The Oscar winner also addressed gun violence in the US during her appearance at the Global Education and Skills Forum.
A “fire has been lit” in Hollywood according to award-winning actress Charlize Theron.
The South African born star is in Dubai this week for the Global Education and Skills Forum, and took part in a discussion at Atlantis The Palm on Saturday.
Read:
Sheikh Mohammed just rescued these friends stranded in the Dubai desert
Social media influencers in the UAE will now need a licence
During her appearance, the Monster actress touched on gun violence in the United States, the gender pay gap, and the #MeToo and #TimesUp movements.
“I think the numbers of women who have found strength and a voice to be able to speak about what had happened to them, things that they’ve seen, things that they’ve experienced, is just too powerful for this not to cause change,” the 42-year-old told a packed crowd, according to Gulf News.
“I can definitely tell you in my industry, hands down, people are thinking differently, they’re talking differently, their awareness is at a level it’s never been before, and I just don’t see how we’re going to move backwards from that. We can only move forwards.”
About to sit down with @CharlizeAfrica @rorybremner & more to talk girls’ education, accountability, and how education is the key to ensuring youth are prepared for the job market.
Tune in #GESFLive https://t.co/7Y6bgFSq7O pic.twitter.com/X0Iu9lJBSp— Julia Gillard (@JuliaGillardGPE) March 17, 2018
Theron also revealed that she believes “we were in denial about how extreme the numbers and the discrepancies were” regarding the disparity between men’s and women’s pay in the film industry.
“I think women are finally asking for transparency and through that transparency I think we’ve seen things that some of us were shocked [by],” she added.
“This is something that’s now come to life in every industry out there and we are finally looking at the value or what society values about women.”
The mother-of-two touched on her “very personal experience with gun violence”, in which her mother shot her father in legally adjudged self-defence, during the discussion.
“I lost my father to gun violence,” Theron said, according to Fox News.
“I just don’t understand when people try to make the conversation, the argument that the fix is more guns. It is so outrageous to me.”
The star also spoke up about her views on education, telling the room that “it’s very sad that we don’t see the value of teachers”.
“It’s clear when you look at what teachers are paid, that they aren’t valued. If you don’t value teachers and education as a country, you are making yourself incredibly vulnerable.”
Also attending the two-day forum was Quantico actress Priyanka Chopra, who spoke about her role as a UNICEF Goodwill Ambassador.
“There is a whole generation of kids who we might lose if we don’t give them access to education,” the star said.
“There is a whole generation of kids who we might lose if we don’t give them access to education.”@priyankachopra spoke about her role as a @UNICEF Goodwill Ambassador at #GESF.
Read more about what she had to say here: https://t.co/F2UfHdDDdR pic.twitter.com/A9feURcSwg
— Global Education & Skills Forum (@GESForum) March 17, 2018
“Every child I spoke to in the refugee camps in Jordan wanted to return to their home country of Syria to help rebuild it. That is the what education gives them.”
British Olympian runner Mo Farah, Kingsman actor Taron Egerton, Suits stars Gina Torres and Sarah Rafferty, and Trinidadian cricketer Brian Lara have also jetted into Duabi for the forum, which recognises exceptional educators from around the world.
The event culminates with the Varkey Foundation Global Teacher Prize, a Dubai-based ceremony that awards US$1 million (Dhs3.67 million) to an outstanding teacher, selected from a shortlist of worthy finalists from around the world.
The moment has finally arrived!
Here is @BillGates announcing our fantastic Top 10 #TeacherPrize Finalists! https://t.co/8NIeiXtijY @gatesfoundation pic.twitter.com/7xNNkKe2Pl
— Global Teacher Prize (@TeacherPrize) February 14, 2018
The finalists for the 2018 prize were revealed in a video last month by tech entrepreneur and philanthropist Bill Gates—who gave HH Sheikh Mohammed Bin Rashid Al Maktoum a shout-out in the clip.
“For his patronage of the prize, thank you to the Vice President and Prime Minister of the UAE and Ruler of Dubai, HH Sheikh Mohammed,” the Microsoft co-founder said.
Read:
Here are 7 times that Queen Rania stunned in Givenchy
Here’s where Lindsay Lohan has been holidaying in Abu Dhabi…
For this year’s Varkey prize, the 10 successful candidates were picked from a pool of more than 30,000 applications, with the finalists coming from Turkey, the Philippines, Colombia, the UK, the USA, Australia, Norway, Brazil, Belgium and South Africa.
We’ll bring you news of the winner when the ceremony is held on the night of March 18.
Images: Global Education and Skills Forum/Twitter
