Few men in power have delved into gender equality on the main stage of the United Nations this month, but those who did did so bravely: claiming feminist credibility, peddling “positive masculinity” and resolutely demanding an end to patriarchy.
On the first day of the General Assembly meeting of world leaders, Bolivian President Luis Arce touted 2022 as “The Year of the Cultural Revolution for the Depatriarchalization” of his country and urged the United Nations to adopt a decade-long effort to do the same. .
Arce said that his country wants to promote policies to “transform this unfortunate reality that causes patriarchy as the oldest system of oppression, and that is also linked to colonialism and capitalism.”
Gender equality, as one of the main goals of the United Nations, has long been a safe talking point for world leaders, and there were many brief and polite mentions of the progress made towards the empowerment of women, including the promotion of women in prominent roles, ensuring equal educational opportunities. for girls, and supporting women’s autonomy over their own bodies.
There were also some leaders who didn’t say the words “women” or “girls” during their time on stage: the king of Jordan, the president of Cyprus, the prime minister of Japan.
At other times, “feminism,” considered an f-word by many for generations, was used with pride.
Liberian President George Weah declared himself “feminist in chief.” The President of the Andorran Government, Xavier Espot Zamora, recognized that “feminism is one of the great challenges of the present moment”. The President of the Spanish Government, Pedro Sánchez, proclaimed “the feminist agenda and the fight for gender equality”.
“We live in times in which demanding basic rights continues to be a revolutionary act,” Sánchez said in his speech at the UN. “Global threats to women’s sexual and reproductive freedom are yet another example of how painfully slow the world is moving towards ensuring full equality. Worse yet, it is the fragility of our past social achievements, which have been victims of setbacks in certain advanced democracies: – something quite inexplicable at this stage of the 21st century”.
It was an impassioned blow, apparently aimed at the event’s host country, where a recent Supreme Court ruling ended the constitutional right to abortion. In contrast, US President Joe Biden made only passing mention of abortion rights, even as the court decision continues to reverberate across the country.
“The future will be won by those countries that unleash the full potential of their populations, where women and girls can exercise the same rights, including basic reproductive rights,” Biden said in his speech.
The contrast was a stark reminder that words matter, said Sylvia Maier, a professor of global gender studies at New York University, who said the blatant 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 male-dominated forum.
“It’s about time we stop using euphemisms and beating around the bush,” Maier said. “It’s about time we started talking about what we’re up against in clear terms. We can’t solve these problems, which are all interrelated, without really calling it what it is.”
Congolese President Felix Tshisekedi said in his speech that he was a “champion of positive masculinity”, affirming the need for “radical change” and highlighting an African Union men’s conference to address rising violence against women. women. “Because equality is not a gift to women,” Tshisekedi said.
The United Nations has defined positive masculinity as “an innovative approach to engaging and involving men, and making them allies in gender equality and peacebuilding efforts in conflict and post-conflict situations.”
Maier said it’s important to model the so-called idea of ”what a good and honorable man should do,” from resisting violence and speaking as a bystander, to understanding consent, believing in survivors of gender-based violence and creating services to help to those in crisis.
“It’s hard work to change social norms, which are really gender stereotypes,” Maier said. “Positive masculinity really means a reinforcement of positive character traits, but all these character traits, they shouldn’t even have a gender.”
The problem is especially serious for the 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.
“The problem is not masculinity,” said Ousseina Alidou, a professor who directs the Center for Women’s Global Leadership at Rutgers University and serves as president of the African Studies Association. “Who we are is not the problem, but what we adopt as an ideology.”
Alidou said it is commendable that Africa is taking the issue seriously as part of the continent’s recovery from its painful history of colonization.
“Patriarchy has been the framework in which colonialism has been manifested, in the most inhumane way on the African continent,” Alidou said. “Patriarchy is not a monopoly of a single region of the world. It’s a worldwide phenomenon.”