Imagine living in a just world, where governments have taken responsibility for ending legal gender inequality. A world where violence and discrimination are no longer tolerated, and the law is written to protect and promote the human rights of all women and girls. Equality Now believes that world can be a reality, but that gender equality can only exist for women when there is equality under the law. That’s why they work tirelessly to use the power of the law to dismantle deep-rooted discrimination and inequality.
While recently accepting the Columbia Business School’s Award for Social Enterprise, Equality Now’s Global Executive Director S. Mona Sinha noted, “The truth about gender equality globally and at home is currently as upsetting as it is encouraging. Because no matter where you look, while there has been enormous progress, we still have far to go. As Gloria Steinem has said, ‘The truth will set you free, but first it will piss you off!’”
So, first, let’s get angry. Almost two and a half billion women live in countries where they do not have the same legal rights as men. Violence is a multi-billion-dollar industry too, and the sex trade, relying mainly on unpaid or underpaid female labor, brings in billions annually, second only to the arms trade. In the workplace, men in the United States continue to out-earn women by at least 27% while doing the same work. Change is nearly impossible when women hold barely a quarter of all congressional seats (and that’s actually a record), only 5% of CEO positions and account for just 28% of board members.
Add to that the numerous ways that the pandemic revealed painful truths about the status of women. Poorer women were forced to stay in front-line jobs, risking exposure to a deadly virus. Other women had no paid family leave and were forced to abandon their careers to care for and educate their children. Gender economist and founder of Pipeline® Katica Roy pointed out that “women made up the majority of the labor force in the industries and occupations that were most impacted by COVID.” However, she says that, because of the crisis, “we leaped forward five years in terms of digital acceleration.” The jobs that existed at the beginning of the pandemic are not necessarily the jobs that exist now. There is also no concerted effort to ensure the full participation of women in the labor force. The World Bank has calculated the loss of income over a lifetime at $300,000 per woman.
The State of Women
Mona referenced theSkimm.com’s 2023 State of Women Report, which points out that there is also no federally mandated paid family leave, little progress toward more affordable or accessible childcare, and no constitutional right to abortion. She also pointed out that American women “receive worse healthcare than women in any developed country, from a system biased against them – accompanied by a price tag many of them can’t afford.” She also noted that “women are understandably disheartened by this, and the reversals of some key equities it took generations to gain. But they are anything but resigned.”
“In fact, women in the U.S. and throughout the world, are increasingly exhibiting agency over their futures as never before. And we invite men to join this effort because the impact is felt by every single human being,” Mona added. “Equality Now and our partners are right there to make change happen. We believe that gender equality is a core characteristic of any just and fully functioning society. Our organization’s commitment to the global equality movement over the last 30 years has never wavered.”
The Importance of Equality
In 1992, the United States ratified The International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights (ICCPR). This law requires signatories to ensure civil and political rights for all and take steps to prevent sex discrimination and gender-based violence. To comply with the ICCPR, the Equal Rights Amendment (ERA) must be made the law of the land. The requisite number of states have ratified the ERA, and constitutional requirements have been met, and still the measure has not passed.
However, efforts continue, and Equality Now continues to promote the importance of equality. Mona added her voice to this important battle when she submitted written testimony to the U.S. Senate Committee on The Equal Rights Amendment: How Congress Can Recognize Ratification and Enshrine Equality in Our Constitution in early 2023 stating in part that, “Equality Now has seen the pervasive damage done to women and girls wrought by legal inequality, including the promotion of gender-based violence (GBV) in discriminatory laws. Conversely, we have seen the tremendous benefits gained by countries that have embraced equality in the law, including in their constitutions, the supreme law of the land.”
Equality Now works to ensure the United States receives those benefits, not only by pushing for the ERA but also through a combination of legal advocacy, regional partnership-building, and community mobilization to encourage governments to adopt, improve, and enforce laws that protect and promote the rights of women and girls here at home and around the world. They are fighting against the current, because the pace of global progress in gender equality is slowing. A year ago, the United Nations estimated it would take 132 years to achieve gender equality, but at the current funding rates for women’s and girls’ issues, it will take 300 years. That backward movement is unacceptable.
A Powerful Force for Equality
You may be feeling pretty angry. While it’s natural to feel outraged by the pervasive gender inequality that still exists, we must remember that anger alone won’t get the job done. We need to finish what Gloria Steinem outlined, harness our collective anger, and transform it into a powerful force for freedom and equality.
Equality Now is at the forefront of this transformative journey. Their tireless efforts to change laws and advocate for gender equality have yielded tremendous progress worldwide. Through their work, about 70 laws have been transformed, leading to significant advancements in the rights of women and girls. By staying engaged and using our anger as a catalyst for change, dismantling the systems that perpetuate discrimination and violence against women and girls, we can make a difference. Especially when we support organizations like Equality Now, that amplifies the voices of those affected, and advocates for legal reforms, we can create a just world where every woman and girl can thrive.