Empowering Women: Virtual Reality in Challenging Societal Norms

The role of women in society has been a topic of much discussion and debate in recent years. Despite progress in some areas, women still face many barriers to achieving equal representation and opportunities in various fields.

Virtual reality (VR) technology has the potential to be a powerful tool in challenging these societal norms and empowering women. Our organization during the project of Misahat Noon funded by US Embassy in Tunisia, worked on exploring this potential in an innovative and immersive way.

We selected one female dancer from the dance school and filmed her performing various dance styles, including modern, contemporary, hip hop, and belly dance. The footage was converted into a VR experience by a virtual reality expert and sound effects were added by a sound engineer.

40 diverse candidates were then selected to live the VR experience, while their physical and psychological reactions were measured using various tools. their physical reactions were measured using a machine that played the same role as a polysomnography machine, recording breathing rate, airflow, oxygen levels, and heart rate. Meanwhile, facial recognition software was used to observe participants’ moods, impulses, and emotions. The data collected from these observations was analyzed to generate reports on the physiological and psychological reactions of each participant.