Embracing Equity
Growing up in Lusenda, a small village in the Democratic Republic of Congo, from a very young age I can vividly remember hearing “You will have a lot of inheritance. You are so spoiled. You don’t have to do house chores.”
Born in a family of 8 children and being the only boy, I did not fully understand what such comments meant, especially when it was a cultural expectation for everyone to be generous, to help and respect each other. On the surface, my culture seemed to have values that embraced everyone’s humanity and dignity. However, as young as I can recall, I started to notice the subtle difference in gender. For example, the birth of a boy child meant more cows, chicken, fish being slaughtered and a big celebration.
As I got older, I also came to fully understand what the comments meant - but I wondered, how could the value of respect for each other and genuine generosity cohabitate with gender inequity that was and continues to be part of my culture’s DNA. I remember one day after school, asking both my mother and father why would people say that I will get everything they own should anything happen to them. That can’t be, I exclaimed. What about my sisters?
As I grew up and sadly became a refugee in Tanzania, Kenya, Burundi and now living in Canada, I quickly came to understand that while I was wrestling with the issue of inheritance, chores and other gender roles and inequities in my culture they existed in all cultures. Gender issues on the surface show up differently in various cultures, but they were all challenges that women across the globe experience and continue to face daily due mainly to patriarchal systems that centres things and favours male at the expense of women.
Although policies and laws prohibiting gender-based discrimination and oppression have been passed by countries around the world, women today are still victims of patriarchal systems that have rendered their humanity into a “small gender box.” Canada, like many other countries around the world, continues to struggle with dismantling gender inequities. For example, the gender pay gap still exists in Canada.
Women, on average only earn 89% of what a man does.
For racialized women the average is only 50%
And the disparity is larger for women and gender diverse people with a physical disability report being fairly paid compared to their peers of 16%
I would argue that inequity and gender inequity specifically, is the crisis of our time: the generations to come will not judge us by how we talked about the increased inequalities around the world, but rather by how we boldly tackled gender inequity. We have an opportunity now to be bold and say enough is enough. As a social activist, I understand like with many other social issues, it takes the dominant group to become upset and tired with the status quo for sustainable and meaningful change to happen. I strongly believe that for genuine gender equity to happen, men as a group, we have to examine the role we play in sustaining and maintaining the status quo. We, men and everyone collectively, must boldly accept that gender equity is not just a nice to have or talk, but rather a must have, and the only right thing to have. Gender equality must become part of our collective DNA so that we can actively amplify each other’s humanity and dignity and in so doing we embrace equity for all.
Women can’t be told to wait longer anymore and this can’t be left to them alone – the time to act is now so that we can collectively reap the benefit of a world where no one is judged by their gender but rather by inherent humanity and dignity. As Ida. B Wells said “The way to right wrongs is to turn the light of truth upon them.”
Men and the Society as whole: “We have to get over the fear of facing the worst in ourselves. We should instead fear unexamined oppression. Fear the thought that right now, you and I could be contributing to the oppression of others, and you don’t know it. But do not fear those who bring that oppression to light. Do not fear the opportunity to do better.” - Ijeoma Oluo
