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At the end of 2009, I breathed a sigh of relief. I was too young in the 1980s to experience the wrath of the backlash against feminist achievements, but the revival (and worse, implementation) of Reagan-era policies and ideas in the first decade of the 21st century shattered my faith in humanity. I know that the arrival of a new decade and political cycle doesn't mean that progress is back in terms of feminism and gender (history is a pretty good indication that another anti-woman, anti-gender equality shit storm will hit again), but at least the attack on women's rights and gender issues is not relentless right now.
In fact, now is as a good time as any to look forward. When I recapped the (awfulness of the) 2000s to the best of my ability in December, I asked what positive changes people would like to see in the next ten years. I'm trying not to take it personally that no one responded to that post. I've subsequently explored whether sleep is a feminist issue, how the rise in domestic violence due to economic stress is a result of a gender dichotomy that should be dismantled, if a 5th UN Women's Conference should happen, and why Roe v. Wade doesn't mean much to many women in terms of accessibility.
My non-blogging friend offered the following goal for the next decade:
In the 2010s, I hope that education for women and girls is recognized as a leading way to develop healthy local economies and control unsustainable population growth across the globe and receives commensurate financial support.
I think that she's right. This year also started off well in terms of public support for education and health care for the world's girls and women. BlogHer Contributing Editor Jill Miller Zimon gave an excellent recap and analysis of Secretary of State Hillary Clinton's speech on Jan. 8 calling for changes in how women are treated, and chock-full of excellent links to other BlogHers. The point is not to tell women and girls (and the boys and men who live with them) what to do, but find ways to support women and girls as they help themselves.
Katherine Daniels at The WIP (which I've been linking to a lot lately because they write so many smart things on so many feminist topics that I hold dear) wrote about Half the Sky, a book by Nicholas Kristof and Sheryl WuDunn, and how empowering women will make the world a way better place:
It is precisely these scenarios that make these issues relevant to men. For Kristof and WuDunn the argument is pragmatic. “If we educate and feed [girls] and give them employment opportunities, then the world as a whole will gain a new infusion of human intelligence – and poor countries will garner citizens and leaders who are better equipped to address those countries’ challenges,” they write. “If [countries] wish to enliven their economies, they had better not leave those seams of human gold buried and unexploited.”
I know that I've also cited this book a lot in the past few months, but the fact that the book is inspiring so much discussion and action makes me very hopeful that perhaps change can really come.
At any rate, it's not just the big picture that needs goals. I love Dana Goldstein's goals for 2010-2020 and how the personal and the global can tie in together. She hopes to, "Defy the tumult in the journalism industry and continue writing and reporting on women, children, and political movements." (Goldstein's recap of 2009 was pretty awesome, too.)
What are your hopes for feminism and gender in this decade?
Suzanne also blogs at Campaign for Unshaved Snatch (CUSS) & Other Rants and is the author of Off the Beaten (Subway) Track.
