As much as I want to celebrate equality, many women have to struggle for this each day. The iconic line from Cyndi Lauper’s song ‘Girls Just Wanna Have Fun’has now turned into ‘Girls Just Wanna Have Fun(damental) Human Rights’ because every woman wants to be treated equally.

As of 2014, 143 out of 195 countries legally guarantee equality between men and women. I wish I could say that gender equality, or any equality, enforced by the law translates into equality inthe minds of people. Deeply rooted problems preventing true parity have been promoted by patriarchy for years, passed on from one generation to another disguised as ‘tradition.’

In my country, Russia, it is almost accepted to hate feminism.Russia is notalone in its patriarchal culture, with its dangerous consequences. In Pakistan, a woman who supported women’s empowerment was murdered. Sadly, cases like this occurs around the world despite laws that guarantee equality.

Laws to protect women may not be effective, at least not immediately. Why is this the case? The answer is obvious yet ambiguous: it’s about an evolution in mentality. A transformational change starts by educating people and changing long accepted values, and we must be diligent in creating sustainable solutions on how to implement equality for women worldwide. The world is evolving,but change takes time.

Adaptado de https://www.huffingtonpost.ca/girls-twenty/fundamental-human-rights_b_8521746.html

Sobre a igualdade de gênero, para a autora