Why Should You Be(come) a FEMINIST?

March 25, 2018March 25, 2018 by Anne-Maria Yritys, posted in Change Leadership, feminism, Gender Equality

Since it is my birthday I am asking every single male person in my contact network to take action and start supporting a gender equal movement, for instance UN Women’s “He For She”.

By doing so, and by learning more about gender in/equality, you can support the rights of girls and women to be heard and improved all around the world, for it is a great injustice that is taking place and that has to end.

The gender inequality problems vary from country to country. Here are some examples:

-Girls are being cut, i.e. their reproductive organs are being destroyed when very young, so that they cannot have pleasure later on in life. The cuttings include huge risks, such as not being able to conceive due to infections etc.

-Gendercide, femicide and selected (illegal) abortions, because females are unwanted.

-Rapes and physical violence against girls and women

-Domestic violence against girls and women, including psychological violence and emotional abuse

-No education for girls in poor families, because boys are regarded more valuable

-Terrorists such as the Boko Haram kidnapping and even killing girls from/in schools in countries like Nigeria and Pakistan, because they don’t want girls to have education/schooling

-Gender inequal legislation in many countries, prohibiting women for instance to decide over their own bodies or even from owning any land etc. = women have no rights at all

-Human and sex trafficking, victims of which are mainly (adult) women

-Inequal wages with women earning much less than men on the average, even in highly developed, industrialized countries and in the OECD

-Women not allowed to enter certain professions at all in many countries, including in Russia and the Philippines

What else? These were only some of the examples.

The role of men supporting women and gender equality plays a significant role. Without the support of those who currently discriminate the female gender, often just because “things have always been this way”, we cannot achieve gender equality. It is a very bad excuse to claim that you don’t know, because you do know and if you don’t, make sure to educate yourself and learn more awareness.

Even in the world’s most gender equal country, Finland, e.g. only 6% of all university professors are female. Rather strange in a country where women, on the average, are more educated than men. There is a hidden corruption system in this country, where men favor other men for certain roles, especially when it comes to high positions of leadership. Unfortunately.

So if you want to make me happy on my birthday, become a feminist and start supporting equal rights for girls and women, around the world.

You can start e.g. by reading The World Economic Forum´s “The Global Gender Gap Report 2017”. Download it for free at: https://www.weforum.org/reports/the-global-gender-gap-report-2017

Thank you.

Anne-Maria Yritys

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Access some of my previous posts on this topic:

What is Gender Equality in the 21st Century?

Gender Equality and Feminism

Why Should You Empower Women?

International Women´s Day

Empowering Women Worldwide

365 Days a Year Dedicated for Women Globally

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What is Gender Equality in the 21st Century?

November 24, 2017January 4, 2018 by Anne-Maria Yritys, posted in Change Leadership, Gender Equality, Universal Human Rights, Women´s Rights

What is gender equality today, in the 21st century? Unfortunately, in many countries worldwide, the terms feminism and gender equality do not even seem to exist, have been banned from vocabulary, or are at least being hushed by majority of population, both women and men. Even in developed countries where females legislatively have equal rights with males, discrimination is widespread. For many, the word feminism seems to provoke negative feelings, whereby feminist females can be regarded as either lesbians or man-haters.

This is far from true. Those who know the meaning of the word feminism understand that feminism is a term used to describe the theory of the political, economic and social equality of the sexes Merriam-Webster – Feminism | Definition of FEMINISM. Some feminists may of course be either bi-sexual or lesbian, but the word feminism should not be confused or mixed with the sexual orientation of anyone. In fact, many men are feminists. This is not an ideology dedicated to females. On the contrary, feminism is an ideology that supports equal rights for genders in general. Regretfully, some have not internalized this.

When I on March 8th 2015 published “365 Days a Year Dedicated for Women Globally” on LinkedIn, a post dedicated to girls and women on the International Women´s Day, not everyone who read the post were delighted about it. After publishing “365 Days a Year Dedicated for Women Globally” I received not only angry comments, but also angry personal messages on LinkedIn. The topic is so sensitive in countries where the rights of girls and women are being oppressed that even discussing or writing about it awakens hatred in people.

Developed, progressive and democratic countries that are often defined to be gender equal are in fact not gender equal. These countries may have come closer to gender equality, but there is yet not one single country on Earth that can be defined as gender equal. The World Economic Forum, an organization committed to improving the state of the world, has been publishing The Global Gender Gap Report since 2006. The Global Gender Gap Report 2017 was published on November 2nd, 2017, analyzing the gender gaps in 144 countries. According to Klaus Schwab, Founder and Executive Chairman of the WEF, “Talent is one of the most essential factors for growth and competitiveness. To build future economies that are both dynamic and inclusive, we must ensure that everyone has equal opportunity”. (WEF. The Global Gender Gap Report 2017).

One of the key findings in The Global Gender Gap Report 2017 was that the average gap worldwide in terms of gender equality is 32% (31,7% in 2016). Furthermore, with the current rate of development, gender gaps could be cut out within one century. According to the report, gender inequality is costly: global GDP (gross domestic product) could see an increase of 5.3 trillion USD within less than a decade by ensuring gender equality in economic participation.

Although the Nordic countries (Iceland, Norway, Finland, Sweden, and Denmark) have the smallest gender gaps on a global level, even these countries have failed to achieve gender equality. As a result of this, Iceland has as the first country in the world decided to introduce equal pay through legislation, whereby paying one gender less than the other will be illegal. This news has been received for instance in Finland, where I currently live, with differing opinions. Some claim, without sufficient understanding about the causes of unequal pay, that “men in Finland earn more than women because they work overtime while women decide not to”, or, “men earn more than women because of choice of occupation”. This allows us to ask whether it is legitimate that traditionally male-dominated professions pay more than female-dominated professions? Is there some specific reason to pay for instance engineers more than nurses?

The realization of gender inequality in both Sweden and Finland, two of the world´s most gender equal countries, has led to the emerging of new political parties. In Sweden, Feministiskt initiativ was established in 2005 with the purpose of “opposing all forms of discrimination” in Sweden. In Finland, the Feminist Party was registered as recently as on January 1st, 2017, as a result of the realization that feminism has not been achieved in Finland. The Finnish Feminist Party states following on its website: “Conventional political ideologies have not succeeded in solving discrimination, sexism and racism, which are known phenomenons in both capitalist and socialist countries.” (Feministinen Puolue – Why a new political party?).

Equality (gender equality) truly is the unfinished business of the 21st century. Abolishing all kinds of discrimination in our societies is a responsibility of everyone, regardless of gender, economic, political, or social status. The best way of ensuring equality is to start living it, and asking ourselves what each one of as can do to contribute to an equal society where all individuals, regardless of any external attributes, can live and thrive without any discrimination.

Connect with me on Twitter @annemariayritys. For climate/environment-related posts only @GCCThinkActTank. Subscribe to Leading With Passion to receive my latest posts.

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Empowering Women Worldwide

March 7, 2017March 9, 2017 by Anne-Maria Yritys, posted in Change Leadership, Empowering Women, Female Leadership, Gender Equality, International Women´s Day, Universal Human Rights

Each year on March 8th, International Women´s Day is being celebrated worldwide. Some men have asked, why women must be celebrated? Why do men have no International Men´s Day? Should we rather ask why we actually need an International Day for Women?

The purpose of International Women´s Day is to remind us all of the fact that we are yet far from having reached gender equality. Women across the world must get their voices heard. Due to many different reasons, including culture, tradition, legislature etc., many countries/societies across our globe prevent women from having the same opportunities in life as men.

What we all must understand is that empowering women through women´s birthright, Universal Human Rights, that apply to both genders, we contribute to developing a sustainable global economy, where all human beings have equal access e.g. to education and to workforce (and, a profession of their choice/level of education, knowledge and skills), narrowing down gender gaps and transforming societies to become less gender oriented.

According to research and statistics, girls and women that have equal access to primary, to secondary, and even to higher education give birth to fewer children. Not that children would be unwanted in our world, but when girls and women are economically empowered through education and through an unlimited access to the global job market/have the possibility of practicing their learned profession/becoming entrepreneurs, it has multiple beneficial effects upon societies, including better health for both women and children, and less poverty. In our overpopulated world with too many children suffering from hunger, malnutrition and poverty, it is important for parents to have the opportunity of raising healthy children which ultimately will lead to healthier economies and societies.

By giving girls and women equal opportunities and allowing females to access their basic human rights, economies and societies worldwide empower and help women to be capable of taking care of, not only their own futures, but the futures of their children equally.

What can you do as a man to help and to support an equal economy? There are countless ways of empowering girls and women, starting within the close family system/relatives/your community. Learn more about the worldwide facts regarding gender equality. Integrate gender equality into your daily life at home, at work, in your community. Understand that empowering girls and women will benefit men as well, when responsibilities are distributed equally within homes, and in working environments.

What can you do as a girl/as a woman? There is no simple response to this question, since the state of equality between genders varies from country to country. I could write, learn and be aware of your (human) rights as a girl/woman, but it is not that simple taking into consideration that currently not every girl/woman is aware of their Universal Human Rights. How can you empower yourself to take action for improving your life as a girl/woman if you are unaware of your basic human rights? However, those girls and women who are aware of their basic human rights should claim access to those fearlessly, empower themselves and other women to become active citizens of the world to make their voices heard and contribute to an increasingly much democratic world where both men and women can live up to their full potential as equal human beings.

Happy International Women´s Day!

Click here to read related post:

365 Days a Year Dedicated for Women Globally

Click here to access International Women´s Day presentation:

International Women´s Day Thought Leadership

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