President Barack Obama has made it clear that he is a feminist and is determined to let the world know. In a heartfelt essay for Glamour magazine, Obama discussed the harmful effects of rigid gender stereotypes on people of all gender, racial, and sexual identities. He emphasized the importance of “21st-century feminism,” particularly in an election year marked by significant gender-related discourse.
Obama’s Call to Men
Obama highlighted his own relationship with feminism and urged men to join the fight against sexism. He stated, “It is absolutely men’s responsibility to fight sexism too. And as spouses and partners and boyfriends, we need to work hard and be deliberate about creating truly equal relationships.” This call to action underscores the necessity for men to actively participate in promoting gender equality.
Reflecting on Progress and Challenges
While acknowledging the progress made over the past century, Obama also pointed out that true gender equality is still far from being achieved. He highlighted several ongoing issues:
- Gender Wage Gap: Women, especially women of color, continue to earn less than their male counterparts.
- Sexual Violence: Sexual violence remains underreported and a critical issue affecting both women and men.
- Representation: Women, particularly women of color, are underrepresented in top positions in government, business, and technology.
Changing Societal Attitudes
Obama called for a shift in societal attitudes that perpetuate gender inequality:
- Raising Children: He criticized the expectation for girls to be demure and boys to be assertive, and the stigma attached to boys showing emotion.
- Sexuality: He condemned the double standards that punish women for their sexuality while rewarding men for theirs.
- Harassment: Obama stressed the need to combat the routine harassment of women, both offline and online.
- Parental Roles: He highlighted the stigmatization of full-time dads and the penalization of working mothers, advocating for a more supportive culture for both.
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Personal Reflections
Relating these issues to his personal life, Obama mentioned how being a father to daughters, Sasha and Malia, has made the cause of gender equality even more personal for him. “It’s important that their dad is a feminist, because now that’s what they expect of all men,” he wrote.
A Timely Reminder
In an election year where misogyny has been used as a campaign strategy, Obama’s essay serves as a timely reminder of the broader goals of gender equality. He concluded by emphasizing that the fight for equality is about more than just financial gain; it is about justice and representation for all, regardless of gender.
Obama’s essay is a powerful message from the sitting President of the United States, underscoring the necessity for continued advocacy and action towards achieving true gender equality. His words encourage not only men but society as a whole to challenge and change the ingrained attitudes and systems that perpetuate gender inequality.
Here’s some powerful words from the essay.
We need to keep changing the attitude that raises our girls to be demure and our boys to be assertive, that criticizes our daughters for speaking out and our sons for shedding a tear. We need to keep changing the attitude that punishes women for their sexuality and rewards men for theirs.
We need to keep changing the attitude that permits the routine harassment of women, whether they’re walking down the street or daring to go online. We need to keep changing the attitude that teaches men to feel threatened by the presence and success of women.
We need to keep changing the attitude that congratulates men for changing a diaper, stigmatizes full-time dads, and penalizes working mothers. We need to keep changing the attitude that values being confident, competitive, and ambitious in the workplace ― unless you’re a woman…. We need to keep changing a culture that shines a particularly unforgiving light on women and girls of color.
