3 Easy Things You Can Do to Support Other Women - Classy Career Girl

3 Easy Things You Can Do to Support Other Women Your life looks a little like this: slaying at work each day, meeting up with friends for drinks and laughs, hitting up new spots with your partner on date night, and squeezing in some work-out time (or not). It’s fun and hectic at times, but you’re committed to doing work you enjoy while not neglecting life outside of it. Still, you can’t shake the feeling that you should be doing something more. After all, you don’t live in a bubble, and whether you keep up with the issues by reading TheSkimm or The Economistâ€"or maybe just your Facebook newsfeedâ€"you know there’s plenty to be concerned about. Within the daily maelstrom of news, some of the political is even personal to you. You might be a career woman on the path to achieving your professional aspirations, but you still have to grapple with persisting issues like the gender wage gap or the dearth of paid leave policies (which is concerning should you want to start a family). Or perhaps you’re deeply unsettled about the reality faced by millions of working women in America, who are trapped in low-wage jobs with no benefits and no opportunities for advancement. But how do you make time to show you care? You may not be quite ready to spend your weekends protesting on the streets, but here are three ways to show up for what you believe in and still find time to nail your presentation at the staff meeting on Monday. 3 Easy Things You Can Do to Support Other Women 1. Stay Informed One of the most important things you can do is to stay informed. The social ills you care about don’t exist in a vacuum. That means going beyond your Facebook feed for credible information. If you commute to work by bus or train, use the time to read through the news app on your phone or borrow a library book that covers women in the workplace and read through it when you’re taking breaks from writing your business plan. A good place to start learning about the reality of work in America is the classic by Beth Shulman, The Betrayal of Work. If reading about the issues facing women in the corporate world is more your speed, why not check out Jessica Bennet’s hilarious yet incisive Feminist Fight Club? Just taking the time to read makes you more engaged, and that itself is an act against apathyâ€"and certainly against ignorance. Don’t keep your newly gained knowledge to yourself! After all that reading,  make sure you grab some friends and some wine and start talking. 2. Move the Needle and Spread Awareness You’ve talked to your friends about all the startling data you’ve foundâ€"like the fact that 80 percent of minimum wage workers are adults, most of them women with families to support. Or that sexual harassment in the workplace wasn’t defined as illegal until just a few decades ago. But you don’t want to just keep hitting your friends with truth bombs, you want to take action on real strategies for change. It’s easier than you might think to help move the needle for working women. Many of the advocacy groups on the front lines of the issues have readily accessible ways for people to show support. Women Employed, an organization that advocates for the improved economic security of women, has an Action Network which sends out timely alerts to your inbox so you can quickly sign a petition or send a letter to your legislator about how their decisions will affect working women. Have a little more time to spare? Non-profits are always looking for volunteers who can lend their professional expertise to a good cause. [RELATED:  4 Ways to Earn The Respect You Deserve As a Woman In The Workplace] 3. Lift Others Up You’ve probably heard the adage: “Be kind, everyone you meet is fighting a battle you know nothing about.” Simple kindness is becoming more and more an act of resistance in today’s world. Every day bullying takes place in classrooms and workplaces and others see an effort to be sensitive toward others as a weakness. Everyone has a unique story, perspective, and their own set of challenges as they navigate the world. Be inclusive and welcoming to others as you go about your day to day life. Be an ally to immigrants, people of color, people of different faiths and sexual orientations, and people with disabilities. Listen to their concerns, be actively supportive, and constantly seek to educate yourself. It can only make you a better person and helps make the world a better place.