The Empowerment Project

Sarah Moshman and Dana Michelle Cook (2014, U.S., 98 min.) + post-film discussion

Why are there so few female superheroes in our stories? In modern filmmaking, studies have shown that women are disproportionately underrepresented in protagonist roles. Why? Perhaps it’s because superheroes are exaggerated versions of real people and too often our society has underrepresented stories of real women leaders and heroes in the workplace. And the effects of this lack of representation are critical–young women and girls who fail to see role models are less likely to enter fields, which then perpetuates the cycle of a lack of role models and mentorship across the generations. At current rates, women are not projected to reach parity in leadership roles in government, business, entrepreneurship, and non-profits until 2085.

In 2013, Sarah Moshman hauled into a small minivan with four other women filmmakers to meet superhero women across America and The Empowerment Project was born. If Hollywood wasn’t going to tell their stories, then they would! One month, 7,000 miles, and 22 states later the team find women leaders in 17 different work fields who discuss the challenges they have faced, the opportunities they have created for themselves, and how they are trying to empower the next generation of female leaders. Meet these super women who fight to empower and inspire girls to seek out their life passions without fear of inequality or failure.

Whether it’s a woman who charted her own course when an airline refused to hire female pilots, the only woman in a beer-making class who opened her own brewery, or the first woman to be a four-star general in the navy — these amazing superhero women continue to pursue their careers with passion and determination and will inspire you on your own journey of empowerment!

Following the film, we had a panel discussion featuring women leaders from across Penn State–undergraduates, graduate students, and alumni–including:

• Xiaoling Chen, Graduate Researcher in Biomedical Sciences and Empower Conference co-chair, Penn State
• Jessica Norris, Graduate Researcher in Chemistry and Empower Conference co-chair, Penn State
• Kathryn Tague, junior and Bellisario Fellow and President of the Association for Women in Sports Media, Penn State