March 8 marked International Women’s Day (IWD). On that day since 1975—which the United Nations deemed International Women’s Year—various countries and individuals around the globe have celebrated the many hard-won victories of more than half the earth’s population.
Generally speaking, I tend to not immerse myself too much in bureaucratically mandated, self-congratulatory “holidays.” Especially when they include an operation openly referred to as an “equality” branding campaign. Nothing says feminist-friendly like the belief that equality—the state of being equal in status, rights, opportunities, etc.—needs a certain palpable image in order to be effective.
Regardless of the day’s problematic aspects, I assure you having a single day dedicated to the past, present, and future struggles and achievements of the female population is crucial to ensuring further equality for all sexes and genders.
Even in 2014 it is still crucial that we take 24 hours to celebrate the amazing individuals that have not only impacted our lives positively, but who happen to have a double X chromosome as well.
There are those who are quick to cry “pointless” when IWD rolls around, for they believe a day acknowledging the oppression of women is not needed since “men and women are equal now.”
I have heard this argument spouted countless times.
What people who rely on this tired dispute are really saying is that any further actions towards securing more human rights is irrelevant because women and men are treated exactly the same by our society.
Consider that—the idea that as we speak, men and women are regarded with the same amount of respect and human decency as we dissect a few too-close-to-home instances of what this supposed “respect” looks like.
On March 3 the entire men’s varsity hockey program at U of O was suspended after third-party allegations of a sexual assault that took place the weekend of Feb. 1, while the team was on an away-game in Thunder Bay.
One assistant coach to the team has said this incident has been “blown out of proportion.”
As of now, we do not know the identity of the survivor of the alleged assault, but we do know she was female—supporting statistics that show women are usually the victims of sexual assault.
This comes just days after an appalling Facebook conversation between five male U of O students was leaked to the public. The conversation placed Anne-Marie Roy, student union president, as the unwilling subject.
In the conversation the male students threatened rape as punishment . . . for what? For a woman having the audacity to take a place of power? Power they feel threatened by? Entitled to? The answers aren’t clear, although all five male students have apologized, resigned, and admitted they meant no real harm.
This feels equivalent to quickly saying “just kidding!” after a bad joke.
Well, are women and men treated exactly the same? Do these instances exemplify the so called post-gendered, post-feminist world we’re apparently living in?
If women and men were truly equal, why would women be the targets of such gendered, sexually violent attacks and conversations?
At the most, these events serve to show us that we still have a long way to go before true equality is reached, and at the least they represent just how prevalent rape culture is on Canadian campuses.
So let me catch you with that cry of “pointless” still thick in your throats. IWD may not be radical or brilliantly effective, but at the very least it allows women to have a day to themselves where they can look back on previous struggles while gaining the strength to battle new ones.
Equality has not been reached. It won’t be for a while. But having a single day exposing the daily oppression of women everywhere isn’t such a bad place to start.
