What does it mean to be a woman? There are many perspectives to what being a woman means, and as we celebrate women’s contributions and achievements during Women’s History Month, we get to see the different sides of being a woman.

Female UTEP students shared what being a woman means to them. For biochemistry student Juliet Brown being a woman means having to work harder to overcome challenges that are often put on women.

“Being a woman to me is having to work that extra bit harder to prove yourself because we are facing sexism from an early age,” Brown said. “People underestimate you and you have to be able to just fight thought it, but it’s also those happy moments, like the girlhood moments where you’re with friends and you don’t have to worry. There are two sides, one where you have to face the struggles and the other with happy memories that we cherish.”

For some women, motherhood is an important aspect of their womanhood. Marketing student Miriam Ordaz with dreams of becoming an actress and mother shares how she embraces both traditional and modern roles for women.

“Being a woman to me means to withstand the hardships that are put on us by society,” Ordaz said. “I want to be taken care of, looked out for, but also know that my opinion matters & to be taken into consideration. For me motherhood is important, it’s a gift to bring a life into the world, but I know that I can be more than just a mom or wife if I want to be.”

Geology and political science major Giselle Torres says being a woman is about being dependable and feeling trusted among those around her.

“Being a woman to me means having the strength to carry the weight of so many people on our shoulders while trying to look seamless at it, and as much as it may sound exhausting, which it can get, at the end of the day it makes me feel worthy,” Torres said. “It makes me feel strong, it makes me feel like a woman to know that people depend on me to keep going.” 

Girlhood is a crucial part of being a woman for many including forensic science major Rosa Rivera and hopes to work for the FBI. She believes that girlhood encompasses the bond that women have for simply being a woman and sharing experiences and stories together.

“At the core I think girlhood is a very big part of being a woman, being a woman means that you just support each other,” Rivera said. “You never feel alone because you know there is other women who feel like you do.”

For so long women were confined to traditional roles, and they are still important and respected to this day, but being a woman means that now we have a choice to be what we want to be and not just what we are expected to be.

To be a woman means to be resilient through the struggles, to be authentic to ourselves, and to continue to pave the way and evolve the world around us for the next generation of women that will follow. 

Whether women decide to be homemakers, mothers, scientists, artists, or anything they put their mind to, the women that came before us worked and advocated so that the women of today get to choose their own paths and get to define what it means to be a woman. 

Ximena Cordero is a staff reporter and may be reached at [email protected].