Results of the SHE MAP Event: Women Between Representation and Realities

The SHE MAP event, organized in Brașov on May 22, 2026, at Zbor HUB, brought together researchers, communication specialists, NGO representatives, industry professionals and community actors to explore one central question: Where does the greatest discrepancy lie between the representation of women and their lived reality?

The discussions highlighted that women continue to be strongly present in visual culture and advertising, yet many categories of women remain either invisible, stereotyped, or represented through simplified narratives.

The academic session, with speeches of Professor Eduardo Camilo, Professor José Antonio Mérida Donoso, Professor Mathias Rossi, Professor Raluca Todor and PhD student Mohammad Abu Hanife, presented comparative research conducted within the SHE MAP project, focusing on representation patterns across advertising, educational materials and public communication.

The second part of the event focused on lived realities beyond representation.

Carmen Mezei (AFAFCI) presented a pertinent point of view regarding leadership and the role of women in business. Sergiu Nichiforov (BCR) addressed the gap in regarding financial education between theory and lived realities by women.

Brenda-Andreea Piuaru (ASFANU) addressed the realities of motherhood in large families, discussing the gap between public perceptions and the invisible emotional, organizational and economic labor performed by mothers.

Iulia Hermeneanu (Loom Kraft) shared her experience from the cultural and events industry, reflecting on the multiple invisible roles women undertake daily in creative and organizational environments.

And Mihail Pricop (Autonom) highlighted the role of women in mobility industry and the way the company, a good practice in organizational culture and human resources management, integrate and celebrate women.

Across all discussions, several common conclusions emerged:

• representation influences social perceptions and opportunities;
• minority women remain underrepresented or stereotyped;
• visibility without agency can reinforce exclusion;
• inclusive communication requires authenticity, diversity and participation;
• women’s invisible labor continues to be insufficiently recognized across multiple sectors.

The event confirmed the importance of interdisciplinary dialogue between academia, industry and civil society in building more responsible and inclusive forms of communication.

SHE MAP continues its work on analyzing visual representation, stereotypes and inclusion through AI-assisted methods, semiotic analysis and participatory research approaches.

credit foto https://www.instagram.com/stefant.photography/

credit video https://www.instagram.com/david.andrei.media/