{"id":165432,"date":"2024-03-19T14:43:42","date_gmt":"2024-03-19T13:43:42","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.erasmusmagazine.nl\/en\/?p=165432"},"modified":"2026-01-20T09:57:51","modified_gmt":"2026-01-20T08:57:51","slug":"inclusion-personal-experiences-and-advice-in-womens-day-seminar-dont-become-someone-youre-not","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.erasmusmagazine.nl\/en\/2024\/03\/19\/inclusion-personal-experiences-and-advice-in-womens-day-seminar-dont-become-someone-youre-not\/","title":{"rendered":"Inclusion, personal experiences and advice in Women\u2019s Day seminar: \u2018Don\u2019t become someone you\u2019re not\u2019"},"content":{"rendered":"

A wide range of guests \u2013 from EUR students and staff members to parents and Ministry of Defense students \u2013 gather inside the CB-1 lecture hall hoping to obtain insights from the well-experienced seminar speakers. The ‘What it takes’ event on 14 March was organised by IDEA centre in the context of Women’s day and the release of football coach Sarina Wiegman’s book.<\/p>\n

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Sarina Wiegman, football coach of the English women's football team, holds a presentation<\/span><\/p><\/figcaption><\/figure>

Sarina Wiegman, the Dutch head coach of England\u2019s national women\u2019s football team, shares her experiences and obstacles as a pivotal pioneer of her field. Similar reflections are made by three guests who inspire Sarina Wiegman and are featured in her book: Lieutenant General Elanor Boekholt-O\u2019Sullivan (Dutch Ministry of Defense), Corinne Vigreux (co-founder of tech company TomTom), and Annelien Bredenoord (rector magnificus of EUR).<\/p>\n

Audience questions<\/h2>

\u201cIt would be a huge step, but I don\u2019t know whether football is up to that\u201d, answers Wiegman after being asked by the audience whether a woman coaching a men\u2019s team in football would soon be witnessed. There has always been a gap between men and women in football: after all, Wiegman had to cut her hair short to first partake in football in 1977 in a mixed-gender team. As she rose through the ranks of coaching earning multiple accolades, her goal is now to \u2018change society in a positive way through football\u2019. The British ambassador to the Netherlands, who was among the audience, thanked Wiegman for her contributions towards women\u2019s football in England and jokingly addressed one change she wants to see herself: \u201cit\u2019s called football, not soccer!\u201d.<\/p>\n

Similarly, Corinne Vigreux shared her experience as a woman working in the tech world. Stressing the need to include women in engineering and computer science fields, a student from the audience expresses her concern about staying strong as a woman and women trying to become more like men. \u201cIt is a stereotype that to be successful, you must behave like man; that is not true\u201d, shares Vigreux. \u201cBe yourself, have your values, and be authentic. Don\u2019t become someone you\u2019re not!\u201d<\/p>\n

Taking off the tie<\/h2>

Elanor Boekholt-O\u2019Sullivan discusses the challenges of working as a woman in the Ministry of Defense. The overlooked issue she highlights is the differences in clothing. Suits and uniforms for women are uncomfortable, and only 12 percent of the Ministry of Defense consists of women, hence there are not enough clothes that are the right fit for them. She alludes to \u2018taking off her tie\u2019 from her suit, an action that she says angers \u2018white men\u2019 and sparks raging reactions: \u201cI am a general with three stars and people are worried about my clothes!\u201d.<\/p>\n

Annelien Bredenoord also reflects on her experiences in her political career at D66, the Dutch national political party. She points out the lack of suitable circumstances for women at the senate building, and reflects on a particular instance during her pregnancy. \u201cI needed a little rest before a nightly debate and I was given an inflatable mattress and a small fridge\u201d, she recalls. \u201cThese are strange circumstances for work as a woman in politics\u201d.<\/p>\n

Student panels<\/h2>

Four EUR students shared the stage with the main speakers, with both groups obtaining insights from each other. Impressed by the students\u2019 input, Boekholt-O\u2019Sullivan jokingly offered the students jobs at the Ministry of Defense. Among the students taking center stage were Moos Schoemacher, a 25-year-old Financial Economics student and a working student at the Ministry of Defense, and Esm\u00e9e Lieuw On, a 22-year-old graduate and board member of football club Antibarbari. \u201cIt was inspiring to hear them talk about their careers and obstacles\u201d, shares Esm\u00e9e. \u201cIf we sat there for another hour, we wouldn\u2019t have noticed how much time passed by!\u201d.<\/p>\n

Schoemacher has his key takeaways from the seminar. \u201cAs a white man I have to acknowledge I am in a privileged position\u201d, he shares. \u201cWe must always support women and keep in mind that diverse decisions are the best decisions.\u201d<\/p>\n

After the event, free copies of Sarina Wiegman\u2019s book \u2018What it takes\u2019 were handed out to all the attendees.<\/p>\n\n\t

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De redactie<\/h2>\n\t\t\n\t\t
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