March 24th 2024 : A Better World for Women
Dreaming: Making a Better World for Women
We’re still dreaming about women’s rights and gender equality simply because we’re not there yet. Two weeks ago we celebrated Women who ROCK! This Sunday, we’ll hear about a UN initiative from Elizabeth Nyamayaro, head of the UN Women's HeForShe initiative.
Around the world, women still struggle for equality in basic matters like access to education, equal pay and the right to vote... but how to enlist everyone, men and women, as allies for change? This initiative has created more than 2.4 billion social media conversations about a more equal world. She invites us all to join in as "allies in our shared humanity.” The HeForShe program illustrates the need for male allyship by pointing to studies that show 257 more years will be necessary to close the gender gap!
Be the Change
As a global movement, HeForShe partners with leaders who make tangible commitments towards accelerating gender equality. Known as HeForShe Champions, each partner generates a Proven Solution based on their commitment. HeForShe also provides impactful resources to supporters
all over the globe who are doing their part for a more equal world.
First Reading
António Guterres said this in a general assembly speech ahead of International Women’s Day on 8 March 2023, in reference to the Un Sustainable Development Goal #5 to Achieve Gender equality and empower all women and girls.
“Global progress on women’s rights is “vanishing before our eyes”, the secretary general of the UN, António Guterres, has warned, saying the increasingly distant goal of gender equality will take another three centuries to achieve.”
Second Reading
Achieving gender equality and the empowerment of women and girls is about challenging the patriarchal beliefs, practices, institutions, and structures that drive inequality between men and women. It also requires men and boys to take responsibility for change, be engaged as gender advocates, and question the power dynamics in their actions and their words.
An extract from the UN’s HeforShe initiative - 9 Ways Men Can Become Allies For Equal Rights
Third Reading
Male allies in the pursuit of gender equity and inclusion: extract from the International Bar Association. An organization which seeks to contribute to global stability and peace through the administration of justice.
The gender equality movement has long been led by women as they vocalise the disparities they experience in education, the workplace, politics and society at large. This movement is intended to push for equal rights and opportunities for all women, backed by a wealth of data that evidences a clear gender gap in any field. To close the current gender gap and level up the playing field for everyone, we need to involve men in this dialogue to have a greater impact, keeping in mind that the majority of leadership positions in governments and companies are still held by men and that these calls for change cannot be heard solely by women. While women continue to push for their rights, the inclusion of men as allies is a pivotal step toward genuine progress.
For men to be effective advocates for women’s rights and equality, acknowledging and understanding their own privileges is an imperative first step. In Colombia, the strategic integration of men into gender equity discussions has yielded notable instances of heightened female representation in key leadership roles and board positions within companies. While acknowledging the strides we’ve made on this arduous path, it’s evident that we still face considerable challenges in the pursuit of comprehensive gender equity.