IN the continuing journey towards gender equality, it’s seemed to me over the past week that for every unfortunate and backwards step we’ve managed, we’ve at least taken two paces forward.
For every bastion of Victorian thinking remaining in our 21st-century society, the evidence is growing that public attitudes are changing, and changing for the better.
So, when the ongoing civil war in Theresa May’s government spilled out into the open again over the weekend, this time it was Philip Hammond who got hung out to dry by others around the Cabinet table. When the Chancellor of the Exchequer made the mistake of declaring during a ministerial discussion that driving trains had now been made so easy that “even a woman” could do it, it was perhaps inevitable that he be eventually dobbed into the Westminster press pack. It seems even elements of the Conservative Party understand that sexist jokes are no longer palatable to the majority of the public. Quite right.
Further afield, another breakthrough was made this weekend when the all-female team of teenage robotics students from Afghanistan, who were originally refused entry to the US, were granted visas to enable them to take part in a global competition in Washington DC. Following an international outcry, the six young women were finally allowed to travel and represent their country at the prestigious international event.
Now they’ve bolstered their position as role models for women both around the world and at home. And all this from within a society where less than two decades ago, under the Taliban regime, women were banned from school and working outside their home, and where all women were prevented from leaving home without a male relative to accompany them. What an achievement It won’t have been easy. C’mon the women!
In the world of TV, another rubicon was crossed this week with the unveiling of the 13th actor to play the eponymous hero in Doctor Who: Jodie Whittaker. Finally, “Time Lord” has been removed from Theresa May’s list of “boy jobs”. While a hardy minority of the Doctor Who fandom clung to their traditionalist view that a regenerative, time travelling Gallifreyan alien with two hearts should definitely, always, be cast as a man, it’s warming to see Star Wars lead Daisy Ridley joined by another woman as the main star in a modern science fiction drama.
In each of these cases the advancement of women in science and entertainment has truly broken down barriers and will bolster the number of role models our daughters have to aspire to in future. But beyond these inspirational females, over the past few months and years we’ve also witnessed the confident emergence of a new breed of feminists: men.
By now we’ve all seen Andy Murray’s epic intervention in pulling up everyday sexism in sports journalism, delivering a withering riposte to an American journalist in his own inimitable style during a post-match Wimbledon press conference. Tired and injured, Murray could have been forgiven if he’d given a more self-absorbed performance to the assembled media, but instead he gave a feminist masterclass in three succinct syllables. It’s no wonder that Serena Williams said at the weekend that she didn’t think that there was “a woman player who is not totally supportive of Andy Murray” because of his consistent and vocal support for “women’s issues and women’s rights, especially in tennis”. He’s a real hero.
Every one of the small advancements laid out here has been met with a predictable backlash from a threatened male minority who can feel the power slipping through their fingertips. These bitter, angry men who can tell that their time’s nearly up.
But these new feminists, the Andy Murrays and Justin Trudeaus of the world, see things from a modern perspective. Not only is equality directly essential for those of us who have been previously excluded or held back, but they understand that it’s vital for all of us who aspire to build that fairer, more equal society. Equality doesn’t simply benefit minorities, and it’s not the case that one group suffers from the achievements of others. Equality benefits us all in a multitude of ways, from improved health to an expansion in economic growth.
For example, a study by McKinsey & Company in 2015 showed that companies who demonstrated a commitment to gender diversity were 15 per cent more likely to have better financial results than their competitors. What’s more, a recent UK Government report has suggested that eliminating the current gender pay gap could add £150 billion to the UK’s GDP figures by 2025.
The absence of equality for all, regardless of gender or race, is one of the biggest brakes on our progress as a society and an economy.
Women alone will not achieve gender equality. We’ll need team effort to take the final steps towards our goal.
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