If I could've, I would've been out in London with the likes of Annie Lennox supporting the continued achievements of other women.
[/pre-emptive tl;dr] [begin advocacy]
You know, in my recent interview with that horrible professor we somehow got onto the topic of feminism and gender equality, and I commented on the lack of protection for women who are abused daily on the streets. Casual abuse - ogling, catcalls, stalking, unwanted attention, that sort of thing, basically everything illustrated in here. He countered what I said by talking about the UK's state of high surveillance, and I was feeling too rattled to make a reply and didn't want to go into a debate on rape culture in what was supposed to be an interview on English literature anyway. >_>
After I left and ever since, I dearly wish I could've pointed out to him that he was grievously marginalising the need for women to be protected when on the streets. Not only to BE protected, but to FEEL protected.
Because these are the facts:
shakesville
Rape culture is 1 in 6 women being sexually assaulted in their lifetimes. Rape culture is not even talking about the reality that many women are sexually assaulted multiple times in their lives. Rape culture is the way in which the constant threat of sexual assault affects women's daily movements. Rape culture is telling girls and women to be careful about what you wear, how you wear it, how you carry yourself, where you walk, when you walk there, with whom you walk, whom you trust, what you do, where you do it, with whom you do it, what you drink, how much you drink, whether you make eye contact, if you're alone, if you're with a stranger, if you're in a group, if you're in a group of strangers, if it's dark, if the area is unfamiliar, if you're carrying something, how you carry it, what kind of shoes you're wearing in case you have to run, what kind of purse you carry, what jewelry you wear, what time it is, what street it is, what environment it is, how many people you sleep with, what kind of people you sleep with, who your friends are, to whom you give your number, who's around when the delivery guy comes, to get an apartment where you can see who's at the door before they can see you, to check before you open the door to the delivery guy, to own a dog or a dog-sound-making machine, to get a roommate, to take self-defense, to always be alert always pay attention always watch your back always be aware of your surroundings and never let your guard down for a moment lest you be sexually assaulted and if you are and didn't follow all the rules it's your fault.
And the International Women's Day supporters know exactly what this means, just like the vast majority of women know exactly what this means. 1 in 6 women sexually assaulted in their lifetimes. Even more subject to sexual harrassment and discrimination on the basis of their gender.
You know what that means? More than one of the women in this guild - the friends you know and love - have been abused, have been hurt, have felt the grip of fear or shame, have been put into positions where they've been made to think about whether to fight or flee or beg for their integrity. Because they're women.
Are we equals?
We can change this, though. By instilling into children proper values of equality, we can pave the way to a world without fear. So long as there are men who can say on national TV "I like to think I run the women in my life, just because they're women" (Source: advert for BBC3 series "How To Live With Women") or women who believe that "it's a man's job" to do certain things, we're not living in an equal society, or an equal world.
6% of college-aged men admit to rape - over 1 in 20 - when the word "rape" is not actually mentioned. Boys - be aware of your actions, and the problems that we face. Treat the women in your life with RESPECT, and help us redefine the concepts of masculinity. You're not all victim-blaming rapists controlled by your urges... so do be sure that you act like it. mrgreen
