HeForShe
What is HeForShe?
HeForShe is an organization targeted to end gender inequality. HeForShe works to promote the fact that, “gender equality is not only a women’s issue, it is a human rights issue that affects all of us – women and girls, men and boys. We all benefit socially, politically and economically from gender equality in our everyday lives. When women are empowered, the whole of humanity benefits. Gender equality liberates not only women but also men, from prescribed social roles and gender stereotypes.” HeForShe works to bring men and women together fighting for something which affects all humans alike.
For years women have been promoting gender equality and yet inequality for both genders continues to manifest. The overall goal of the campaign is to make men/boys aware of the role they have in eliminating all forms of discrimination against girls and women. The concept for HeForShe is to turn on a light on the fact “that women’s empowerment is essential for inclusive economic growth, social cohesion and social justice, environmental balance, and for progress in all spheres of life” (HeForShe). If gender inequality is really going to end it can’t just be women fighting for it, it has to be a group effort of all genders. In order for the HeForShe campaign to work it needs to be shown to all aspects of society. Luckily HeForShe has many partners which help with the growth of this campaign. Partners include: UN Women and United Nations entities and their country offices; Civil Society Organizations and Gender Equality Advocates and University/College students. UN ambassador, Emma Watson, launched the campaign in September 2014 and it has been a huge topic of subject since.
"Men - I would like to take this opportunity to extend your formal invitation," she said. "Gender equality is your issue too." This is where the campaign began and that day alone 200 thousand men showed their support through social media. The goal of the campaign at the moment is to mobilize one billion men by July 2015. This cannot happen without awareness being at high and spread through all forms of society.
Women equality is something everyone must fight for because the facts prove that it is more important than we think.
Looking at the facts makes it all seem unreal. Women finally began to get their rights in the 1920s but we have still been working towards something as simple as been equal with men, something as simple as human rights. People have this strange belief that feminism has to do with “man-hating” when this is not true at all. The direct definition of feminism is “the advocacy of women's rights on the grounds of political, social, and economic equality to men.” All we want is equality, and the ability to live our lives to the fullest.
Did you know that ⅕ women will be sexually assaulted during their lifetime. The odds of being shot in Russian Roulette is ⅙; so basically it’s safer to play Russian Roulette than it is to be a women. However when I work towards gender equality I am not looking to help myself but all women who are put at a disadvantage for just being a women. I am fighting for the rights of women all throughout the world. The girls in the middle east who can’t get an education; only boys can. For the babies in abandoned and killed in China for simply being girls. Equality of the genders is something we all need to work towards. We need support eacother in order to accomplish this. Hopefully we can all work in harmony towards this goal.