UN Women – Women Voices Growing Stronger

UN Women – Women Voices Growing Stronger

The United Nations on the Status of Women will soon hold their Commission on the Status of Women in 2022.  It will likely be online meetings, but it allows me to pause to better understand the work that has been accomplished by women around the world and how much has yet to be done.  No one person is responsible for the progress that has been made, but the work of so many women, along with men is needed to close the gaps that exist for women’s equality and human rights. 

The United Nations Under-Secretary and Executive Director of the Women, Phumizile Alanbo Ngcuka has stated so well:

“The Commission has recognized the importance of removing structural barriers to women’s empowerment, including ending all forms of violence against women; and harassment of women and girls everywhere, be it in the public or private space.  We have recognized that violence against women is an impediment to full equality, as well as to women’s economic empowerment.  We also recognized the importance of ensuring that all the structural impediments to women’s economic empowerment are addressed…  We have to start at home, by ensuring that there is an enabling environment for women’s economic justice and women’s empowerment.”

During this pandemic time, the curtain has been pulled back on how much more is needed to fully achieve equality and the many goals of the Sustainable Development Goals of the United Nations.  We cannot wait until… We each must do what we can to right the wrongs of the past.  If “no one is to be left behind” in this recovery or rebuilding, then we each must do something.  What can you do?

-Sister Joan Atkinson, CSJ, Office for Systemic Justice

Our World Needs More Women Leaders

For centuries leaders in government, business, and professions were men; women were regarded as unfit for leadership.  We are cognizant of ‘the glass ceiling’ that subtly hampers the advancement of women in politics, business, education, religion, or the law. In our time, there are efforts to correct the gender imbalance of power and end discrimination based on gender. However, there may be more important reasons for promoting female leadership than fairness: Women leaders tend to operate with a perspective, focus, and process which differs from that of male leaders. Although characteristics of excellent leadership are not exclusively male or female, our history and traditional ways of raising children have shaped our expectations of how leadership is exercised.  Some examples of women leaders who changed our society:

Emily Murphy, Canadian women's rights activist, jurist, and author.

In 1916, Emily Murphy, a journalist, and activist became the first female magistrate in Canada and the British Empire.  On her first day on the job she was told by a defense lawyer that she had no jurisdiction to hear his client’s case because under the 1867 founding constitution she was not “a person”.  Nevertheless, Mrs. Murphy retained her position for fifteen years and became the leader of the” Alberta Famous Five” women who successfully fought even Canada’s Supreme Court ruling against them before a 1929 decision of the Judicial Committee of the Privy Council in London agreed that women are persons and therefore eligible to sit in the Canadian Senate.   Emily Murphy fought for the rights of women, looked at what underlies the law to advocate for the plight of prostitutes, and worked to obtain just treatment for immigrants and orphaned children. Emily was undeterred by opposition or ridicule and exhibited unremitting tenacity in her efforts to act with justice and love for the disadvantaged members of society.

Donna Hicks is an Associate at the Weatherhead Center for International Affairs, Harvard University.

Donna Hicks, a psychologist, and leader in the field of international conflict was often the sole female member of conflict negotiation teams attempting to bring warring countries together. Whereas men generally focus on logic power and structures, Dr. Hicks focused on violations of human dignity and resolving the unhealed wounds which block exposing vulnerability and prevent open communication and resolution of differences. Yet, this soft power and awareness of the human need to be treated with dignity are far more successful than negotiating from a stance of power.  (See Donna Hicks. Dignity. Yale University Press, 2011).

Florence Nightingale, OM, RRC, DStJ was an English social reformer, statistician, and the founder of modern nursing.

Florence Nightingale, who was in charge of nurses in the Crimean War, was a formidable activist who brought about the reform of hospitals, medical care policies, and nursing in the late 1800s.  Jeanne Mance was the first nurse in New France and the founder of the first hospital in Canada: Hotel-Dieu de Montreal in 1645. Women, in particular, religious communities of women were leaders in founding hospitals, schools, and social services to care for the poor prior to governments taking responsibility for these services.  Dorothy Day, a radical Catholic activist, journalist, and founder of the Catholic Worker movement was cited by Pope Francis in his visit to the United States in 2015 as one of four great Americans (along with Abraham Lincoln, Martin Luther King, and Thomas Merton). Yet Dorothy Day, who was endorsed for canonization, was at odds with the Catholic hierarchy, e.g., in her defense of the union of cemetery workers in opposition to Cardinal Spellman of New York, and in her criticism of Cardinal McIntyre and some priests of Los Angeles about their lack of support for human rights. She was repeatedly jailed because of her active stance of pacifism and opposition to the atomic bomb during WWII.  And it is interesting to note that three countries with women leaders, New Zealand, Germany, and Iceland, were remarkably successful in dealing with the coronavirus pandemic.

So, I ponder, How do great women leaders tend to differ from the leadership of men? Some observations:

1. Women leaders tend to focus their attention and efforts on behalf of those who are poor, sick, deprived, rejected, and needy rather than on building economic wealth or protecting one’s ego.

2. Women leaders are more inclined to work collaboratively rather than competitively.  They are more sensitive to how words and actions impact others and include this emotional content in the process of making decisions. Male leaders tend to focus on logic and overlook emotional wounds which may constitute hidden barriers to open communication.

3. Women leaders, as noted above, displayed courage and tenacity in seeking justice in the face of opposition, or ridicule. 

If we want society to change, we need to have more women leaders in places where they can influence governments, religious institutions, business, law, and social structures.

-Sister Patricia McKeon, csj

THE POWER OF WOMEN

“As a child, I never went to school. Being a poor woman, I was shy and scared to go out of my house. I did not know anything about the outside world. I thought that people might laugh at me or tease me if I go out. I did not know my rights, nor my role in the society. This was my life.”

These words come from Sita Lakshmi. She grew up in the village of Guggila in South-East India. In Guggila, women have little possibilities for personal growth and achievements.

Would you believe Sitha Lakshmi got elected in January 2019 as village mayor?

Here is her story:

15 years ago, Sita Lakshmi joined SOPAR’s Women Program. She recalls:

“I started to attend monthly group meetings and to do small savings. I participated in all the planned activities and skills trainings. With SOPAR’s adult literacy summer classes, I even learned how to read and write. Slowly but surely, I started to feel the change within me. I became brave. I started opening to others. I felt the desire to share my opinions on different subjects. I wanted to improve our living conditions”.

“Some years ago, women members motivated me to become the leader of our women’s group. I accepted the challenge. Then, they encouraged me to run for village council member. To my surprise, I got elected. This experience gave me good knowledge about the village council. And so, I stood for our mayor elections in January 2019 with the encouragement of my family and friends. During the campaign, many people in the village talked negatively about me. How can I even think I could win this election- they laughed and asked? They tried to make me feel as I was worthless. In those moments, I remembered SOPAR’s teachings. To think positively and to know my rights. That women can achieve many great things in life and give service to others in need. I stood strong. I tried not to be influenced by the negative words and… I got elected.”

At SOPAR, we aim to empower rural poor, illiterate and marginalized women like Sita Lakshmi. This requires bringing changes not only in women’s minds and hearts. It also requires changes at the root of unjust systems. It is a very ambitious goal by no means, but we have been pursuing it for more than 40 years now.

Empowering women takes time and commitment, but it works! A total of 147 members of our women program got elected in the 2019 election either as village leader, village leader assistant or council member. These women will continue transforming their village and the Indian society.

Our work is made possible because of the continued and generous support of many donors including the Sisters of St. Joseph in Canada. Together, we make this world a better place for all. On behalf of Sitha Lakshmi, thank you Sisters!

 - Janice Aubry, Program Manager