Superstar Beyonc? Knowles-Carter is speaking again, but this time it’s not with a song or album. She has penned a new essay called “Gender Equality Is a Myth” for The Shriver Report: A Woman’s Nation Pushes Back from the Brink.?This report focuses mainly on the millions of women who are financially insecure and how women are still faring in the wage war and society in general.
In the very first two lines, Mrs. Carter gives it to us straight; saying that:
We need to stop buying into the myth of gender equality. It isn’t a reality yet.
Thank you Beyonc? for that proverbial smack in the face to the groups of people out there who are quick to deny not just sexism, but racism, homophobia, classism, etc, and reside in a world of equality and equal opportunity that the star points out, does not actually exist.
She goes on to say that both women?and?men need to accept that women making around 77 % of what the average man makes is unacceptable.
Beyonc? writes:
Men have to demand that their wives, daughters, mothers and sisters earn more.
Yes! As with any social movement and fight for equality, the oppressors cannot do all of the work. Those that possess most of the power [in this case, men] must stand up for injustices as well. Without this, as she so eloquently writes, true equality will not and can not be achieved.
She continues writing about how we must teach boys about equality and respect so that they will view gender equality as just another part of life. Normalizing this social concept will make a huge difference in the struggle for equality of the sexes. Too often we try, valiantly, to teach our girls that they can be anything they want. I mean, Mrs. Carter even writes that we should teach girls that they can reach “as high as humanly possible.” While flawed, she is still ?a pretty good example of reaching high and being incredibly successful; she has won numerous Grammys, is worth hundreds of millions, is friends with esteemed women like Oprah Winfrey and Michelle Obama, and is an inspiration to countless people everywhere. ?Accomplishing these things as a woman of color makes it that much more of an encouraging success story. ?I am sure Beyonc? personally understands the importance of dreaming big, and wants to guarantee that other girls and women do as well. However, reaching out to boys and men is equally important. We all inhabit this world together; men need women and women need men. The fight for equality is greater when the mix of all great talents and minds, of?all?sexes and gender identities, comes together to advance freedom and opportunity.
While celebrities like Beyonc? are mostly known for pleasing us with their songs and movies and other forms of entertainment, they also can have a voice on the vital issues of our time. In Mrs. Carter’s case, a very powerful voice. When she speaks, we listen. I am happy that she took the time to contribute to Ms. Maria Shriver’s amazing and important report on women. Whether you like her music or not, let’s all give her claps for that.
Read the entire essay from Beyonc? here.
Edited/Published by: SB
