Refugee work
Janne’s interest in societal issues did not come out of nowhere. Janne came into direct contact with social dilemmas during her internship where she worked with refugees: she could see the impact of policy on the lives of people with her own eyes. ‘It was such a special and wonderful target group because I did not come into contact with them regularly in my daily life. It was shocking to see how much was being determined for the refugees. I have delved into migration since then, and my interest in it has kept growing! It furthermore taught me to put myself in another’s shoes,” Janne says. Currently Janne is thinking about worldwide problems both during and outside of her study programme: from sex inequality to poverty, Janne is well-informed.
Feminist perspective
Janne explains that her study programme’s emphasis on a feminist perspective is a big plus for her: ‘Both students and teachers within the programme consider it important to investigate different perspectives. A feminist perspective for me does not only mean that I aim for equality, but I also believe it is important that women are appreciated. This causes the masculine view of the world to be questioned, and I think that is justified.’
A feminist perspective for me does not only mean that I aim for equality, but I also believe it is important that women are appreciated.
Different norms
Janne does not only think about sex differences from an academic perspective, but she also pays attention to them in her personal life. Janne believes we have different norms when it comes to male and female students (if we generalise gender in a binary way): ‘If a man has drunk too much it is considered normal, but when a woman does it she is looked down upon. There are different rules in public too. Not all men catcall women, but almost all women have been catcalled. Furthermore, women are often insulted while they are out clubbing.’ Janne explains that this needs to be changed: ‘Female students are being forced to develop a thick skin in order to deal with such unpleasant comments. I try to speak up about these situations instead of laughing them off. International Women’s Day is a great occasion to start the conversation. I believe that this allows us to acknowledge the problem, while also making it open to discussion.