Few men in power have delved deeply into gender equality on the main stage of the United Nations this month, but the ones who did went there boldly: claiming feminist credibility, selling āpositive masculinityā and resolutely demanding an end to The Patriarchy.
On the first day of the General Assembly gathering of world leaders, Bolivian President Luis Arce touted 2022 as āThe Year of the Cultural Revolution for Depatriarchalizationā for his country, and urged the United Nations to adopt a decade-long effort to do the same.
Recommended Videos
Arce said his country wanted to promote policies to ātransform this regrettable reality that is caused by patriarchy as the most ancient system of oppression, and that is also linked to colonialism and capitalism.ā
Gender equality, as one of the United Nations' primary goals, has long been a safe talking point for world leaders, and there were many brief and polite mentions of progress made toward female empowerment, including promoting women into prominent roles, ensuring equal educational opportunities for girls, and supporting womenās autonomy over their own bodies.
There were also some leaders who did not say the words āwomenā or āgirlsā at all during their time on stage ā the king of Jordan, the president of Cyprus, the prime minister of Japan.
At other times, āfeminismā ā considered an f-word by many for generations ā was used proudly.
Liberian President George Weah declared himself āfeminist-in-chief.ā Andorran Prime Minister Xavier Espot Zamora acknowledged that āfeminism is one of the great challenges of the present moment." Spanish Prime Minister Pedro SĆ”nchez trumpeted āthe feminist agenda and the struggle for gender equality.ā
āWe are living in times in which demanding basic rights is still a revolutionary act,ā SĆ”nchez said in his U.N. address. āThe global threats to womenās sexual and reproductive freedom are yet another example of how painfully slowly the world is moving towards guaranteeing full equality. Worse still, is the fragility of our past social gains, which have fallen victim to backsliding in certain advanced democracies ā something quite inexplicable at this stage of the 21st century.ā
It was an impassioned jab, apparently directed at the eventās host country, where a recent Supreme Court ruling ended the constitutional right to abortion. In contrast, U.S. President Joe Biden offered only a passing mention of abortion rights ā even as the court decision continues to ripple across the nation.
āThe future will be won by those countries that unleash the full potential of their populations, where women and girls can exercise equal rights, including basic reproductive rights,ā Biden said in his speech.
The contrast was a stark reminder that words matter, said Sylvia Maier, a global gender studies professor at New York University, who said the unabashed use of progressive language by some world leaders on this prominent stage was new, unusual and surprising. The largest gathering of world leaders remains a forum that is dominated by men.
āItās about time we stop using euphemisms and beating around the bush,ā Maier said. āItās about time that we start talking about what weāre facing in no uncertain terms. ā¦ We cannot resolve these issues ā which are all interlinked ā without really calling it what it is.ā
Congolese President Felix Tshisekedi said in his speech that he was a āchampion for positive masculinity," claiming a need for āradical changeā while highlighting an African Union menāsāÆconference to tackle a surge in violence against women. āBecause equality is not a gift given to women,ā Tshisekedi said.
The United Nations has defined positive masculinity as āan innovative approach to engaging and involving men, and making them allies in gender equality and peacebuilding efforts in conflict and post-conflict settings.ā
Maier said itās important to model the so-called idea of āwhat a good and honorable man should doā ā from resisting violence and speaking up as a bystander, to understanding consent, believing survivors of gender violence and creating services to help those in crisis.
āItās hard work changing social norms, which are really gender stereotypes,ā Maier said. āPositive masculinity really means a reinforcement of positive character traits but all of these character traits, they shouldnāt even have a gender.ā
The issue is especially acute for Congo. One of the poorest and least developed nations in the world, the country has long struggled with high rates of sexual violence, domestic abuse and child marriage.
āThe problem is not masculinity,ā said Ousseina Alidou, a professor who leads the Center for Womenās Global Leadership at Rutgers University and serves as president of the African Studies Association. āWho we are is not the problem, but what we embrace as an ideology.ā
Alidou said it is commendable that Africa is taking the issue seriously as part of the continentās healing from its painful history of colonization.
āPatriarchy has been the framework for which colonialism has manifested itself, in the most inhumane way on the African continent,ā Alidou said. āPatriarchy is not a monopoly of only one region of the world. It is a world phenomenon.ā
___
Follow Sally Ho on Twitter at http://twitter.com/_sallyho and for more AP coverage of the U.N. General Assembly, visit https://apnews.com/hub/united-nations-general-assembly