Celebrating our community super women!

[Stephanie]

Hi everyone, 

As this weekend heralded International women’s day, we thought it would be a great opportunity to talk about the women powering our community. Since 2008, Airbnb’s community of women has been blazing trails in hospitality, all around the world: 

• More than 54 million women have traveled on Airbnb

• In New Zealand, 64% of Home hosts are women, 68% in Jersey and 56% in Los Angeles.
• In Paris, women Superhosts make up 54% of the host community.

We talked to some women hosts in Mumbai, London, Seoul, New Haven and Mexico City and captured their stories in this article. 

And it’s safe to say we would be lost without our super women here on the CC! 

With @Sarah977  receiving just under 21,000 lifetime kudos, @Helen3  who has over 150 accepted solutions, and @Emilia42 who has posted over 2,200 times, the CC is one of the most supportive and powerful places for hosts to share.

Let’s not forget some of our most wonderful, chatty and recognisable ladies of the CC! Here’s looking at you @Susan17 , @Cathie19  and @Helen427 . We’re so proud and honoured to have you all here.

Whether you’re a guest, a host, or both, we’d love to hear your own story. How has travelling or hosting with Airbnb empowered you?

Thanks, 

Stephanie

[Sharon1014]

@Stephanie  I'm not a fan of the "empowerment" word.  It implies that some other person or entity has "power" to dispense "power" to others.  Wrong.  We all hold our own power and exercise it as we see fit.  My power does not belong to someone else, it belongs to me.  We might "enable" others to exercise their own intrinsic power in numerous ways, like supporting them to make good decisions or in some instances by getting out of their way to let them get on with using the power they have always had and owned all by themselves.  We don't own or have capacity to bestow power on other people.  People own their own power.

What Airbnb does do however, is provide a platform for people of both genders to exercise their power and that is a good thing.  And much appreciated.

I recently retired from work, out of necessity.  Needed something else to do preferably something that had nothing to do with my former profession and was flexible.  Hospitality has always been an interest, and given the abundance of space in the downstairs section of our home, sectioning it off into a separate apartment was a logical choice and a very welcome change of career interest.  I exercised my power.  Airbnb gave me the platform to do it, safely, and easily.  I was amazed in fact at how easy it was to become a host and go live.  Our calendar filled up with bookings for 6 weeks straight, all within the first week of listing.  For that ease of introduction to hosting, I am very thankful.  But did Airbnb "empower" me?  No.  I empowered myself with the knowledge, skill and resources I had at my disposal.  Airbnb provided the vehicle to facilitate a happy and successful outcome.  Happy hosting!

[Cathie19]

Yes we all do hold the power within us to make change, but sometimes through circumstance or lack of opportunity, we don’t see it, or don’t have the confidence to explore its potential. 

Thanks for the kudos @Stephanie . It’s nice to see a positive and yes, empowering story about women; and I did also enjoy the stats you shared! 

There are many who have shared their stories here in the forum over a long time. Some of the most difficult personal challenges and heartbreak has been read across the screen; to turning their lives around, day by day, little by little..... 

Even if we are loners, both male and female are social beings who need the group . We often go about it in a different way and manner. The mate “shed”, the get together over coffee, children, movie nights, music, work, like interests etc etc. But one thing our current circumstances allows, is the opportunity to make a coffee and have rapport and a distant alliance with someone on the other side of the world. This can often be as one is nearing bedtime and the other has just woken up.  It could be whilst one is walking in snow in winter, whilst another is dying of the heat in summer.

One way is through this Airbnb Community Centre forum, or other similar avenues.

There’s so much negativity out there that could tear us all down, make us weak at the knees; so it is so important to find the things, that support, empower and encourage us along the way. 

Thanks for being one of those virtual “mate” sheds.

[Helen350]

Someone once advised I should not take strange men into my home, people might talk! - Then someone else, not known for his liberalism said "For heavens sake, There have always been LANDLADIES!!!" - And I've never looked back!

[Cathie19]

@Helen350  Touché! Salute! (clapping and high fiving your comment, seen it won’t allow me to add emoticons) 

👏🏼

[Helen350]

@Cathie19  : )  ,  ; ) ,  : P  !

[Helen350]

...... The secret is to insert a GAP!  : )  : P !!!

[Helen427]

Thanks @Stephanie and ABB for allowing me to resume doing something in my life that had been put on hold because of a series of unfortunate incidents in my life.

We were raised with an Open Door to all in our family home so is ingrained in me to have the same Open Heart to ensure others are welcome and have somewhere safe to live whereever they are from in the world.

As some of my Guests have said, "ABB is like Billeting" like we did at school or scouts or Girl Guides etc

Been an ABB community member has helped me restore some of what was in cold blood taken away from my life.

Empowering is a great word in general terms for all of us.

All the Best to EVERYONE

[Lizzie]

Aw @Helen427, your words here made me feel quite emotional, very powerful.

It's an honour to have you part of our community, I can certainly say the CC would not be the same without you. Thank you so much. : ) 

[Ann72]

@Stephanie  

I love the idea of empowerment.  It speaks to me of having the power to be independent, to call my own shots, to live life on my own terms.  When we express ourselves by creating a home we love, we naturally want to share it with others.  With my vacation house 9 hours away, it was difficult to get my friends to come up, and I can't be there very much since I have a full-time job in the city.  Listing my house on Airbnb allows me to keep it alive, and to exercise my business acumen and my love of hospitality. 

There is a wonderful alchemy in the Airbnb formula:  I'm sharing the house, which makes me feel great, while allowing each guest to feel it is theirs alone during their stay, which makes them feel great.  And then there is the lovely money, which empowers me to pay the bills and keep the house in great shape.  It all adds up to a feeling of success and achievement, some of the ingredients to a sense of satisfaction in life.  And for too many women throughout history, those simple but profound pleasures have been denied.

[Sarah977]

@Stephanie  Thanks for tagging me in and for the recognition.

I don't think I've ever used the word "empowered" or "empowerment" in my life. I guess I never felt that I didn't have my own power. Been fortunate never to have been in abusive relationships where I felt my power was being taken from me. Never felt like I couldn't do something if I really wanted to.

I raised three daughters, mostly as a single mom, and they are all pretty powerful in their own individual ways. Power can manifest as a bold personality  or a quiet, serene one. Some of the most powerful people I know are calm and self-contained, yet are a force to be reckoned with and have a great deal of influence on the people around them.

As a home share host who only hosts one guest at a time, I've hosted both men and women and tend to have a fair amount of interaction with most of them. It's been a great experience and I've met some amazing people, of both genders. And it's nice to see so many women who boldly set out to travel the world on their own. Hard to believe that I live on the same planet as women who aren't allowed to go out of the house without a male family member.

P.S. @Stephanie  Why are we now unable to put symbols which make up emojis in our posts without spaces or repeating them? Just happened a few weeks ago one day, out of the blue.

[Stephanie]

That's a true sign of self worth, to feel naturally sure of your own power. I applaud your comment @Sarah977 !

I'll poke the platform provider because I am in your army of Emoji demanders!!! 

[Mike-And-Helen0]

@Helen350 stunning pooch!

Lots of wonderful women here who are not afraid to be as frank and direct as the men. Great job!