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Emma Watson's UN Speech

9 years ago

launching a gender equality campaign, HeforShe -- emphasizing that feminists are not "man-haters" and that men have to take part and be equal too.

Please watch -- she's pretty inspiring. She may end up as Prime Minister someday!

Here is a link that might be useful: Emma Watson HeforShe UN speech

This post was edited by Violet.West on Mon, Sep 22, 14 at 21:48

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Comments (13)

daisychain01
9 years ago
I am so grateful to you for posting this Violet. I am still shaking and my heart is racing. It's been a long time since I felt so affected by someone. You are right. She could change the world and kudos to her for trying.

I have two girls and I teach at an all girls school, so this really hits home.
bestyears
9 years ago
Thank you Violet, I started my day by listening to this. Very powerful and very needed.
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violetwest
Original Author
9 years ago
Very powerful indeed. She apparently received a rousing standing ovation, which I wish had been included in the video.
User
9 years ago
Wonderful speech and I am glad someone with her youth, energy and profile is stepping up. We feminists from the 1970s have been waiting for someone else to take up the mantle!
Lyban zone 4
9 years ago
Thank you violet for posting this,
I hope more people will hear her speech.
texanjana
9 years ago
Thanks for posting! I work for a non-profit whose mission is to empower girls, so of course we have been talking about her speech non stop at the office.
PRO
Joseph Corlett, LLC
9 years ago
Very nice. Too bad she's bought into the myth of the pay gap; it's been debunked on the left and right. Don't make me look it up, please.
Annie Deighnaugh
9 years ago
Her talk reminded me of Katz's TED talk on women's issues being men's issues.

Here is a link that might be useful: Jackson Katz
Annie Deighnaugh
9 years ago
Trebruchet, I've looked it up for you.

This was a study done of earnings by gender one year after graduation....

After we control for hours, occupation, college
major, employment sector, and other factors associated with pay, the pay gap shrinks but does not disappear. About one-third of the gap cannot be explained by any of the factors commonly understood to affect earnings...

Here is a link that might be useful: Graduating to a pay gap

This post was edited by AnnieDeighnaugh on Wed, Sep 24, 14 at 9:49
violetwest
Original Author
9 years ago
Remember that Ms. Watson was addressing the UN and speaking globally. The wage gap may be narrowing in the West, but there are precious few women in the rest of the world that have those kinds of opportunities.

Also, I don't agree it's a myth, but like any statistic-driven argument, it just depends on what factors are being compared. For instance, single, childless white females probably make as much as their male counterparts in the same industry. That's a pretty small percentage, though. Try comparing working women with five children against equivalent male workers, or women of color against white men, or women in scientific fields against men in the same fields.

This post was edited by Violet.West on Wed, Sep 24, 14 at 12:25
User
9 years ago
The pay gap is not a myth.
violetwest
Original Author
9 years ago
ah, this is a pretty contentious issue (although I have a hard time understanding why gender equality of opportunity is so contentious), and it really wasn't my intent to start a debate on it. I was just impressed by Ms. Watson's speech.
aegis1000
9 years ago
I thought that she was amazing (even though she was visibly nervous in her delivery).

I wasn't expecting to be impressed, ... but I was ...

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