The word ‘feminist’ certainly fires people up.
UN Women Goodwill Ambassador and successful British actress, Emma Watson, noted this over the weekend, in her moving gender equality address to the United Nations.
The speech has gone viral and it’s not hard to see why.
There is currently a great deal of negativity surrounding feminism, with the popularity of anti-feminist movements such as ‘women against feminism’ highlighting the way the term has become associated with man-hating.
A recent post from anti-feminist blog womenagainstfeminism.tumblr.com
Watson noted this negativity, but was not afraid to say she considers herself to be a feminist.
“Women are choosing not to identify as feminists. Apparently, I am among the ranks of women whose expressions are seen as too strong, ‘too aggressive,’ isolating and anti-men, unattractive, even. Why has the word become such an uncomfortable one?” she said.
A far cry from man-hating, Watson’s speech brought the word “feminism” back to its central meaning – equality. The Oxford Dictionary defines feminism as “the advocacy of women’s rights on the ground of the equality of the sexes”. Watson defines the term similarly in her speech.
It is certainly true that the term “feminism” has become problematic but the idea that it stands for is important. Many people who don’t consider themselves to be feminists believe in equal opportunity for both sexes. Feminism is no longer a movement exclusively for women. It is a movement for all people who believe in gender equality. As Watson notes, it is for all people who believe that gender is a spectrum, not two opposing categories.
It would be easy for critics to ask how an exceptionally privileged woman can speak about inequality. But Watson addressed that point. “My life is a sheer privilege because my parents didn’t love me less because I was born a daughter,” she said. “My school did not limit me because I was a girl. My mentors didn’t assume that I would go less far because I might give birth to a child one day,” she said.
I am lucky enough to also belong to the relatively small group of women who are able to say they have received those rights. Unfortunately, even in my position of privilege, I can’t say that my life is free of gender inequalities.
Last month, data collected by the ABS found that Australian men in full-time work could expect to earn $15,000 more per year than their female counterparts.
Alarmingly, that gap isn’t closing. The ABS figures showed the gender pay gap in Australia was 18.2 per cent – the highest since 1994, when data was first collected.
But it’s not only women who have reason to be concerned about inequality. Watson’s speech was part of the ‘HeforShe’ campaign calling on 100,000 men and boys to show their support for gender equality. She highlighted the lesser-mentioned issue of the impact of gender expectations on men.
“Gender equality is your issue, too,” she said. “To date, I’ve seen my father’s role as a parent being valued less by society despite my needing his presence, as a child, as much as my mother’s. I’ve seen young men suffering from mental illness, unable to ask for help, for fear it would make them less of a man. In fact, in the UK, suicide is the biggest killer of men between 20 to 49, eclipsing road accidents, cancer and coronary heart disease.”
In Australia, it’s a similar story. Suicide is the cause of 28.7 per cent of deaths among men aged 20 to 24. Three-quarters of people who died by suicide in 2012 were men. Evidently, gender inequality is not an issue exclusively for women but a human rights issue that concerns everyone.
Unlike many other discussions surrounding gender equality, Watson did not make the distinction between developed and developing communities. This sense of unity between men and women, rich and poor, is what gives the speech such power.
For most of my life, I have not considered myself to be a feminist. That is probably largely due to the man-hating movement that feminism is often depicted as. While the label is problematic, a point that Watson is quick to admit, the idea behind the “feminism” she describes is something I can stand behind.
The outpouring of positive responses to Watson’s speech prove that many people feel this way. Yet there are still those who disagree, who are willing to go so far as to threaten Watson as a result of her speech.
It is those people who are holding gender equality movements back.
Watson’s speech has gone viral because it highlighted importance of gender equality for every single one of us. Still, the question must be asked: is she preaching to the converted? The formation of the ‘Emma Watson you are next‘ website and the threatening backlash expressed by some people indicates that those who most need to hear Watson’s message are not listening.
