Throughout this week, International Women’s Day was celebrated with a lot of pomp and circumstance. Again, the predictable media posts, cakes and extravagance issues were ahead. As always, the real moves to ensure women have equal access to opportunities and freedom from harm remained in the background.
It is quite distressing to see the way women are being massacred while their rights continue to be violated daily. However, the ways in which we can begin to eliminate the day-to-day effects of economic uncertainty, abuse and ecological collapse are rarely discussed with actionable actions in mind. So, instead of useful plans and policies that ensure that women, regardless of race, class and incapacity / ability, have equal access to opportunities in their homes, workplaces and communities, what we get is “women’s boss” pins and pink bows tell us how special we are.
A lot of this is about how feminism’s ideas have been shrinked, mass-produced and then used aggressively to oil the PR machines of businesses and its associated politicians. A day founded on radical action to secure better pay and working conditions for women today is a de-criticized catchy sound bite that is widely used. This is not just a coincidence, there is a personal interest in ensuring that women’s movements do not move past catchy sound bites and hash tags.
Given the growing popularity of feminism and the monetary and optical benefits that can be leveraged in promoting gender equality, elements of women’s liberation have been incorporated into popular culture and political movements. While the saying often goes that all PRs are good PR, the problem with the growing clamor to jump on the feminism bandwagon is that people rarely ever critically analyze what it means and how that they themselves may be anti-feminist. We have the male feminists who constantly question and disregard female leadership, the good men who enlighten and enforce, women who do not believe in the decisions of other women to take ownership of their bodies and the politicians who refuse to pass or change bills for the benefit of the vulnerable.
Given the history that women have had and in many ways have to continue to fight for the right to work, be educated and take on certain roles, there is now a tendency to celebrate women in leadership positions as evidence of feminism in action. However, being a woman does not mean that they stand for femininity and many demonstrate this in the way they practice and promote patriarchal actions and ideas. When on the topic of women empowerment, it should be thought of only in terms of glossy images of female leaders in corporate and political spaces. It should be recognized that while women’s participation in economic and political circles is good and should be encouraged, it does not always mean that women being promoted to these positions support women empowerment. Too often, their involvement in these systems contrasts directly with liberal efforts.
We are always renamed with superficial statements of the value of women while little is being done to change policies, behaviors and actions that contribute to creating unsafe and unequal environments for us. It’s time for this to stop. Commitment to women empowerment involves implementing supportive measures that encourage meaningful participation of women and protect them from abuse. Many continue to face lower rates of pay than their male counterparts, given opportunities away because of their actual or assumed caring responsibilities and tremendous rates of sexual harassment and assault in their workplaces, worship and homes. Choosing to challenge the systems that oppress us is much more than pretty graphics and positive pictures. It is about getting the job done to achieve relief for women, no matter how difficult or uncomfortable.