Chances are you’ve already heard about the empowering speech that Emma Watson gave on gender equality a few weeks ago at the UN Headquarters in New York City. However, given that her speech was around twelve minutes long, I have no doubt that many people have neglected to watch all, if any of it. Although I highly recommend watching it in its entirety, here are what I consider to be the 5 most poignant moments from Watson’s speech.
1) “…the more I have spoken about feminism the more I have realized that fighting for women’s rights has too often become synonymous with man-hating. If there is one thing I know for certain, it is that this has to stop.”
This is, by no doubt, the most quoted line from Watson’s speech. She reminds us that feminism is a movement about empowerment and equality, not about tearing down men. I think Watson is right in saying that in order for feminism to really flourish and take hold, we must stop the perception that feminists are man-haters.
2) “But sadly I can say that there is no one country in the world where all women can expect to receive these rights. No country in the world can yet say they have achieved gender equality.” It’s easy to forget that in even the most developed countries of the world, true gender equality has not yet been achieved. Although most countries have taken enormous strides in women’s rights, there is still so much more that can be done. Feminism is needed everywhere: from the countries where women cannot yet receive education, to those where they simply are not paid the same wages as men. Feminism is relevant no matter where you are from.
3) “Men—I would like to take this opportunity to extend your formal invitation. Gender equality is your issue too.”
With these words, Watson shatters the long-held illusion that feminism is a cause only for women. She makes it clear that in order to make a difference, men must get involved in the fight for gender equality, too. Since Watson uttered this invitation, there has been an outpouring of support from males (most notably celebrities) across the globe, demonstrating just how powerful her words of inclusion were.
4) “Both men and women should feel free to be sensitive. Both men and women should feel free to be strong… If we stop defining each other by what we are not and start defining ourselves by what we are—we can all be freer and this is what HeForShe is about.”
Watson emphasizes that we must continue breaking down the common gender stereotypes that so often hold us back. She argues that if both men and women have the freedom to feel and act how they please, increased equality will inevitably follow.
5) “Because the reality is that if we do nothing it will take 75 years, or for me to be nearly a hundred before women can expect to be paid the same as men for the same work. 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.”
In his State of the Union address back in January, President Obama acknowledged that the gender pay gap still exists in the United States. According to him, women only make $0.77 for every dollar a man earns. This makes little sense considering that in 2011, CBS news reported that the number of women in the United States earning both bachelor’s and advanced college degrees had surpassed that of men. I’m sure many of you have read stories in the past few months about child marriages in countries like India, and even more probably heard about the young girls who were kidnapped in Nigeria a few months ago simply because they were attending school (remember #BringBackOurGirls?). Watson chillingly highlights the seriousness of some of the problems that women are still facing around the world.
So what can you do to help Watson’s cause? For starters, you can get your father, your brothers, your uncles, your friends, and any other males you know to go to the HeForShe website and take the commitment to act for gender equality. And, most importantly, you can proudly identify yourself as a supporter of the movement for gender equality to everyone you know… you can call yourself a FEMINIST.
Picture Links:
Quote 1 Image: http://www.ktuu.com/image/view/-/28202164/highRes/2/-/maxh/480/maxw/640/-/613k4k/-/Emma-Watson–UN-speech-jpg.jpg
Quote 2 Image: http://cdn.citylab.com/media/img/citylab/legacy/2011/10/31/Gender_Gap2_thumb.jpg
Quote 4 Image: http://ichef.bbci.co.uk/news/625/media/images/77758000/png/_77758566_if-men-don’t-have-control.png
Quote 5 Image: http://images.bwbx.io/cms/2012-06-21/openingremarks26__01a__630x420.jpg
Last Image: http://38.media.tumblr.com/a51db97a96c1cd6bd850b47ce31543ea/tumblr_ncdbi31CZZ1rwcqsjo1_1280.jpg
http://cdn.abclocal.go.com/content/creativecontent/images/cms/319730_128…
Sources:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5YQPLepzCYU
https://twitter.com/search?q=%23heforshe&src=typd
http://www.cbsnews.com/news/in-a-first-women-surpass-men-in-college-degrees/
http://www.buzzfeed.com/ellievhall/a-heartbreaking-look-inside-the-life-of-a-child-br#3c5sy08
http://www.nytimes.com/2014/05/04/opinion/sunday/kristof-bring-back-our-girls.html?_r=0
http://www.heforshe.org/#take-action