Thinkingwomen in Manchester last night explored who is 21st century woman? Using words as mind joggers, we discussed the different challenges facing women today, from Western and developing world perspectives. The choice of words demonstrate our preoccupations, from water, education, children and business to prostitution, celebrity, frailty and responsibility. Our conversation kept returning to the interconnection of our planet, the impact of our behaviour on each other and the extent to which we are ignoring basic needs. As a society, we are making assumptions and imposing standards that seem distorted, focused less on what is actually happening and what needs to happen and more on what we think should happen. We stifle then under targets don’t seem to deliver what we really need. We celebrated women’s strength, both physical and mental and we wondered why the role models in our society are celebrities, feted for beauty and wealth. We considered whether we are raising our children with the values of equality and fairness that we demand from our adult life. We speculated that the one-dimensional nature of the media, feeding us stories on appearance and gossip, is filling a void left by the reduction of hardship. Is there an anti-intellectualism snobbery that prohibits discussion and entertainment in discussing the more serious issues of our planet’s future or what kind of society we actually want? Is there an expectation of authority or deep knowledge when someone speaks on a matter, rather than just an opinion. Are we too embarrassed to talk? Topics to talk about at future thinkingwomen in Manchester events: - Religion and spirituality and its role in government - Responsibility: to what and to whom? - Women in politics: are we there yet and if not, why not? - Basic needs: what are they and are they being satisfied? - What are our expectations of life? The structure of the sessions will be: an expert in a particular field will give a talk and then there will be a group discussion on the issues raised. Anyone is invited to submit suggestions for topics or experts, including themselves, if there is something they would like to share with the group. Most of all, we aim to have fun while we talk about these issues. It is possible to have a laugh and be serious at the same time! If you would like to know more about the Manchester events, contact jessicasymons@yahoo.com