Women of the Month : Zoe Brownlie and Dr Kaisa Wilson

Zoe Brownlie and Dr Kaisa Wilson
This month we spoke to  Zoe Brownlie (she/her)  and Dr Kaisa Wilson Co-Directors of Belong, and Directors of the GenderTick and gender advocacy at the YWCA. We asked them about what Dignity means to them and their experiences with menstruation.

Kaisa and Zoe are both leading experts in gender issues and champions of gender equity. Kaisa is a consultant, speaker, advocate and practitioner in diversity and belonging. Kaisa co-founded the Gender Tick with YWCA in 2018 and is the Co-Director of Belong with Zoe.

Zoe is an equity and wellbeing specialist, and the creator of ‘Belong’, a global consultancy and community building employee wellbeing. She is also the Director of the GenderTick, and an elected Board Member on the Auckland District Health Board.

ZOE BROWNLIE 

1. What does Dignity mean to you?

I think of dignity as everyone having the right to respect, and the importance of being able to look back and feel that you've given this to all that you've come across.

2. What was your experience with your period?

I remember when I first got my period my mum told my dad, and I was so embarrassed as it just wasn't something that was talked about openly in my house. I've tried to make it different with my kids, and talk to them about bodies and all the ways that they work, possibly even a bit too much!

3. What is the best thing for you about being a woman and menstruation?

To be honest, I don't really see positives or negatives of being a woman and menstruation. I guess that it's allowed me to have the experience of growing babies and giving birth to them, but I know that's not the case for all women or people who menstruate. It also reminds me to slow down, acknowledge my connection to nature, and that at the end of the day we are all human.

4. What makes you feel empowered/comfortable in your skin?

When I'm around people who love me, or at least like me, for who I am, and value care, connection and kindness.

5. What would you like to say to anyone getting their first period?

Not to listen to any of the conscious or subconscious messages about periods. Don't care if you get it early or late or if your cycle is regular or it's heavy or light. It is all normal. Celebrate your first period if you want. Or don't. You can decide for yourself what it means to you.

Kaisa Wilson

KAISA WILSON is a leading expert in gender issues. She is a consultant, speaker, advocate and practitioner in diversity and belonging. She has significant experience working with gender issues at all levels: from grassroots community organisations, to international NGOs and globally listed companies. Kaisa is the founder of Mosaik, and co-founded the Gender Tick with YWCA in 2018. Kaisa has a PhD from Edinburgh University in psychology in which she studied belonging and identity, and a Masters in feminist psychology

1. What does Dignity mean to you?

Hmm, among other things the absence of disadvantage or systemic oppression based on identity characteristics such as gender, sexuality or skin colour.

2. What was your experience with your period?

I have never gotten my period monthly. They started off irregularly and have stayed that way. I am envious of those who get theirs like clockwork, in part for the convenience. Although I know my situation is not highly unusual, I do feel a bit different because of it. As a teenager I saw both traditional (gynaecologist) and non-traditional (homeopath) medical providers about this issue. The homeopath suggested that perhaps my body menstruates when it needs to. And although I am a scientist myself, that explanation seems to have been the most accurate, as I haven’t had any problems getting pregnant when I wanted to!

3. What is the best thing for you about being a woman and menstruation?

For me, each menstruation is a reminder of the rhythms of life and our connection to those who have come before us and those who will come after us.

4. What makes you feel empowered/comfortable in your skin?

Being with family and good friends

5. What would you like to say to anyone getting their first period?

When I was young, and I think still now, many people saw it as something that should be handled discreetly and quietly. I would love to see girls celebrate getting their period for the first time – make it loud and embrace all the feelings associated with that event. Recruit others to support you through it – either in celebration or in handling logistics like getting hold of menstrual sanitary products. Periods are something men and women should celebrate and respect, because without them, none of us would be here!