Supporting Equality Between the Sexes: Embracing the Everyday
When we think of gender equality, we often focus on systemic issues like equal pay, parental leave, or representation in leadership. While these are crucial areas, true equality also lies in the everyday—how we treat one another, how we challenge societal norms, and how we normalize the natural aspects of being human.
Equality isn’t just about balancing roles; it’s about dismantling shame and stigma, allowing both men and women to embrace their full humanity without judgment or ridicule. Here are some small but transformative ways we can start fostering equality in our daily lives.
Normalizing Conversations About the Body
Menstruation, periods, sexuality, and sex are natural parts of life, yet they remain taboo in many conversations, especially when men are involved. For true equality, these topics must be normalized across genders.
• For Men: Talking openly about menstruation with your daughters, partners, or friends helps dismantle the stigma. Fathers educating their daughters about periods can make an enormous difference, showing them there’s nothing to be ashamed of. For instance, consider how empowering it would be for a young girl to hear her dad say, “This is a normal part of life, and I’m here to support you.”
• For Women: Women can also lead by example, speaking about their cycles without whispering or hiding. This openness encourages others to see menstruation as the natural process it is, rather than something to be embarrassed about.
As author Gloria Steinem said in her iconic essay If Men Could Menstruate:
“The truth is that, if men could menstruate, the power justifications would go on and on… Men would brag about how long and how much.”
By removing the stigma around menstruation, we can strip it of its power to shame and instead celebrate it as a source of strength and vitality.
Challenging Gendered Expectations
Society often imposes rigid expectations on how men and women should behave. These expectations are subtle but pervasive, and they reinforce inequality.
• Bodily Functions: A man farting or burping is often shrugged off, but a woman doing the same can provoke judgment. Let’s break this double standard by recognizing that everyone’s body is natural, and bodily functions shouldn’t carry gendered stigma.
• Grooming Standards: Women should feel free to choose whether or not to shave their legs, underarms, or any other part of their body without fearing societal backlash. Men can support this by celebrating women’s autonomy over their own bodies and challenging the notion that grooming choices are tied to attractiveness or worth.
As Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie writes in her book We Should All Be Feminists:
“We teach girls to shrink themselves, to make themselves smaller. We say to girls: ‘You can have ambition, but not too much.’”
This shrinking doesn’t just apply to ambition; it applies to how women present themselves in everyday life. By creating space for women to exist unapologetically, we take a step closer to equality.
Shared Responsibility in Parenting and Household Duties
Equality in the home is just as important as equality in the workplace. Both men and women can actively challenge traditional gender roles by sharing responsibilities.
• Men as Full-Time Dads: Men stepping into caregiving roles—whether as full-time dads or equal partners in parenting—normalizes the idea that nurturing isn’t exclusively a woman’s job.
• Women in Leadership: When women are supported in pursuing careers without the guilt of being “absent” at home, it sends a powerful message that ambition isn’t gendered.
Celebrating Authenticity
True equality is about creating a world where everyone feels free to be their authentic selves.
• Men should feel safe expressing vulnerability without being labeled as weak.
• Women should feel empowered to take up space—physically, emotionally, and intellectually—without being criticized for being “too much.”
Education as the Foundation
Equality begins with education. Schools and communities can foster a culture of inclusion and respect by teaching children about:
• Body literacy for all genders.
• Emotional intelligence and empathy.
• The importance of challenging stereotypes and questioning societal norms.
A Shared Vision for the Future
Equality isn’t about women acting more like men or men acting more like women. It’s about embracing the full spectrum of human experience and recognizing that strength lies in diversity, empathy, and mutual respect.
As bell hooks eloquently states in her book Feminism is for Everybody:
“To be truly visionary, we have to root our imagination in our concrete reality while simultaneously imagining possibilities beyond that reality.”
By normalizing the natural, challenging double standards, and embracing shared responsibilities, we can create a world where equality is not just an ideal, but a lived reality for everyone.
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