means focusing on the wrong things).

Blog Cover. Design by Sümeyye Temirov, IWNE
Maria

Conditioning Through Education: Gender Bias and the Hidden Curriculum in Textbooks

Education is often recognized as a tool for creating equal opportunities for everyone to succeed despite their background. However, gender bias within the educational system, frequently perpetuated through textbooks and curricula, significantly shapes the experiences of students, particularly women, by creating gender stereotypes. This article explores the many ways gender bias finds itself a place in the curricula and the vulnerabilities it creates for students, particularly women. In this article, I argue that it is essential to recognise that gender bias is not a single, static problem. Instead, it can manifest in multiple ways, including the representation of gender roles, language used, segregation of occupations along gender lines, and reinforcement of stereotypes. It makes gender bias a complex assortment of problems, requiring attention to each of the facets of gender bias, whereby textbooks and curriculum being one. Why Textbooks? Textbooks play an essential role in shaping not only the classroom discourses but also the upbringing of the students. Sadker and Zittleman (2007) cite that ‘‘students spend as much as 80 to 95% of classroom time using textbooks, and teachers make a majority of their instructional decisions based on these texts’’ (p. 144). The considerable amount of time that students spend

Sümeyye Temirov​

Amplifying Palestinian Voices: An Interview with Loor from the GENARRATION Project

As part of the GENARRATION project, we had the privilege of conducting a face-to-face interview in Tallinn with Loor, a young Palestinian from Jerusalem. In this conversation, Loor shares her personal story, the challenges faced by Palestinian youth, and the importance of reshaping narratives surrounding Palestinian identity. The interview was conducted by our member Fatya, with questions prepared and editorial work by our member Sümeyye.

IWNE
Lilly O'Toole, MPH

The First Female Prisoner of Conscience in Georgia

It has been more than one month since Mzia Amaglobeli — founder of Batumelebi and Netgazeti, two of Georgia’s most well-regarded independent media platforms – was arrested. She has been on hunger strike ever since. Due to the critical risk of organ failure, Amaglobeli was relocated to a hospital outside of Tbilisi. The refusal by Batumi court to lift her pre-trial detention period, the strictest measure possible, means that she must remain in detainment until her trial on March 4th. The Council of Europe’s human rights commissioner says her pre-trial detention for assaulting a police officer is unjustified.

Jesamine Rikisahedew

Why Are So Many Young Women Afraid of Ageing?

Firstly, what even counts as “old” these days? I’m the eldest child in my family, and I remember the creeping anxiety that came with being the first to turn 30. It feels like a scarily big number – the age that makes everything feel official. I’m meant to have everything (career, relationships, and beauty) figured out. If I haven’t, it must mean I’ve failed. That fear doesn’t come from nowhere. It’s baked into the media we consume, the social norms we’ve internalised, and even the influencers we follow (many of whom are just as young and anxious). The result is a cultural obsession with youthfulness that makes the natural process of ageing feel threatening instead of inevitable.

Blog Cover. Design by Sümeyye Temirov, IWNE
Maria

Conditioning Through Education: Gender Bias and the Hidden Curriculum in Textbooks

Education is often recognized as a tool for creating equal opportunities for everyone to succeed despite their background. However, gender bias within the educational system, frequently perpetuated through textbooks and curricula, significantly shapes the experiences of students, particularly women, by creating gender stereotypes. This article explores the many ways gender bias finds itself a place in the curricula and the vulnerabilities it creates for students, particularly women. In this article, I argue that it is essential to recognise that gender bias is not a single, static problem. Instead, it can manifest in multiple ways, including the representation of gender roles, language used, segregation of occupations along gender lines, and reinforcement of stereotypes. It makes gender bias a complex assortment of problems, requiring attention to each of the facets of gender bias, whereby textbooks and curriculum being one. Why Textbooks? Textbooks play an essential role in shaping not only the classroom discourses but also the upbringing of the students. Sadker and Zittleman (2007) cite that ‘‘students spend as much as 80 to 95% of classroom time using textbooks, and teachers make a majority of their instructional decisions based on these texts’’ (p. 144). The considerable amount of time that students spend

IWNE
Lilly O'Toole, MPH

The First Female Prisoner of Conscience in Georgia

It has been more than one month since Mzia Amaglobeli — founder of Batumelebi and Netgazeti, two of Georgia’s most well-regarded independent media platforms – was arrested. She has been on hunger strike ever since. Due to the critical risk of organ failure, Amaglobeli was relocated to a hospital outside of Tbilisi. The refusal by Batumi court to lift her pre-trial detention period, the strictest measure possible, means that she must remain in detainment until her trial on March 4th. The Council of Europe’s human rights commissioner says her pre-trial detention for assaulting a police officer is unjustified.

Jesamine Rikisahedew

Why Are So Many Young Women Afraid of Ageing?

Firstly, what even counts as “old” these days? I’m the eldest child in my family, and I remember the creeping anxiety that came with being the first to turn 30. It feels like a scarily big number – the age that makes everything feel official. I’m meant to have everything (career, relationships, and beauty) figured out. If I haven’t, it must mean I’ve failed. That fear doesn’t come from nowhere. It’s baked into the media we consume, the social norms we’ve internalised, and even the influencers we follow (many of whom are just as young and anxious). The result is a cultural obsession with youthfulness that makes the natural process of ageing feel threatening instead of inevitable.

Emilia Celina Miller

Child Custody Law in Estonia: A Guide for Migrant Women

Custody is the duty and the right of a parent to take care of their minor child and their child’s property, as well as to represent them. Custody can be physical/legal and sole/joint. Physical custody determines the child’s primary place of residence, while legal custody determines who has the authority to make major decisions on behalf of the child. Joint custody allows both parents to share rights and responsibilities. Sole custody grants one parent the rights of the child. Having sole custody gives one parent legal and/or physical custody of the child. In cases of sole physical custody, the other parent may have visitation rights.

Blog Cover. Design by Sümeyye Temirov, IWNE
Maria

Conditioning Through Education: Gender Bias and the Hidden Curriculum in Textbooks

Education is often recognized as a tool for creating equal opportunities for everyone to succeed despite their background. However, gender bias within the educational system, frequently perpetuated through textbooks and curricula, significantly shapes the experiences of students, particularly women, by creating gender stereotypes. This article explores the many ways gender bias finds itself a place in the curricula and the vulnerabilities it creates for students, particularly women. In this article, I argue that it is essential to recognise that gender bias is not a single, static problem. Instead, it can manifest in multiple ways, including the representation of gender roles, language used, segregation of occupations along gender lines, and reinforcement of stereotypes. It makes gender bias a complex assortment of problems, requiring attention to each of the facets of gender bias, whereby textbooks and curriculum being one. Why Textbooks? Textbooks play an essential role in shaping not only the classroom discourses but also the upbringing of the students. Sadker and Zittleman (2007) cite that ‘‘students spend as much as 80 to 95% of classroom time using textbooks, and teachers make a majority of their instructional decisions based on these texts’’ (p. 144). The considerable amount of time that students spend

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