Empowering women
“Gender equality today for a sustainable tomorrow”. That’s the theme for International Women’s Day 2022 which is being celebrated on the 8th March. According to the World Economic Forum 2021 report on the global gender gap, no country in the world has achieved gender equality. While it remains an unnerving statement, nine countries have closed at least 80% of their gap. With this in mind, we felt it was the perfect opportunity to champion the extraordinary women who have been part of the progress in female empowerment across the world.
Elin Wägner and Elizabeth Tamm
Tying in perfectly with this year's theme around sustainability is Elin Wägner and Elizabeth Tamm, notable Swedish suffragettes and peace activists. After women’s suffrage had been achieved in Sweden in 1921, they founded the ‘Fogelstad Citizen School for Women’ along with other female activists to educate women in their new rights as citizens. The two became known as trailblazing feminists of the 19th century. Tamm was also an organic farmer and one of the first women in parliament, while Elin wrote on matters of ecology, suffrage and peace. Together they wrote a pamphlet, or rather a call to action, in 1940 entitled Peace with the Earth. It emphasised the importance of women’s inherent connections with the earth and highlighted the link between environmental issues, feminist and matriarchal cultures of the past. “It will not be possible to reconnect with the Earth until women are won over. The Earth needs women and women need the Earth is our motto… peace on Earth and a new and peaceful relationship with the Earth are inseparable.” Tamm and Wägner advocated that if humankind was to survive, looking after nature must come first.
Riot grrrl
Punk’s great feminist movement came in the form of riot grrrl. Spanning decades and generations, there are countless women considered to be instrumental in defining the riot grrrl revolution: Patti Smith, PJ Harvey, Poly Styrene, X-Ray Spex, The Slits, Kathleen Hanna and Bikini Kill. The list goes on. It took off in the early 90s in Olympia, Washington and quickly expanded across the world, inspiring a new generation of creative women who started to express themselves in punk rock. It was a key moment in music history and its influence could be seen across the spectrum, even as far as pop music and The Spice Girls who became prominent figures of the girl power movement. Young feminists around the world seized the opportunity to discuss issues of gender, race and sexuality through the creation of new music and fanzines. Riot grrrl’s punk philosophy disrupted the alternative music scene and tackled sexism by creating a new subculture for women rather than following the status quo. It was a new type of feminism.
Audre Lorde
“I am a Black, lesbian, mother, warrior, poet.” Audre Lorde addressed matters such as sexuality, racism, feminism, classisim and homophobia through her poetry. Born in 1934 in New York, she dedicated her life to activism by writing poems and essays of protest. She declared that gender oppression is inseparable from other forms of oppression. While Audrey didn’t refer to herself as one, she is often considered a ‘womanist’. Coined by writer and social activist Alice Walker in the 1980s, 'womanism' emerged as a form of feminism that addressed the experiences of black women fighting for gender equality. Audrey was integral to second wave feminism, civil rights, gender equality and black movements. As a queer black woman, she came to feminism with different concerns and experiences from her white hetereosexual counterparts. This formed the basis of her writings which explored queer experience and sexuality while calling for social and racial justice. Audrey continues to inspire generations through her powerful words.
Maya Angelou
An icon, an activist and a writer, Maya Angelou took a politically charged and feminist approach to poetry. She was a female African-American writer and poet who was conscious about racism in America and her position among female black writers. Her commitment to racial justice, humanity and feminism was lifelong and her works are a reflection of her black womanhood. She was active in the Civil Rights Movement and worked alongside Malcolm X and Martin Luther King Jr. Maya’s poems concentrate on the female voice and identity. She used her own voice and personal experiences with racism and oppression against black women in her works. Maya rejected social norms concerning family, resisted stereotypes and advocated for women to find their self-confidence. She influenced other female writers to open themselves up to the world without shame and consequently became a prominent voice of feminism and power amongst young women. The feminine aspects of her writing communicated so many issues to all women and her poems display strength. Today, Maya remains a key figure in the feminist revolution and black women’s suffering.