DariaHoang

HeForSheCampaign:GenderEquality
News
October7,2014
Words:804

HeForShe:GenderEqualityisEveryonesIssue

September20thmarkedthefirstdayoftheHeForShecampaign,whichwaslaunchedbyUN
Womeninordertoraiseawarenessaboutgenderequality.Accordingtothecampaignsofficial
website,HeForSheisasolidaritymovementforgenderequalitythatbringstogetheronehalfof
humanityinsupportoftheotherhalfofhumanity,forthebenefitofall.
ItsopeningeventtookplaceattheUnitedNationsHeadquartersinNewYork,andwascohostedby
WolfBlitzerandUNWomenGlobalGoodwillAmbassador,EmmaWatson.Althoughbothspoke
throughouttheconvention,Watsonsspeechremainedthetalkofthenight.Herwordshithomeonthe
realityofgenderinequality,andsincethen,havebroughtsignificantattentiontotheHeForShecause.
InWatsonsmonologue,sheaddressedseveralprevailingissuesregardinggenderequality.Her
openingstatementsbroughtcommonmisconceptionsaboutfeminismtolight.Ihaverealizedthat
fightingforwomensrightshastoooftenbecomesynonymouswithmanhating,Watsonsaid.This
negativeconnotationhastroubledmany,andovertheyears,ithasbecomeclearthatthisisduetoa
lackofunderstandingoftheterm.AccordingtoaCBSnationwidepoll,58%ofmenidentifiedasa
feministwhenanequalrightsdefinitionwasprovided.Whenthepollwasconductedwithoutthe
definition,only14%ofmenconsideredthemselvesfeminist.

ArecentsurveyconductedbythePonyExpressrevealedthatseveralSanMarinstudentsareunclearon
thedefinitionoffeminismaswell.Ananonymousstudentthoughtitwasstupidityonthepartof
women,andothersalsobelievedithadtodowithextremefemalesandwomenwhowantnothing
todowiththeirmalecounterparts.

Inresponse,sophomoreBronteHoefersaid,Feminismissimplyaboutequality.Sure,every
beliefgrouphasitsextremists,butthosepeoplearentwhatrepresentordefinethemovement.Thats
likelettingtheWestboroBaptistChurchrepresentChristianity.
Inspiteofcommonmisunderstandings,supportforfeminismhasbeenpositiveatSanMarin.The
surveyreportedthat56%ofboyssupportedfeminism,12%didnot,and32%remainedundecidedon
thetopic.Atthesametime,87%ofgirlsalignedthemselvesasfeminists,3%didnot,and10%were
undecided.

Inherspeech,Watsonarguedthat,Nocountryintheworldcanyetsaytheyhaveachieved

genderequality.Manycountriesarefarfromit,duetoharshgenderbasedlaws.InYemen,women
cannotleavethehousewithouttheirhusbandspermission,andarenotrecognizedasafullperson
beforethecourttheirtestimonymustbebackedbyamanstestimony.InSaudiArabia,womencannot
voteordrive.Libyahasnoprohibitionsondomesticviolenceoronrapewithinmarriage.
PerhapsbecauseweliveinMarinCounty,arelativelysafeandnurturingenvironment,many
teenagersremainignorantofthebrutalitiesthathappen.Theyhearthestoriesonthenews,butthe
colossalpredicamentofgenderinequalityismessierandcruelerthanmostwouldbelieve.Oneexample
isMalalaYousafzai,whodefiedtheTalibaninPakistanbyadvocatingforherowneducation.Shewas
shotintheheadbyagunmanin2012butsurvived.

Mostgirlsarentsolucky.Thousandsofwomenareabused,sold,threatened,raped,and

slaughteredeachyear,especiallyinareaswhereextremistgroupsaresituated.Thisgoeshandinhand
withWatsonsideologythat,Genderequalityisnotonlyawomensissue,itisahumanrightsissue.
EventheUShasnotattainedgenderequality.Genderroles,sexualization,andslutshamingare
severalissuesthatarepresentacrossthecountryandatSanMarin.
Everythingissexualizednowadays,Hoefersaid.Inthemedia,itseemsthatawomans
worthisinherbeauty.Wehavethisdoublestandard,wheregirlsarebeingcalledslutsandwhores

andboyswhoengageinthesameactsarejustplayers.Awomanhastherighttomakeherown
decisionsaboutherbody,andoursocietyhastolearntorespectthat.
Inaddition,oneofthemostindisputableindicatorsofgenderinequalityisthepaygap.The
AmericanAssociationofUniversityWomen(AAUW)reportedthatyearroundfemaleworkerswere
paidonly78%ofwhatmenwerepaidforthesamework.
SophomoreCateGuempelsaid,Itskindofembarrassingforthisdayandagetocomesofar
intechnologyandmedicinebutstillliveinsuchamaledominantworld.
Thefocuswithfeminismliesheavilyonwomenatthemoment,butgenderequalityisnotonly
awomensissue:itiseveryonesissue.Bothfemalesandmalesareburdenedbytheinequalities
presentedbystereotypesandculturaltradition.Watsonsaid,Iwantmentotakethismantlesotheir
daughters,sisters,andmotherscanbefreefromprejudicebutalsosotheirsonshavepermissiontobe
vulnerableandhumantoo.