“IS IT GENDER EQUALITY OR IS IT HUMAN EQUALITY?”
Many times, in life we have been asked to look at things in different angles in order to realize what they really mean. And from time to time we have tried this method. Our own mindsets can stand as witnesses on the effectiveness of this method.
Maybe this is the same approach we need to use in looking at the famous phrase “Gender Equality”. When one hears of this phrase, he/she may have multiple ways of defining it.
The UNESCO’s Gender Mainstreaming Implementation Framework clarifies that “Gender Equality means that women and men have equal conditions for realizing their full human rights and for contributing to, and benefiting from, social, economic, cultural and political development.”
Now many of us may have read or heard of the same or even better definitions than the one above. But the question is, with which kind of mindset did we interpret this definition? Or if it was in a training or workshop session, how did our trainee interpret it to us?
Did we look at gender equality as a concept being brought from the far east or far west parts of the world? Did we see it as the idea of trying to make women have the same power as men, or the other way around? Did we think of it as the idea of elevating one side to being the same as the other side?
On the question of whether gender equality is a concept from the far west or far east. It is my belief that only history can serve us with the proper answers.
When Abraham Lincoln issued the Emancipation Proclamation, he entered it to end slavery and make all human beings in the United States of America as equals, regardless of their color or gender.
Kasturba Gandhi, Fatima Jinnah, Kamala Nehru, Begum Ra’ana Liaquat Ali Khan and Usha Mehta. This is a list of names of wonder women who history regards as freedom fighters of South Asia. And they fought for the freedom of their countries, not based on gender or color but based on the idea of gaining equality against their oppressors.
When Nelson Mandela, Julius Nyerere, Kwame Nkrumah and other freedom fighter of Africa fought for independence of their countries, they did it to save all. Not based on gender or color.
Again, when we think of gender equality, let us not focus on each side having the same power or control. But rather we can resort to the thought of all human beings having the same chance and opportunities, not only in convention papers and declarations but in our minds and hearts as well.
Gender equality can be viewed as process, not of elevating one side. But as a process ensuring that each and every one of us values a fellow human being. So that, when one sees a certain side being oppressed, he /she will see a fellow human being oppressed. Let us not commit violence against one another. This will be a step towards ending gender-based violence.
I chose not to bury this piece of writing with statistics because at times they may create much fear and anger. Maybe we should choose to consider that the quest towards gender equality is quest of creating human equality and not otherwise. Let us not struggle with the question of who is better served with equality for it is humanity itself. For when we choose to end the special groups that we struggle to elevate and just become human enough to save humanity, then we will make this world a better place not only for the current generation but for the coming ones as well.
Article Prepared by
Ken Edwin Heriel
Independent Legal Consultant
Volunteer at Gender Action Tanzania (GATA)
E-mail: kenedwin9@gmail.com
