Feminist New Year’s resolutions to make 2019 the year of girl power
AMONG your personal goals for 2019 may be the desire to become more ‘woke’ — a woman who is willing to think critically about issues affecting not just her, but other women (and men, too), because of gender inequalities in our society. Though it might seem like a huge challenge to become an active feminist, it is actually just as simple as believing that people should have equal access to opportunities and resources, regardless of gender. Here are a few steps to get you started this year.
Love yourself
Self-love is the first step to loving anyone or anything, because you cannot pour from an empty cup. It’s not just about captioning all the pictures on your Instagram with “I love me” and “I’m feelin’ myself”. It’s about eating things that are good for your body, getting enough exercise, going for your medical check-ups, taking the best care of your hair and skin, removing yourself from situations that deteriorate your mental health, and accepting your flaws that make you who you are. Once you learn to love yourself wholly, it becomes so much easier to love and want the best for everyone else around you.
Educate yourself about current women’s issues
Twitter is a great place to know what’s happening daily, not just in your country, but globally. Every notable event has a matching hashtag (#metoo has been the most popular feed for matters related to sexual assault and gender-based violence for 2018). Also follow local news to know the latest developments on laws regarding women’s rights, as well as incidents that indicate the current state of affairs with respect to women.
Read more books by women
Before you can form a substantial opinion on anything, it is essential that you become educated on the matter. Feminism is no different. Reading books by feminist authors of the last century such as Charlotte Perkins Gilman, Virginia Woolf, Betty Friedan and Gloria Steinem are just as important as reading from the more modern feminists such as Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie, Michelle Obama, and Roxane Gay. Our local feminist authors like Una Marson, Nicole Dennis-Benn, Velma Pollard, Shelly-Ann Weeks, Carolyn Cooper and Olive Senior give a deeper understanding of what it means to be a woman faced with the peculiarities of a patriarchal Jamaican society.
Be kind to other women
It is a widely held belief that women are more critical and judgemental of other women than men are. Sadly, it may be true. It is therefore important for us, as women, to not just become empowered, but to seek to empower other women. This doesn’t come by preaching feminism on buses, but by treating each woman as a beloved sister. Simple acts such as giving an older woman a seat on a bus, offering to help a single mother with a task, or giving a girl a compliment on her outfit, all go a long way in strengthening the bond of the sisterhood.
Promote gender equality
It might be in the way you divide chores between your son and daughter, or the way you treat drivers of either sex on the roads. Promoting gender equality is not only for people who hold great power in society; it’s something we all can do. Not making assumptions about gender roles, such as a nurse being a woman or a heavy machine operator being a man, shows that you believe that either is capable of holding the position. You can also show your support by joining movements and lobby groups in support of gender equality.
