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The ending of, and if necessary the provision of redress for, inequalities between women and men that result in women's subordination to men.
These inequalities may be in:
· the distribution of resources and opportunities that enable individuals to build human, social, economic and political capital;
· the conceptions of human dignity, personal autonomy and rights that deny women physical integrity and the capacity to make choices about how to live their lives.
Gender justice requires that women are able to ensure that power-holders- whether in the household, the community, the market or the state - can be held accountable so that actions that limit on the grounds of gender, women's access to resources or capacity to make choices, are prevented and sanctioned. (Goetz, 2003).
The World Alliance of YMCAs is supporting work in three critical areas of concern:
· Violence against women
· The underrepresentation of women at senior levels of leadership and decision-making in public, professional and economic life
· The feminization of HIV/AIDS
Other areas where gender-based discrimination and inequalities are manifest include:
· Access to education, and healthcare
· Nutrition
· Property rights and inheritance
· Stewardship of natural resources
· Employment
· Poverty
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An address to the 16th World Council of YMCAs, Durban, South Africa, July 2006 / By Phumzile Zondi-Mabizela
I believe the gender discourse within our different communities has a lot of liberating potential and is a rich source for learning. Definition of "mine" in Encarta dictionary: a rich source of something, especially information - and hidden explosive! But, this also means this gender mine has potential to explode and destroy as well!
I am going to focus on some of the stereotypical teachings and beliefs that have been used to perpetuate gender inequality that has in fact diminished our ability to treat each other as equal human beings.
RECONSTRUCTING GENDER
In our attempts to strive for gender justice, it is important for us to understand that gender is a social construct. We are born with specific biological characteristics and features that make us either male or female. It is only after birth that the engendering process begins. This is when we are taught how to behave, dress and are prepared for our role in society as men and women. These teachings often deprive women and men of the freedom to express themselves freely.
The gendering process is subjective and is often shaped by cultural and social beliefs of different communities. According to Rachel Alsop, Annette Fitzsimons and Kathleen Lennon in, "Theorizing Gender," assert that:
Our understanding of the world is mediated through ideas, concepts, etc…, by means of which we make sense of it. 'Man' and 'woman' are not just labels for kinds of things already ordered independently of us. What counts as a man or woman will depend on the meanings we give to these terms. This recognition is linked to another, namely that the meanings we give are never fixed and close. They can vary according to context and over time. They are open to context and debate. (2002:81)
Therefore the issue of gender is open to change and development. There are lots of developments in many aspects of our lives. Holding on to gender stereotypes like the belief that women are gentle and men are aggressive, in the light of this dynamic transformation of cultures, amounts to a societal suicide! We are evolving beings with evolving cultures, therefore ideologies that shape our lives like the ideology of gender roles, should also evolve. What role has religion played in this discourse?
CREATION STORIES
This has been one of the major theological tools that have been used to perpetuate inequality. The most popular creation story is the one in Genesis 2, which asserts that there was a hierarchy in the creation of human beings. The fact that Adam was created before Eve has been used to justify men's superiority. This has also led to the belief that men are more like God than women are. This of course is a distortion of the order of things. Genesis chapter 1 does not have a hierarchy, verse 27 says God created them male and female fullstop.
Most believers, especially the older generation, have internalized different teachings on gender over the years. They truly believe that God is male, women were created out of a rib, which makes them incomplete without a man, women cannot lead, only men can be heads of families just like Christ is head of the church and other similar oppressive teachings.
Prof Denise Ackerman in her argument for the promotion of feminist [and womanist] theologies, asserts that,
Christian teaching on what it means to be human is an exercise in contradictions. On the one hand, all of humanity is understood to be sharing in the image of God. On the other hand, women have been discriminated against on the grounds of their gender, implying that our humanity is not valued as that of men and that men in some way or other are more acceptable bearers of the divine image.
This teaching has pressurised women to act and feel inferior and men to act superior and knowledgeable at all times. With God's name being dragged into the order of things, both genders have just accepted the status quo. This is where the gender 'mine,' has destroyed our communities. Studying the Bible together as women and men, can help us to dispel some of these destructive assertions about the creation stories. We could be asking now, how does this affect our socio-political context, which we as YMCA are deeply involved in transforming into a just world.
FULLNESS OF LIFE
Insistence on the separation of the spiritual from the political is a dangerous exercise. I believe we are striving for gender justice because we truly believe that all of us, irrespective of our genders, deserve life in abundance that Christ brought for us.
The fact that the church leadership is mostly male makes it difficult for them to actively challenge the 'sinfulness' of women oppression. Our sacred text, the Bible, was written by men and uses androcentric language. Some of our church leaders believe in the literal text and have very little skills to derive any positive or liberating messages for the emancipation of women. As far as the majority of church leaders are concerned, any male hierarchical structures present in the church, are not perceived as unjust, but exactly how God intended the church to be.
There are two things that have shaped my activism: The first one is the revelation that the Bible is not the 'Word of God,' it is inspired by God but written by men. Therefore theologians like Elisabeth Schuessler-Fiorenza assert that it is important to approach the Bible with a "hermeneutics of suspicion." The second one is the discovery that the Bible does not have ONE voice. Many theologians like Walter Brueggemann, Claus Westermann and Charles Villa- Vicencio show in their research that the Bible has different trends or trajectories that are shaped by different socio-historical backgrounds and objectives. Out of the different trends or trajectories, only those that justify specific stereotypes have been popularized within our churches. The challenge is exposing as many people as possible to 'other' ways of reading the Bible.
The involvement of men in this struggle is crucial. They should be prepared to denounce power that is realised at the expense of women's lives and dignity. J.P. Munro asserts that:
The basic unit of humanity is not the individual human being, male or female, but man and woman as one……. of course, an individual is either a man or a woman, it is not man without woman that was made in the image of God, but man and woman. As man without woman cannot represent the complete man [sic], so man without a woman cannot render a complete ministry. (1995:63)
INTERGRATING OUR ACTIVISM WITH OUR FAITH
There is also a strong belief in faith based organizations that we should keep what is happening in the world, and our activism separate from our faith, faith should be apolitical. All the positive developments in the struggle for gender justice in our country, should not affect our faith. This has been a huge problem for activists. Professional Christian women who hold powerful positions in society have to be subordinate in church and at home. We all therefore end up living double lives and using different standards at these different places because of these superficial divisions.
Bringing in the successes of our governments in the fight against gender inequality into faith based organizations has been very difficult. We still pretend to be ignorant to this specific victory whilst we choose to celebrate others like the victory against racial and class oppression and actively advocate for them. The challenge is to constantly strive to narrow the gap between our faith based work and the constitution.
Most constitutions of democratic countries, state it clearly that all its citizens should be treated equally. Issues of acceptance irrespective one's sex, gender and class, human dignity, human rights, and equality are emphasised. Reality on the ground is different, women are still oppressed in many ways. Most women do not even know their rights. Those who are in the know, still do not know how to make this knowledge a lived reality in the light of all the religious, traditional and cultural stereotypes.
Humanity cannot claim to be liberated if half of humanity is still undermined and oppressed. Organisations like YMCA that are fighting for social justice have to take this matter seriously. Even those who may seem to be liberated by virtue of their gender, or because they are male, will continue being deprived of fullness of life if other members of their families or spouses are not liberated.
TRANSFORMING OUR REALITY
I will now focus on three socio-economic issues that affect our communities and how striving for gender justice could transform our lives.
Socialization is very important in the reinforcement of gender roles. The fact that girls are encouraged to cry and boys discouraged from crying deeply affects our ability to express our emotions. Different cultures have used songs, myths and rituals to foster the division of gender roles. This pressure to conform to the expected behaviors has disadvantaged women and men. It is important for us to critique and continuously review our socialization process in order to produce well-balanced women and men.
Gender Based violence has destroyed our society. The main cause of violence is our constant hunger to assert our power and prove our superiority. Men have also been encouraged to be tough and have not been given enough skills to negotiate and express their emotions. Because of this, they tend to resort to violence whenever words fail them. Men who are not aggressive and violent to their women, are ridiculed in some cultures.
Gender based violence is supported by the patriarchal system which perpetuates the belief that women are inferior and should be subordinate to men. Because of their low economic status women are often forced to remain in abusive relationships. The trafficking of women and children has also become a global form of slavery and affects rich and poor families. This issue makes women vulnerable to HIV infection.
Poverty is another issue that affects women the most. The feminization of poverty has to be eradicated if we are serious about achieving economic liberation as well. High unemployment rates have led to men's loss of masculine self-esteem. Because of the pressure on men to support their families, this has had a devastating on the breaking down of the family unit.
The gender mine offers us many alternatives to these social ills. It is our responsibility as society to expose the myths that perpetuate these social ills, and explore options for better life. Children can be socialized in a different way. Let us buy boy children doll and teddy bears, and encourage girls to play with trucks. Let us value all our children the same way irrespective of their gender or sex. We must also openly talk about our sexuality, which is a gift from God, and inculcate a culture of respect and reverence of our bodies.
This is the main challenge for YMCA. It is important for the myths which has shaped our communities to be exposed. As young people, we must together develop a culture that will promote gender equality. It is not enough to make commitments without concrete actions. Do we have enough women in our leadership structures? What roles do they play? Gender justice should be priority if we are serious about social justice.
In one the Training for Transformation Manuals I found the following quote, which I thought would be very useful as we chart the way forward:
(Develop) the spirit of self-criticism, the ability of each person to make specific analysis of his or her work, to distinguish in it what is good from what is bad, to acknowledge our own errors and to discover the causes and the effects of these errors. To make self-criticism is not merely to say, 'Yes, I recognize my fault, my error and I ask for forgiveness,' while remaining ready soon to commit new faults, new errors. It is not pretending to be repentant of the evil one has done, whole remaining convinced deep down that it is the others who do not understand. Still less is making self-criticism to make a ceremony so as to go on later with a clear conscience and carry on committing errors. Self-criticism is an act of frankness, courage comradeship and awareness of our responsibilities, a proof of our will to accomplish and to accomplish properly…..To criticize oneself is to reconstruct oneself within oneself in order to serve better. By Amicar Gabral, Unity and Struggle, p2.
CONCLUSION
For life in abundance (John 10:10,) to become a reality for both men and women, we as the YMCA must join hands with other structures and stakeholders to fight against all forms of discrimination and gender injustice. We cannot claim to have all the skills and answers but it is important for us to be committed to this cause because Jesus Christ showed us the way. Major challenges like HIV and Aids which are fuelled by gender inequity, force us to build a world in which men and women respect and honour each other as equal partners.
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An address to the 16th World Council of YMCAs, Durban, South Africa, July 2006 by Toni Letts
To Women, to Democracy and to Humanity
My name is Toni Letts, I work as the Chief executive of South London YMCA I was born in Dublin, South Ireland where my father was a minister in the Church of Ireland; we were the minority in faith in a Catholic Country. It was here that I learned just how unequal we in Ireland were when it came to faith. Although my parents were always on "good terms" with the local Roman Catholic Church priests and the Catholic community - I was very aware of our differences, but that is another story - for another time.
But in the same vein, when it came to my education there was inequality, my parents decided my brother should go to University, whilst I should leave my homeland and go to London to train as a nurse - the fact that my brother wanted to be a farmer and not an academic and I desperately wanted to be a teacher was not even considered by my parents. So I left Ireland at the age of 18 and went to London to train as a nurse at a Guys Hospital. It was there that I learned far more about people, than at any other time of my life - particularly the struggle that women often experienced. Some of the people I nursed were from the poorest families in London and yet like a single beam, which illuminates only a narrow channel of darkness - they always managed to fine a spark of joy in their hard lives.
Women make up 52% of the world's population - although we out number men in many parts of the world we have yet to be considered equal to men.
I do not have to tell you that men and women are born equally free and independent members of the human race, equally endowed with intelligence and ability, and equally entitled to the free exercise of their individual rights and liberty.
The natural relation of the different gender is that of interdependence and co-operation - and that repression of the rights and liberty of one sex by another - inevitability undermines the other and therefore in my mind undermines the whole race.
Here we are in beautiful South Africa - a family gathering through Christ, · a family through our founder George Williams
· a family through the YMCA in 2006
· a family spread across the world and yet within our world there are still countries where laws, creeds and customs - restrict women to a position of dependence, wherever we live in this world we know of families who discourage their young women to seek further education - such families impede the development of women's natural gifts and this is unjust in today's modern society.
The YMCA is a world movement - our logo the triangle - is known throughout the world, often seen as the triangle of "HOPE" it gives a concept of democracy, particularly with the development of human rights within oppressed socio-economic groups - and you know that our triangle means far more to women, to children and indeed men than all the summits of heads of state and Government. - I know the staff at the World Alliance office work hard to endeavour to have their voice heard at the table of such summits - but let me take you back to the Millennium Women's Summit at the UN in 2000 - Women heads of state, Heads of Governments and NGO, s pledged to address the situation of women throughout the world in six areas,
* Peace, security and Disarmament,
* Development and Poverty Eradication
* Protecting our Common Environment
* Good Governance
* Democracy and Human Rights
* Protecting the Vulnerable and Strengthening the United Nations
Six years later where is the progress ? -
* We have 56 on going conflicts within the world right now
* women in many parts of the world are still regarded as second-class citizens - there remains a sizeable pay gap in the earnings of men and women, and from many areas of employment remain gender dominated. Women are largely absent from technological subjects and engineering
* The environment in which some women live in today has not improved but regressed
* Good governance in government affairs - the pendulum swings forward and backward while children die of hunger and thirst in many parts of our world
* Where is democracy and human rights while women and children are sold into slavery - in the year 2006 many via trafficking and others into work camps for rich land owners so we in the west can have cheap coffee
* Protecting the vulnerable and strengthening the United Nations - what real role has Governments played here and what real role has we in the YMCA played here.
Having challenged world Leaders and Heads of State -what about our own movement? We are getting better, but there is still a glass ceiling for the majority of women who work in our organisation.
* after 160 years when are we likely to have a world female president (no disrespect to our beloved current President)
* it is wonderful that YMCA England have appointed a female National Secretary and how excited I am that we are to have a women leading our movement England, and a women who has a track record of delivering.
And what about people like me - as a Chief Executive within a London based large YMCA and having a name that can also be given to a man - I get asked for Mr Letts and am often taken for Mr Toni Letts's secretary!
And how did I get there - other than hard work - I had to grasp every opportunity to develop myself - having qualified as a nurse, married with three children all under 5 years age, I went to university - and studied social science and then - armed with these tools, I managed a youth and community centre on a really tough housing estate and here again, I learnt more than any university degree course could teach me. I saw women heads of households who had the lines of poverty on their faces, I saw women sustaining families with little money and little hope for any change in their lives - so I set aboout creating young mothers groups, women's groups, a prisoner's wives groups all of which embraced the deepening poverty of life choices these women found themselves in and yet like that single beam of light that I found in the women I nursed years earlier.
I joined the YMCA in 1983, working with jobless young people. One of these young people was the first to notice the bruising on my arms and face - he questioned me both in innocence and with concern . He was the first person to speak to me about violence in my home. My family, my friends at Church, my friends and colleagues in my political party, those agencies I was involved had never commented on the bruises and marks on my face - my arms.
In 1984, God gave me strength to leave my abuser - (my husband) and start a new life for my children and me. And yet my YMCA colleagues never asked why was I given up a really nice home to move to a smaller house in a more run down area without my husband - if I were a man - would my male colleagues have questioned me - I don't know.
The YMCA is so male dominated - even today some 22 years on, how many colleagues would believe that domestic violence happens in colleague's homes.
When I go out and give talks to businesses other NGO's - they assume that I come from the YWCA. Christ knew the value of women - he treated them equality and as a Christian led organisation we must follow in his way.
Each YMCA here must leave this conference with a promise to do something to turnaround the inequality we have in this world - Each YMCA represented here must ensure that:
* we live in a period in which there is legislative recognition of equality this must be translated into life acts
* we must speak out about the influences that keep women out of education, employment and real opportunities
* we must debate at every level and at every opportunity women's employment and the right to employment with safe working conditions
* we must assist women to plan their family and not die an early death through multiple births
* we must speak out against the trafficking of women and the sale of women into prostitution
* we must provide a coherent framework for addressing domestic violence
We have a great movement - women make up a large number of this movement. We have brilliant leaders -the majority of which are men.
But I want them to be the voice piece for women who cannot speak for themselves - I want each and every YMCA represented here tonight to commit to making the YMCA a fairer more equal movement - to work with our well respected World Alliance Officers to ensure that their voice is heard on our behalf - so that women and their children can find hope for a better tomorrow whether these women and their children live in London, Paris, New York, Africa, Asia or beyond.
* let us renew the evolution of this great movement for equality and for gender equality.
* Let international co-operation and joint working across the YMCA's and the nations be our watchword
* - in UNION there is strength. Thank you for listening God Bless you and enjoy the rest of the conference!
Thank you for listening
God Bless you and enjoy the rest of the conference!
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