Gender equality
Gender inequality continues to plague communities worldwide.
Today, an estimated 200 million women and girls across the globe have been subjected to Female Genital Mutilation (FGM).
A staggering 750 million girls alive today were married before the age of 18.
And 1 in 5 women and girls are subjected to physical and/or sexual violence by an intimate partner every year.
Gender inequality however is not only represented in the shockingly high rates of violence against women and girls (VAWG) including FGM, early/forced marriage, intimate-partner sexual/physical violence and human trafficking/modern slavery.
It’s also present more widely across the board in society.
We see this every day in the disproportionate number of females affected by a range of phenomena including: poverty and illiteracy.
This however is just one of many, many ways that show just how ingrained gender quality is.
The gender pay gap, #MeToo movement and disproportionate number of women in political positions, alongside harmful , “honour-based” value systems and the patriarchal narratives that keep these injustices alive, continue to affect the lives of millions more women and girls across the globe – including right here in the UK.
Such narratives also affect the way that men are expected to behave with rigid gender-based stereotypes affecting the mental health of both males and females.
And yet still, the word “feminism” is seen as a “dirty word”. It’s misunderstood, unappreciated and undervalued.
At Voice of Salam, we work to challenge these narratives/traditions, to raise critical awareness of VAWG and gender inequality and to “change the narrative”, promoting female empowerment and a sense of positive masculinity.
Find out below how you can take action in our current gender-based campaign!
Take action: Join the #NotFragile campaign!
Gender-based stereotypes which promote ideas of “female fragility“ are intertwined with misogynistic narratives around the “fragile crying female” against a tearless “rugged strong” male.
These stereotypes explicitly represent negative perceptions of “strength” vs. gender and are false.
Emotion or a demonstration or expression of emotion neither symbolise “fragility” nor “weakness”, nor represent one gender.
Not only do they stereotype and stigmatise women, but they also promulgate toxic ideals of emotionless masculinity, whilst also stigmatising mental illness – equating physical and mental health with ideas of strength, value and worth. Notions of positive masculinity instead demonstrate that a man is should not be discouraged to show feelings.
Faced by real-life accusations of “female fragility”, our #NotFragile campaign responds to misogyny to show just how “un-fragile” women are based on the basis of their gender. We’re asking women (and male allies!) to share the difficult experiences and challenges they’ve overcome and the fantastic achievements they’ve made. Join us!
Simply download and print our poster by clicking on the link below, write your message/experience on the poster and send us your photo with the poster, either via email at info@voiceofsalam.com, by tweeting us at @Voice_of_Salam or tagging us on Facebook.
DOWNLOAD HERE!
Find out more about the #NotFragile campaign and fellow participants in our blog.
Read more here:
Voice of Salam 