Shinto priest Tomoe Ichino, 40, poses for a photograph at the Imado Shrine in Tokyo, Japan, February 22, 2017. "In general, people think being a Shinto priest is a man's profession. If you're a woman, they think you're a shrine maiden, or a supplementary priestess. People don't know women Shinto priests exist, so they think we can't perform rituals. Once, after I finished performing jiichinsai (ground-breaking ceremony), I was asked, 'So, when is the priest coming?'," Ichino said. "When I first began working as a Shinto priest, because I was young and female, some people felt the blessing was different. They thought: 'I would have preferred your grandfather.' At first, I wore my grandfather's light green garment because I thought it's better to look like a man. But after a while I decided to be proud of the fact that I am a female priest and I began wearing a pink robe, like today. I thought I can be more confident if I stop thinking too much (about my gender)." REUTERS/Toru Hanai
Reuters photographers speak with women in a range of professions around the world about their experiences of gender inequality.
March 8 marks International Women’s Day, with festivals, concerts and exhibitions among the numerous events planned around the world to celebrate the achievements of women in society.
The annual event has been held since the early 1900s and traditionally promotes a different theme each year, with this year’s edition calling on people to #BeBoldForChange and push for a more gender-inclusive working world.
Reuters photographers have been speaking with women in a range of professions around the world about their experiences of gender inequality.
“In general, people think being a Shinto priest is men’s profession. If you’re a woman, they think you’re a shrine maiden, or a supplementary priestess. People don’t know women Shinto priests exist, so they think we can’t perform rituals. Once, after I finished performing jiichinsai (ground-breaking ceremony), I was asked, ‘So, when is the priest coming?’,” Tomoe Ichino, 40, said. “When I first began working as a Shinto priest, because I was young and female, some people felt the blessing was different. They thought: ‘I would have preferred your grandfather.’ At first, I wore my grandfather’s light green garment because I thought it’s better to look like a man. But after a while I decided to be proud of the fact that I am a female priest and I began wearing a pink robe, like today. I thought I can be more confident if I stop thinking too much (about my gender).”
Click on the images to read the stories of these inspirational women.
Emilie Jeannin, 37, a cow breeder, poses for a photograph with her Charolais cows in Beurizot, France, February 21, 2017. “Once I could not help laughing when an agricultural advisor asked me, where the boss was, when I was standing right in front of him. I can assure you that the meeting got very quickly cut short!,” Jeannin said. “Being a breeder is seen as a man’s job. In the past women were usually doing the administrative work or low level tasks. People need to be more open minded. This change needs to happen everywhere not just on the fields.” REUTERS/Benoit Tessier
Dr Catherine Reynolds, 37, a scientific researcher at Imperial College, poses for a picture at her laboratory in London, Britain February 22, 2017. “Women are very well represented at junior levels in Biological Sciences research. At a senior level it is still true that there are fewer female professors in science, but the gap is slowly closing,” Reynolds said. “More policies that promote flexible working and that support staff in taking career breaks (both men and women) are an essential way in which it is possible for employees, especially those with young families, to realise their full potential in the workplace.” REUTERS/Dylan Martinez
Cristina Alvarez, 29, a butcher, poses for a photograph while standing outside her and her husband’s butcher shop, in Mexico City, Mexico February 25, 2017. “I’ve never felt any gender inequality,” Alvarez said. “I believe women can do the same jobs as men and that there should be no discrimination.” REUTERS/Jose Luis Gonzalez
Elizabeth Mamani, 36, a reporter at Radio Union, poses inside Bolivia’s national congress building in La Paz, Bolivia, February 22, 2017. “When I started in this job, I did feel discrimination (from officials who controlled the access of members of the press to events). To counter discrimination in this profession, we as women, must excel, we must prepare ourselves in every field,” Mamani said. REUTERS/David Mercado
Khawla Sheikh, 54, a plumber and a certified trainer, poses at her home’s basement, where she gives plumbing training courses to other women, in Amman, Jordan, February 23, 2017. “Housewives are more comfortable to have a woman plumber in their house in the absence of their husbands,” said Sheikh. “To tackle gender inequality, I think that all operating sectors must provide equal opportunities for men and women in all fields and each woman must believe in her capabilities and skills that she has in order to convince the others.” REUTERS/Muhammad Hamed
Rocio Larranaga, 53, a surfer and surf instructor, poses for a photograph at Redondo beach in Lima, Peru, February 23, 2017. “I am the first woman to represent my country in national and international competitions since 1977,” said Larranaga. “In 1995 I became a surf teacher. Lots of women surf and they are very good at it. I hope that in the future women have the same quota as men in professional competitions.” REUTERS/Guadalupe Pardo
Luisana Quero Duran, 32, a veterinarian, poses for a photograph with Nacho, a Schnauzer, at a clinic in Caracas, Venezuela, February 24, 2017. “The gender inequality that I’m aware of seems to me to be more on the part of the clients. To a certain extent, I am fortunate, having a university degree favours me a lot,” Duran said. REUTERS/Marco Bello
Claudia Concha Parraguez, 45, a pole dancing instructor, poses for a photograph in a gym in Santiago, Chile February 23, 2017. “Some students with low self-esteem smile more and feel beautiful after training. But because of the poor mentality of their husbands, who do not see this activity as a sport and associate it with something sexual, they stop attending classes,” Parraguez said. REUTERS/Ivan Alvarado
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