2020 is a momentous year for women’s rights across the globe, marking the 25th Anniversary of the Beijing Declaration and Platform for Action, where 189 governments committed to the advancement of gender equality. 2020 is also the 10th anniversary of the establishment of U.N. Women, and the 100th year of women’s suffrage in the U.S.
Yet, in 2020 no country has achieved gender equality.
As we prepare to celebrate International Women’s Day on Sunday, March 8, this year more than ever it is important to not only celebrate the progress made towards gender equality since the landmark declaration but also establish what vital change still needs to happen. Today, I want to reflect on key areas where improvement has been seen but also where vast inequality still exists.
Women’s voices are getting louder across the globe.
In recent years, the rise of the #MeToo movement has pushed a vital conversation about sexual violence into the public domain. Originating in 2006 on the social media of activist Tarana Burke, the viral #MeToo hashtag has transformed into the world’s first mass movement that empowers and stands in solidarity with the victims of sexual abuse.
The latest example of its success is the conviction of Harvey Weinstein- considered a #MeToo milestone. The series of accusations against the Hollywood producer in October 2017 propelled the movement into action, creating a collective community where victims who had been silenced by rape culture could speak out. Since then, over 250 influential people have been the subject of sexual harassment, assault, or other misconduct allegations.
Weinstein was found guilty of rape and a criminal sexual act- making him the first high-profile figure to be convicted from this movement. While the fact that one of Hollywood’s best-known directors even stood trial is momentous and marks a cultural shift in the way the justice system responds to sexual abuse, it has not been without struggle and pain for countless women. After all, it is worth remembering that, regardless of the backlash the movement has received for being an apparent 'witch-hunt' of men, Weinstein only stood trial for 5 cases out of over 80 filed against him.
“And, though today a man has been found guilty, we have to wonder whether anyone will care about the rest of us tomorrow. This is why we say MeToo.”- Tarana Burke
Many of the women that have accused powerful men have faced extreme backlash- creating a culture of shame that continues to silence women. From all over the world to right on our doorstep, only 23% of survivors report sexual abuse crimes.
Women’s voices are getting louder, but we must listen.
Improvements in Health and Education  |
Improvements in women's and girl’s health and education worldwide is one of the major successes over the past 25 years. There are now more girls are at school than ever before, global literacy rates are rising and on average, the gender gap in school enrolment has closed. We know that education and health go hand in hand, for example, statistics have shown that educated girls are likely to have fewer babies and to be better mothers. This means that improving women's sexual and reproductive health is extremely important.
Thankfully, this has been seen in many developing countries across the world. For example, both Ethiopia and Rwanda have increased access to modern contraception by 40 percent since 2000. As a result, fewer women are dying in childbirth and have access to institutional maternity care.
“Education is a powerful way to break the cycle of poverty, ill health, misery, and low status passed on from one generation of women to the next” - Dr. Margaret Chan, Director-General of the World Health Organization
However, there are a staggering number of girls across the world who still have little or no access to education, with nearly half a billion of those aged over 15 being illiterate. The reason for this is that in many countries, the education of girls is not valued. In Northern Nigeria, for example, girls from poorer families are hit even harder, with families seeing it as more sensible to send boys to school and let girls stay home to help with chores. In terms of health, sexual and reproductive health conditions remain one of the leading causes of disease for women and girls.
Every girl, no matter where she lives, should have the right to safe and quality education so that she can have the future she dreams of and .
For more info on the importance of women's education, the Malala Fund website is a good place to start.
Women in Power
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| Photo: Jason Straziuso/AP |
Although we live in a world where the words men and power are synonymous with each other, there are many reasons to be optimistic. Since the Beijing Declaration, there have been many powerful women crashing through the glass ceiling that exists in politics. In fact, over three-quarters of the world's female Prime Ministers and Presidents have taken office in the past two decades.
Around the world, there are more women in politics than ever before- taking positions of power in places where there previously existed a deep-rooted belief that only men should be leaders.
A major success story of women challenging the status quo has taken place in Rwanda. Having been recently named the number 1 country for women in politics, in Rwanda there is the highest number of female parliament representatives in the world. Following the 1994 genocide which killed the majority of the male population, women took control of rebuilding the nation. Now, the country has been labelled a global model for gender equality. This serves as a powerful example that others too can fight for change in places where it may appear impossible.
In Spain, nearly two-thirds of the government’s cabinet ministers are women and in the Nordic countries, nearly all governments are headed by a woman, except for Sweden. Women everywhere are rising as leaders and redefining the gendered roles that had restricted their ancestors.
However, that being said political equality remains an area of slow progress. The majority of parliamentary seats are held by men meaning that women are underrepresented across all levels of power. This is particularly true for Middle Eastern countries, Afghanistan and Pakistan, where many women are still denied even the right to vote by their husbands and communities. This shows the vastly different experiences of women in relation to politics across the globe, depending on where they are born. With no right to political representation, countless women's voices are silenced.
We must speak on behalf of the women and girls who are unable to speak for themselves...
As we celebrate International Women’s Day and the 25th anniversary of the Beijing Declaration, we can ask ourselves- is the world a better place for women and girls than it was in 1995? In many ways, the answer is yes. Vital progress has been made. However, we still live in a world where billions of women and girls are denied basic human rights everyday, and many changes need to be made. Perhaps to us, the everyday individual, this may appear an impossible task. However, I've come to realise that change isn't just about the headline moments- it is the way we talk, think and act every day that can make a huge impact. After all, one of the largest women's movements of our time began with a simple hashtag on Twitter.
Let us all make this special year for women the year that we all commit to gender equality.
I end this blog post with this important quote from one of my favourite authors, Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie:
"Culture does not make people. People make culture. If it is true that the full humanity of women is not our culture, then we can and must make it our culture."
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