There is work to do: Why feminism is needed in the 21st century
In 2016, there is still no clear message in society. attitudes towards feminism and a clear understanding of its goals and methods. Even people, generally supporting the rights of women, often believe that feminism is already useless, and we all live in the world of victorious equality. But in fact, a whole clip of still pressing global issues is related to gender inequality. In many countries, the quality of life still depends on gender: both the extent to which you can choose your own way of life, and the further possibilities that society and the state provide. We understand what the main problems exist for women in Russia and other countries.
Enforced customs
Women from different parts of the world today are subjected to degrading and deadly procedures. Female genital mutilation seems to be a distant semi-mythical tradition, but they are being carried out directly in Russia today. Women are often mutilated in childhood: without medical indications, the external part of the genitals is partially or completely removed. Including in unsanitary conditions, with the gravest consequences for health and with the aim to limit sexuality. They are trying to fight these practices: for example, inspections began in Russia this year, in other countries, like in the Gambia, the procedure is prohibited by law.
Girls get married without asking for consent, including adolescence; stealing from the family; use them for so-called temporary marriage. Women are killed by their relatives, calling it "honor killings." Sometimes the orders of a certain locality contradict the law - alas, this is the very case when the position “we have got this way” becomes as if legal. These practices are usually considered religious, although they are not always embedded in religion.
Modern feminism is also fighting to ensure that women can independently manage their lives and their bodies, and the struggle against violent customs is one of its important tasks.
Gender gap in work
In many countries, ideas of career equality are formally common: every person is free to decide for himself how he wants to work and whether he needs it at all. But in practice, the floor still significantly affects career opportunities. Whales, on which there is a gender inequality: the pay gap between men and women (its index is still non-zero in all countries today); “glass ceiling” and the fact that women and men need to make unequal efforts to achieve the same position.
Russian law prohibits indicating the desired gender of a candidate for vacancies, but some employers still prefer to be considered for the position in the first place men. And the texts of vacancies for girls can be supplemented with details that are not related to professional qualities. In some countries, there are still lists of prohibited professions for women; at the same time, according to the World Bank, women in Russia face the greatest number of career restrictions in the world - 456 types of work are prohibited for them. The prohibition of a larger number of them for Russian women is associated exclusively with the alleged harm to reproductive health - in many respects this is the result of a policy that puts a child in priority. During the interview and in the process of work, women often experience other difficulties - they face harassment, prejudice, discrimination. In addition, women often have to combine work with taking care of children. Work spaces are often completely unsuitable for mothers.
The installation “men are by nature ambitious, more capable and should earn more women” prevents us from adopting sound thought: the separation between “male” and “female” in a career is far-fetched and only reinforces the unequal distribution of power in society. Feminism draws attention to the systemic laws that this inequality works in, how it interferes with work in certain areas, to skewed positions, in which men have more points by default at the start.
Reproductive Abuse
The decision to give birth or not should belong to the woman herself, but supporters of proliferation movements refuse to give them that opportunity. Opponents of abortion believe that abortion cannot be justified, and they strive to protect first of all the unborn child, and not the rights, life and health of the woman herself. But pro-life supporters and government representatives of the anti-abortion policy often lose sight of how the official rhetoric of the state differs from the actual situation with maternity support. The simple idea that there is an abyss between a desired pregnancy and a rape pregnancy is also often ignored by prolifera.
The historical experience of the prohibition of abortion suggests that in this case their number does not decrease, but they are carried out illegally and often with tragic consequences. But from sexual education and affordable contraception - yes. In an attempt to deprive women of the right to abortion and oblige them to forcibly bear children, the thought is lost that the desire to leave women without the right to choose is violence against them.
Rape
There is a lot of violence in our society, and it is important to find the strength to talk about it. This is a terrible and everyday problem, but although it is not new, the language for its discussion arises only now. Since childhood, women are taught measures that supposedly should help protect themselves from violence: they tell you how dangerous it is to talk to strangers, hitchhike, go out for a walk late in the evening, travel alone, go to disadvantaged areas unaccompanied, drink alcohol. This is the most difficult quest to avoid rape, which is impossible to complete, because it misses the most important thing: control of the situation is always on the side of the abuser, and even if all the safety conditions are met, the risks of being raped are equally high regardless of the skirt length and time of day.
There are still no exact statistics on rape (victims are often afraid to talk about their experiences), and the topic itself is surrounded by assorted myths: from the existence of some kind of “right”, “safe” clothes, to the idea that only a stranger can be a rapist - although very often the victims face violence from acquaintances and even close people. Another huge problem of the culture of violence is the shifting of guilt and feelings of shame to the victim ("I am guilty myself").
Feminism brings the problem of sexual violence out of the shadows, encourages to discuss and solve it. It is not easy to tackle this, but it is important to start - to create support networks for women, safe spaces where you can speak out and get real help. The main thing we need to come to is to unconditionally condemn violence and the understanding that the problem is acute not only in unstable, non-peaceful and poor regions, but throughout the world.
Sexual exploitation
Trafficking in women and children takes up the bulk of multi-million dollar annual trafficking. As the international coalition against trafficking in women notes, 87% of the victims are victims of sexual exploitation. To solve the problem, measures are proposed that to various degrees justify or discredit themselves - from criminalizing clients to legitimizing prostitution - but the fact remains: trafficking in women is ubiquitous, although often invisible by society, and unacceptable. The current situation threatens not only the freedom of women, but also their physical and psychological health - in fact, it operates according to the same laws as working slavery.
Feminism also explores how the current model of society forms a demand for sex services: in particular, why clients are mostly men, how culture of violence influences demand, and how sex trafficking is built into the power hierarchy of the sexes. One thing is clear: the right of women to independently dispose of their own bodies must be ensured legally and economically, and equality cannot be achieved while a woman can be a commodity.
Minority discrimination
The world is permeated by different types of inequality - everyone can face it. Intersectional feminism deals with the intersection of various oppression systems - in fact, this approach emphasizes that the rights of all people are important, regardless of their gender, sexual orientation, physical or mental condition. The methods of oppression are standard and monotonous: a person is assigned to a certain category, and then this category is given less rights than "universal" rights. Intersectionality explores how various factors — such as skin color, sexual orientation, transgenderness, and disability — can shape the oppression of a particular person.
The problem of discrimination in the world is still acute: it can manifest itself in direct violence and restriction of the rights of members of minorities, as well as in stereotypes, hackneyed phrases and offensive jokes. In the twenty-first century, people are still not equal in rights - it is therefore important to recognize and adequately assess our privileges, and also to understand that each of us can belong to a minority and become a victim of discrimination. And even if it never touched anyone personally, it does not mean that the problem does not exist, it is often closer than many people guess.
Limited access to education
Gender inequality is due to a variety of reasons, and limited access to education is one of them. Women make up two thirds of the total number of illiterate people in the world. According to the UN, often girls fail to get an education due to the fact that parents believe that it is more profitable for them to invest in boys' education; girls are supposed to do more housework, and they are more often forced to drop out of school in order to devote themselves to the family. Lack of education, in turn, does not allow women to go beyond a rather limited range of activities: their task is to lead the house, get ready for marriage, have children. In essence, it is thus called into question that women can play other roles, besides the role of mother and wife, achieve something in a public space. And even if in the country the right to education is available to everyone by default, girls may be hindered by unspoken gender barriers and the unfriendly “male” professional environment.
So far, the rector of Moscow State University wants psychology students to become good wives for future specialists, of which the university is proud, and women of Saudi Arabia, by law, must require special permission for higher education, it is difficult to talk about equality.
Domestic Abuse
Domestic violence is another large-scale problem that has not yet been solved worldwide. It includes not only physical or sexual abuse, but also psychological and economic pressure. Accurate statistics on domestic violence on a global scale is difficult to collect: what is considered psychological violence and how it is regarded in society differs in different countries and different cultures.
Any person can become a victim of violence from a partner, regardless of gender and whether he is heterosexually or homosexual, but, according to statistics, women encounter him more often: for example, according to the Ministry of Internal Affairs for 2013, women accounted for 91.6% of victims of violent crimes against their spouse - and there is no reason to believe that this figure has changed dramatically over the past three years. According to WHO, about 30% of women in the world who are in a relationship have been physically or sexually abused by their partner during their lifetime.
Combating domestic violence is one of the main goals of modern feminism, and here society faces many tasks: conducting large-scale research, informing about the problem, creating crisis centers and organizations that help victims of domestic violence, as well as working in the legislative sphere. According to the UN, at least 119 countries have laws on domestic violence - but it is also important how effective they are and whether they comply with international standards.
Discriminatory laws
The unequal position of men and women is ensured not only by the usual way, but also by legislation. And although laws must be a way of protecting and ensuring equal rights, they are often an infringement instrument. According to the World Bank, in 155 countries there is at least one law restricting women's economic opportunities, and in 18 countries a man has the right to forbid a woman to work according to the law. According to the laws of some countries, such as India, the rape of women in marriage is not even considered a crime.
One of the most difficult provisions in terms of legislation for women in Saudi Arabia: almost all areas of women's life are controlled by male guardian relatives. Feminists of this state, as well as from other countries of the Middle East - for example, Iran and Turkey - are struggling with outdated laws and orders.
For several years now, the UN has been publishing the gender inequality index every year - and even according to the most optimistic forecasts, it will take decades to achieve gender equality. Feminism has already dispelled many myths and is engaged not only in the analysis of contexts in which violent, misanthropic practices towards women become possible. It is a tool of help and support that helps detect gender discrimination, make it visible to society and explain how such practices violate the most basic rights of women who do not need to be "earned" in any way - freedom and respect.
Photo: Robin Eisenberg, Coucou Suzette, Shop tuesday, Etsy (1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7), Nerdscoutshq, Open sky, Kidd Bell