USING CULTURE TO CHANGE CULTURE
In nearly every country, culture and society around the world, women are not seen as equal to men. Women are less likely to hold positions of formal authority in local and national governments, and are less likely to be managers, CEOs and board members of companies and multinational corporations. Women are more often than not underpaid for the “formal” work they do outside the home, and completely unpaid for the “informal” work performed within the home. Moreover, women are tragically – yet all-too-frequently – subjected to violence, abuse, and sexual assault, which prevents them from finding peace, happiness and fulfillment in their homes and at work.
Although the roots of discrimination and patriarchy date back thousands of years, we believe the current perpetuation of gender inequity is rooted in an international set of cultural beliefs that devalue women. We believe the best way to challenge these harmful cultural attitudes is through a cultural engine we at Driftseed know well: the media.
IDEAS SHARED - TAKING ROOT
The name Driftseed comes from the name for a seed or fruit, like the coconut, which is adapted for long distance dispersal by water. Most drift seeds are produced by tropical trees, and can be found on distant beaches after drifting thousands of miles through ocean currents.
At Driftseed, we believe powerful stories, told with compassion, can carry ideas quickly over vast distances. Like the seeds whose name we’ve borrowed, we hope our documentary work will disperse to far away places, take root, and build a more safe, just and equitable world for men, women, boys and girls around the world.
