“It is my belief that there is a greater understanding than ever that women need to be equal participants in our homes, in our societies, in our governments, and in our work places.” –Emma Watson
What is gender equality? How do we reach it? What can we do to make it a reality? These are questions that are extremely important to ask when striving towards gender equality. If you do not know how to answer these questions, there are many great resources to refer to. One of the most current resources being Emma Watson’s United Nation speeches.
Emma Watson joined the UN as the Women Global Goodwill Ambassador. From there, she has been a trailblazer for feminist issues. In 2014, the UN launched the HeForShe campaign. With Watson at the forefront, this campaign addressed gender roles for both men and women and expressed how we all must be involved in the conversation. Watson stated, “Both men and women should feel free to be sensitive. Both men and women should feel free to be strong… It is time that we all perceive gender on a spectrum not as two opposing sets of ideals.”
This was just the beginning of Emma’s call to action on these issues. Emma Watson followed up her HeForShe campaign by introducing her new initiative, Impact 10x10x10. Emma explained this initiative by stating, “It’s about engaging governments, businesses, and universities and having them make concrete commitments to gender equality.” Impact 10x10x10 is meant to create gender equality through tangible evidence in workplaces, universities, homes and in the family unit. Not only does she want equality principles put into practice, but she also wants to hear feedback on the changes occurring. She states, “We want to know. We want to hear from you.”
Why is this important to you? Simple. You are the men and women cohabitating on this earth, and gender inequality contributes to many problems that occur in our social, economic and political spheres. It may be a simple women’s rights joke told by your boyfriend walking to class. Or, it might be something as serious as unequal pay in your workplace. Emma asks us: “Girls, who have been your mentors? Young men, have you spoken up in a conversation when a woman was casually degraded or dismissed?”
These questions are meant to ignite a conversation about issues that are not brought up in casual encounters. Once our community, and hopefully our world, are informed and make a formal commitment to fight for gender equality, we will see a shift in every aspect of our lives. So, my challenge to you, Collegiettes, is to show the men in your life Emma Watson’s speeches. Inform them of the reasons why you believe in this campaign and start the conversation. You never know how much you could change an individual’s mind until you try. Take the initiative and make a difference. As Emma stated so perfectly, “Decide what your commitment is, make it public, and then please report back to us on your progress so that we can share your story.”