About
Urbanette’s Commitment to Women
Find out how we help women become entrepreneurs.
Urbanette’s message is one of empowerment, education, and self-esteem. That is why we use our profits to help empower women and girls, and push for gender equality, by giving microloans to female entrepreneurs in developing countries.
100% of our profits go into a fund that is then lent out to women via microloans. Our goal is to empower women and help them to inspire other women and girls in their communities.
“I founded Urbanette when I was 15 years old because, as an equal rights activist, I wanted to help educate and inspire women on the critical issues of self-esteem and female leadership. In keeping with these goals, I decided to use our profits to help women in need, in developing countries, become self-sufficient role models by giving microloans to female entrepreneurs. I hope you will join us in supporting this important cause.”
xo Hilary Rowland
Issues we at Urbanette® care about:
Economic Opportunity
Women shouldn’t be making less than men for the same jobs. Women shouldn’t be belittled at the boardroom table. Women shouldn’t be passed over for promotions.
Culture and Media
Many magazines breed insecurities in women and girls in order to sell products. These insecurities damage women’s self-respect, career and life aspirations. Children’s movies like Cinderella and Snow White teach girls that their value is in their youth and beauty and that women are ruthless competition, not true friends. Adult movies aren’t much better, and the majority of female dialogue in Hollywood movies revolve around men. This needs to change if we’re going to have true gender equality.
Education
Why do some people fight so hard to keep girls from getting an education—sometimes resorting to unspeakable acts of violence, including gas and acid attacks and bombings? Because education is key to gaining power.
Law and Justice
Around the world, women face legal and justice systems that treat them as lesser citizens. Their testimony in court may equal half a man’s, or they may be banned from doing basic things like voting, driving, or passing their nationality on to their children. When they report a crime committed against them, they’re often discouraged or flat-out denied help by law enforcement.
Politics and Leadership
What would the world look like if women were represented fairly in government? Just 18.4 percent of parliamentarians and 10 percent of heads of state are women. And sadly, the U.S. trails behind the global average when it comes to women in leadership roles: Congress is 83 percent male.
Violence Against Women
Whether it’s domestic violence, human trafficking or rape, and whether it happens to a celebrity, a TV reporter covering a revolution, or a Congolese villager, violence against women is pervasive. It’s unacceptable that women (the victims) are often the ones blamed and punished for speaking out. Even American police are known to discourage victims from filing a report.
We all have to work together to bring equality to the genders. This is the human rights issue of our time.
Heidi Conner
I hope something comes out of this. We all want our voices to be heard and all of the articles here speak of the truth.
May Fernandez
Thank you for not being the type of magazine that makes all women feel so insecure about themselves. I honestly feel like this is the only magazine that I can stomach to read as of now. My confidence has been slipping in a downward spiral because of social media and the pressure to always be perfect, instead of loving ourselves first. I have learned so much from Urbanette and I’m one of the readers who are really grateful that you’re there to remind us of the things we forget.
Hilary Rowland
Thank you so much! I can totally relate. Traditional magazines, and Instagram especially, can be really damaging to women’s (and my!) self esteem. I try to avoid them for that reason.
Lori Morrison
There’s so much to learn from this blog especially if you’re a woman living in this century.?
Shari Pena
Hilary is like our big sister that understands all there is about being a woman.
Donna Duncan
For a change, this magazine doesn’t make you feel like you have to be perfect in order to be accepted in this world. But just my opinion, you’re mostly hiring models to write your articles for you. Models who are subject to criticism and perfection.
Kay Speers
It’s really inspiring that you don’t take money from your own blog and you use it to help women in need. I know my words aren’t enough to thank you in behalf of those you’ve helped, but you’re such an angel for doing so. Personally, I don’t have all the means to help a lot of women and I wish I had a talent like you that can also help other women by writing/blogging. People like you are the ones we need in this very cruel world. I hope more people will be helped!
Kim Schultz
If that was me, I’d be keeping it to myself but… Yeah. Hilary isn’t like that.
Stella Dunn
I’m going to recommend this to all my friends who are also feminists. I’m sure that they will enjoy your content a lot, because I do.
Alison Mandel
Thumbs up for all your efforts. I really wish that this community will grow even more!
Kristi Perkins
You’re doing a really great job Urbanette. You’re not just talk, but you also take action.?
Jan Ryan
I was about to say that too, because most blogs would advocate for something but they lack in taking action.
Wanda Androws
I love your commitment to women, Urbanette. We need more people like you. You’re such a powerful influence to your readers.