Aisling Kennedy, Editor Posted on October 26, 2023 by ticklesister

Aisling Kennedy is the Staff Editor of Woman’s Way magazine and writes many regular features for the magazine from Consumer and Travel issues to Makeovers and Cover interviews. Along with being one of the main features writers she’s also the Picture Editor of the magazine.

Aisling travelled to Haiti in April this year soon after the devastating earthquake in Port Au Prince and describes the experience as eye opening and humbling all at the same time. She wrote an extensive article in Woman’s Way chronicling her experience and she’s currently fundraising so that she can return to Haiti again next April.

Because I am a Girl I ask… that every girl be allowed the right to choose who she marries, choose the way she wishes to pursue her future with her family’s blessing, and choose what she wants to believe in and not have any of these things imposed on her from birth.

Because I am a Girl I believe… that every woman should be treated as an equal and not as an inferior citizen. I believe that women should no longer be murdered under the guise of ‘honor’ killings no matter what their crimes are, should no longer have to be subject to the horrific ordeal of female genital mutilation, or be forced into human trafficking for the sole purpose of making money. I believe every woman should have the right to live their life free of these threats.

Because I am a Girl I hope… for a future where men and women will not discriminate against each other. I hope that the gender pay gap in Ireland and throughout the world will gradually become non existent as business owners realise that a woman’s work is as valuable and in some cases exceeds their male counterparts.

Because I am a Girl I wonder… if our mothers and all women who have achieved large and small successes around the world realise how much the younger generations depend on them and look up to them in times of inspiration. Without them to look up to and motivate us into achieving our full potential, God knows where we’d be. I only hope that I can be as influential on my own children some day as my mother is to me.

Because I am a Girl I dream… of a day when young girls throughout the world have the right to an education and are not merely kept at home to help raise a family and look after the house. I dream that one day there won’t be 62 million girls who have never set foot inside a primary school and I look forward to the day when every girl has the right to an education and has the right to pursue that education in any way she chooses.

Because I am a Girl I remember… travelling to Haiti this year and seeing the Haitian women doing all they could to keep their make-shift houses and children safe in towns that have been abandoned by the rest of the world. I look forward to a day when a country’s debt no longer hinders an entire population and governments are no longer corrupt and abusing their power.

Because I am a Girl I like… the fact that women are never willing to give up, even in the face of extreme hardship. I’m proud of the fact that throughout the world we manage to study in college, pursue our careers, achieve success, raise a family and look good doing it! I think we’re strong willed yet kind and I think we are very adept at balancing and juggling many different aspects of our lives at the same time.

Because I am a Girl I dislike… how few female politicians there are in world politics. In Ireland alone, only 13% of the TD’s in the Dail are women and we rank 82nd in the world out of all the world’s democracies when it comes to female representation in parliament. As a woman in her twenties I can’t see how this is a fair representation of women in Ireland and I believe that we should start moving towards a gender quota system to have a fairer representation of women in Ireland.

Because I am a Girl I feel… privileged that I have had the chances and choices I’ve had throughout my life as I’m aware that my life could have been very different had I been born in a different society. I know that I am very lucky but I feel that it is very wrong that the value of a woman’s life and the way she is permitted to live her life is dependant on where she is born.

Because I am a Girl I… will continue to work to make the most of the opportunities that I know I am fortunate to have, I will continue to achieve the goals I have in life, and I will do all I can to help other women throughout the world get their voices heard in any way I can.

- Aisling Kennedy