The health crisis has made it all the more clear that changes in gender equality take time, a lot of time, even. An observation which is seen in the most intimate sphere of each: the sharing of household tasks. If this fact may seem superficial in the face of concrete violence against women, we must not forget that it is inside homes that mentalities are forged.
"My intern admitted to me that when he clears the table, his brother always leaves the assembly very quickly to let her alone help their mother.", Explains Isabelle Magyar, adviser to UN Women, on the movement HeForShe. An anecdote which may seem banal to some, but which shows a constant inequality and anchored in the daily life of the whole earth … household chores. And even more in this global health crisis. "The women found themselves at home doing telework, while having dinners, lunches and taking care of the children's school. This sphere is linked to education, to culture. Progress does not are not so easy to do because we are touching on social norms ", says Isabelle Magyar.
"Right now, we might have thought that there is a sharing of housework in the couple. But no. Women do 70% housework. According to an Ipsos study, 49% couples say they argue about these tasks and what is worrying: 40% young boys admit that their future spouse will do the laundry, "she added.
According to the counselor, "there is a lot of work to raise awareness among men, but also women so that a spirit of partnership in this private space" is built. "Washing the dishes is not codified feminine task. Men and women know how to do it, with differences perhaps, but sharing is possible. The space of the private life should be neutral, the housework does not have no gender. Efforts must be made in the transmission and education of the youngest. "
UN Women
UN Women, a United Nations entity dedicated to gender equality and the empowerment of women, was born in 2010 and took an interest in this problem of representation within households, thanks to the #HeForSheAtHome movement.
Before continuing, a quick reminder of what UN Women and HeForShe are. "Through offices around the world and a network of national committees, the organization's mission is to influence states so that laws on equality between men and women are put in place. In times of crisis and in war, women are often the first victims so we are working to prevent this through initiatives to support them, "says Isabelle Magyar. The councilor takes the example of Tunisia during the Arab Spring. UN Women has rolled out female leadership programs to develop democracy in cities.
Similarly, the entity wants to integrate women into all aspects of peace and security processes and thus end the violence against them.
This point echoes with The shadow pandemic (the shadow pandemic), which refers to the increase in this aggressiveness towards the female sex during confinement.
HeForShe
HeForShe is a global movement that "invites all men and young men to engage and contribute to gender equality, to remove the social and cultural constraints that prevent women and girls from realize their potential. " Launched on September 20, 2014 by UN Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon, and Emma Watson, UN Women’s Global Goodwill Ambassador, millions of men around the world have joined HeForShe. Among them, we find heads of state, CEOs, international luminaries and many celebrities like Barack Obama, Justin Trudeau, Harry Styles, Jean-Laurent Bonnafé or Emmanuel Faber. "At the beginning, there were debates on the name 'HeForShe' because some people could hear 'men for women', but it is not at all that. Women do not need men, they need their commitment, 'insists Isabelle Magyar.
"There was a click in one of the conversations about the speed of change in women's rights around the world. The founder of the movement told us at the time: it is a little normal that progress should be so long , because, look, around this table where we think, there are only women. And the big decisions of the world are taken by men (heads of state, bosses of companies, directors of universities) without them we cannot change society. "
UN Women Executive Director Phumzile Mlambo-Ngcuka said that "if we could get a billion people involved, we could make a difference."
A website was thus created with a counter, which is still running, to reach this billion. The idea boils down to: "tell us that you are HeForShe. If you are head of state, make laws, if you are a craftsman, make the ways in which you treat your female employees the same as men and if you are a father, let your daughter become a footballer… Everyone has their role to play ", comments Isabelle Magyar.
#HeForSheAtHome
HeForShe therefore launched on April 15, 2020, at the request of the Secretary General of the United Nations, the #HeForSheAtHome campaign in response to COVID-19. The campaign aims to highlight the burden on women, and to encourage men and young men to participate in it to rebalance family responsibilities and the burden of daily tasks. In the long term, #HeForSheAtHome aims to challenge cultural models and change habits in the long term. The campaign takes place on social networks: it invites men to share photos or videos of them explaining why it is important to share everyday life by tagging @HeForShe and #HeForSheAtHome.
#HeForSheAtHome highlights the fact of "doing the tasks together" and "sharing" them, and is not intended to be in negative judgment. It is a question of avoiding that the men "help" their partner, mother or sister …
"We have to change social norms. The more testimonials we have, the more natural and obvious equality between women and men will become," says Isabelle Magyar.