He for she: feminism in a new light

On September 20, 2014, Emma Watson spoke at the United Nations Headquarters, launching a campaign called “He For She.” The goal of the campaign is to get males involved in the move- ment for gender equality. Her speech detailed how gender equality should not be just a fight for women, but also for men. For gender equality to be a true norm, men need to be just as involved as women.

According to National Committee on Pay Equity, women earn just 77 percent of what men earn for the same amount of work. They also make up more than two-thirds of the world’s illiterate adults in many countries, showing that girls and boys are unequally educated. Despite making up half the global popula- tion, women hold only 15.6 percent of elected seats in the world. If women were able to act in higher levels of political participation, then many issues concerning gender inequality would be brought to international attention. “In recent years the word feminism has become synonymous with man hating,” said Watson. To this I must agree. Whenever I say to a boy that I am a feminist, they look at me as if I have offended them. Women who are feminists are often seen as overaggressive, isolating, anti-men, and even unattractive. The idea that feminists are against men needs to be abolished. The Merriam-Webster dictionary states the definition of feminism as: “The belief that men and women should have equal rights and opportunities.”

In her speech Ms. Watson talks about “inadvertent feminists,” or people who treat everyone equally because it is what he or she believe is right. These are the teachers who do not limit you because of your gender, or the mentors who encour- age you to reach your goals no matter your gender. These people are what the world needs more of—people who change our surroundings just by treating people the same way.

Men are often seen as unmanly if they ever express feelings of weakness, or even ask for help. They are stereotyped as controlling and aggressive, and sometimes feel that it is their job to fill that role. Fathers too are often seen as inferior parents to mothers, because they did not give birth to the child, even though a father’s pres- ence while a child is growing up is equally as important as a mother’s.

In 1995 Hillary Clinton made a speech in Beijing about women’s rights, and many of the issues that were discussed in that speech are still being dealt with today. “It is time for us to say here in Beijing, and the world to hear, that it is no longer accept- able to discuss women’s rights as separate from human rights,” said Mrs. Clinton. This statement, made 19 years ago, is as true today as it was then. The issue with this speech was that less than 30 percent of the audience was made up of men. How can we, as a people,achieve gender equality if only 50 percent of the population is involved in a problem that concerns 100 percent of us? Across the world, not one nation can boast total gender equality. 15.5 million girls will be married in the next 16 years as children, and at current rates it won’t be until 2086 before all rural African girls will be able to receive a secondary education. And, as I have previously stated, women receive unequal pay for the same work that men do and hold less than of the world’s political positions. These conditions need to change, and everyone should be helping to stop these injustices.

The main goal of the He For She campaign is freedom. To quote Watson, “I want men to take up this mantle. So their daughters, sisters and mothers can be free from prejudice, but also so that their sons have permission to be vulnerable and human too.” So I ask you, men and women, are you ready to work towards gender equality? Because for both genders to have equal rights, men need to be just as involved as women are.

#opinion