tag:theconversation.com,2011:/us/topics/iwd-50769/articlesIWD – The Conversation2024-03-05T13:27:43Ztag:theconversation.com,2011:article/2248202024-03-05T13:27:43Z2024-03-05T13:27:43ZHow Ireland’s double referendum fits into a longer history of voting for constitutional change<p>The referendums taking place in Ireland on March 8 highlight the importance of language. In <a href="https://www.electoralcommission.ie/referendums/referendum-information/what-are-you-being-asked-to-decide-on/">two votes</a>, the public will decide whether to change the wording in the national constitution so that it no longer implies that a woman’s work is in the home and that a family is founded in marriage. </p>
<p>The votes also highlight the potential dangers for governments that seek to amend their constitutions. While both votes look set to pass, there are questions around why, in amending the constitution, the current government hasn’t taken the opportunity to better support people who work as carers for family members – or the people they care for. </p>
<p><a href="https://www.bbc.co.uk/history/historic_figures/de_valera_eamon.shtml">Eamon de Valera</a>, the primary creator of the 1937 constitution, would not have envisaged the majority of women working anywhere but at home. Equally, it is unsurprising that Leo Varadkar, the current Taoiseach, has been cautious in the wording his government has proposed for the most recent amendments to the constitution. There has been not been much dispute over the proposal to remove gendered language but the <a href="https://www.electoralcommission.ie/referendums/referendum-information/what-are-you-being-asked-to-decide-on/#CareAmendment">proposed replacement text</a> commits the state to “strive” to provide support to people working in the home but not to do any more than that. </p>
<p>This has been taken by many as a missed opportunity and is clear evidence of Varadkar’s reluctance to follow the advice of the <a href="https://citizensassembly.ie/wp-content/uploads/2023/02/report-of-the-citizens-assembly-on-gender-equality.pdf">citizens’ assembly</a> held on this topic and a <a href="https://www.oireachtas.ie/en/committees/33/gender-equality/">parliamentary committee</a>. Both called for a more ambitious form of wording in the amended constitution. </p>
<h2>Court rulings and public votes</h2>
<p>Political disagreements over Ireland’s constitution date back at least to the 1950s. The courts have long interpreted its wording in surprising ways. Broadly, each case before the courts has reflected the prevalent economic and social attitudes of the time.</p>
<p>The <a href="https://www.irishtimes.com/culture/books/2023/05/20/a-story-of-church-and-state-in-1950s-ireland-with-an-intriguing-twist/#:%7E:text=The%20Tilson%20case%20involved%20a,the%20Tilson%20family%20tailoring%20firm.">Tilson Case in 1950</a>, which centred around how the children of a Protestant father and Catholic mother should be raised, was the first striking example. It was decided as part of this case that the constitutional article referring to the “special position” of the Catholic church could lead to church and canon law potentially taking precedence over civil law. This article was uncontroversially deleted from the constitution in a 1972 referendum.</p>
<p>It was in that decade, the 1970s, when the major battles began over the constitution. On one side were those who advocated a basic law which upheld traditional Catholic values. On the other were those who argued for a transition to a more liberal, pluralist society. At the same time, an active supreme court was interpreting the constitution in previously unimaginable ways.</p>
<p>A case brought by <a href="https://www.nwci.ie/learn/article/nwc_mark_50_years_since_may_mcgee_won_landmark_contraception_case">May McGee </a> in 1973 hinged on the constitutional right to privacy but was aimed at, and ended up overturning, a 1935 ban on contraception.</p>
<p>A successful court case on the right of women to sit on juries followed. But then the 1980s witnessed the first of a series of divisive referendums. A referendum to make divorce constitutional failed in 1986 and barely passed in 1995.</p>
<p>Even more acrimonious was the <a href="https://www.referendum.ie/archive/referendum-on-the-right-to-life-of-the-unborn-eighth-amendment-of-the-constitution-bill-1982/">referendum</a> in 1983 which made abortion unconstitutional but, in actuality, led in 1992 to the supreme court interpreting the same article in the constitution as <a href="https://www.thejournal.ie/twenty-years-on-a-timeline-of-the-x-case-347359-Feb2012/">granting women the right to abortion</a>. There followed more referendums that year and again in 2018, when a majority of people voted in a referendum to legalise abortion.</p>
<h2>Lessons from Irish referendums</h2>
<p>Ireland has by now held multiple referendums on amending its constitution. Over the course of these events it has become clear that the government is more likely to succeed in getting people to vote for change when it runs an effective campaign that makes them feel engaged. Perhaps more important than that is to prepare the ground well. Governments win support for legislative and constitutional change when those changes are carefully planned and have been clearly articulated and explained to the electorate prior to the referendum.</p>
<p>When that has not been the case, governments have been defeated in their attempts to amend the constitution. Notable examples which stand out here, include the 2001 vote on the European Union’s <a href="https://www.europarl.europa.eu/about-parliament/en/in-the-past/the-parliament-and-the-treaties/treaty-of-nice">Nice treaty</a> and then the 2008 vote on the <a href="https://www.theguardian.com/world/2008/jun/13/ireland">Lisbon treaty</a>. A 2013 referendum on abolishing the senate, the upper house of the Irish parliament also went against the government.</p>
<p>There is some evidence of complacency on the part of the government and political parties ahead of the March 8 referendums but the expectation, generally, seems to be of <a href="https://uk.news.yahoo.com/majority-irish-voters-intend-vote-121645980.html?guccounter=1&guce_referrer=aHR0cHM6Ly93d3cuZ29vZ2xlLmNvbS8&guce_referrer_sig=AQAAAN7yF8PTQXuRf2WVRtnY56tyshdTKSQXzUMOEK2J0ghmwegrPTJStlvgF19A3u30m86QxtqeUZrnEjLkNQh09CHO4jwaz1Q9mE4FhpMXtLz-EuhVSLfBjqw2EV6kWFYHSAGW3wLKhG9jDXkjC1LPzH5TW-094fiPQLwydX5hiawa">healthy majority in favour of change</a>. This would follow strong majorities for change in the 2018 referendum to <a href="https://www.theguardian.com/world/2018/may/26/ireland-votes-by-landslide-to-legalise-abortion">legalise abortion</a>, when 66% of people voted yes, and the 2015 vote that saw 62% of people support same-sex marriage. </p>
<p>The question will not, though, perhaps be whether these referendums transform Ireland into a secular society or more liberal society. It will be whether the state will enact the legislative changes to give effect to the constitution amendments, if passed. Will carers and the people they care for receive real support from the state? And will all families be fully recognised in government policies? That is where the hard work begins.</p><img src="https://counter.theconversation.com/content/224820/count.gif" alt="The Conversation" width="1" height="1" />
<p class="fine-print"><em><span>Tomás Finn does not work for, consult, own shares in or receive funding from any company or organisation that would benefit from this article, and has disclosed no relevant affiliations beyond their academic appointment.</span></em></p>Updating the constitution to reflect more liberal values has been the work of decades.Tomás Finn, Lecturer in History, University of GalwayLicensed as Creative Commons – attribution, no derivatives.tag:theconversation.com,2011:article/1560332021-03-07T19:09:27Z2021-03-07T19:09:27ZWise women: 6 ancient female philosophers you should know about<figure><img src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/387658/original/file-20210304-17-1a3p32s.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&rect=24%2C18%2C1998%2C861&q=45&auto=format&w=496&fit=clip" /><figcaption><span class="caption">Michel Corneille the Younger: Aspasia surrounded by Greek philosophers</span> <span class="attribution"><a class="source" href="https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Michel_II_Corneille_-_Aspasie_au_milieu_des_philosophes_de_la_Gr%C3%A8ce_-_Google_Art_Project.jpg">Wikimedia Commons</a></span></figcaption></figure><p>When we conjure up ancient philosophers the image that springs to mind might be a bald Socrates discoursing with beautiful young men in the sun, or a scholarly Aristotle lecturing among cool columns.</p>
<p>But what about Aspasia, the foreign mistress of the foremost politician in Athens who gave both political and erotic advice? Or Sosipatra, mystic, mother and Neoplatonist who was a more popular teacher than her husband, Eustathius? </p>
<p>Women also shaped the development of philosophy. Although their writings, by and large do not survive, their verbal teaching made a significant impact on their contemporaries, and their voices echo through the ages.</p>
<p>More than two millennia later, intelligent, verbal women still struggle to <a href="https://theconversation.com/women-are-rightly-angry-now-they-need-a-plan-156286">have their own voices heard</a>. So here are six ancient female philosophers you should know about.</p>
<hr>
<p>
<em>
<strong>
Read more:
<a href="https://theconversation.com/how-women-historians-smashed-the-glass-ceiling-66778">How women historians smashed the glass ceiling</a>
</strong>
</em>
</p>
<hr>
<h2>1. Aspasia of Miletus</h2>
<p><a href="https://www.ancient.eu/Aspasia_of_Miletus/">Aspasia of Miletus</a> (most active around 400 BCE) was the most famous woman in Classical Athens — or should we say infamous? Although a foreigner, she became the mistress of <a href="https://penelope.uchicago.edu/Thayer/E/Roman/Texts/Plutarch/Lives/Pericles*.html">Pericles</a>, the leader of Athens at the beginning of the Peloponnesian War. </p>
<p>She was not only remembered for her captivating beauty, but also for her captivating mind. Socrates himself <a href="https://www.jstor.org/stable/359005?seq=1">called Aspasia his teacher</a> and relates he learned from her how to construct persuasive speeches. After all, he tells us, she wrote them for Pericles. </p>
<p>She plays a verbal role in at least three philosophical dialogues written by students of Socrates: Plato’s <em>Menexenus</em> and the fragmentary <em>Aspasia</em> dialogues by Aeschines and Antisthenes.</p>
<figure class="align-center zoomable">
<a href="https://images.theconversation.com/files/387675/original/file-20210304-24-bmivvq.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=1000&fit=clip"><img alt="Painting of ancient greek tableau" src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/387675/original/file-20210304-24-bmivvq.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&fit=clip" srcset="https://images.theconversation.com/files/387675/original/file-20210304-24-bmivvq.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=600&h=378&fit=crop&dpr=1 600w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/387675/original/file-20210304-24-bmivvq.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=600&h=378&fit=crop&dpr=2 1200w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/387675/original/file-20210304-24-bmivvq.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=600&h=378&fit=crop&dpr=3 1800w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/387675/original/file-20210304-24-bmivvq.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&h=475&fit=crop&dpr=1 754w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/387675/original/file-20210304-24-bmivvq.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=754&h=475&fit=crop&dpr=2 1508w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/387675/original/file-20210304-24-bmivvq.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=754&h=475&fit=crop&dpr=3 2262w" sizes="(min-width: 1466px) 754px, (max-width: 599px) 100vw, (min-width: 600px) 600px, 237px"></a>
<figcaption>
<span class="caption">Socrates seeking Alcibiades in the House of Aspasia by Jean-Leon Gerome (1861).</span>
<span class="attribution"><a class="source" href="https://www.wikiart.org/en/jean-leon-gerome/socrates-seeking-alcibiades-in-the-house-of-aspasia">Wikiart</a></span>
</figcaption>
</figure>
<h2>2. Clea</h2>
<p><a href="https://www.jstor.org/stable/637920?seq=1#metadata_info_tab_contents">Clea</a> (most active around 100 CE) was a priestess at Delphi — a highly esteemed political and intellectual role in the ancient world. The religious practitioners at the shrine received frequent requests from world leaders for divine advice about political matters. Clea was part of this political-religious system, but she believed in the primary importance of philosophy. </p>
<p>She found many opportunities for in-depth philosophical conversations with Plutarch, the most famous intellectual of his time. Plutarch tells us in the prefaces to <a href="https://penelope.uchicago.edu/Thayer/E/Roman/Texts/Plutarch/Moralia/Bravery_of_Women*/home.html">On the Bravery of Women</a> and <a href="https://penelope.uchicago.edu/Thayer/E/Roman/Texts/Plutarch/Moralia/Isis_and_Osiris*/A.html">On Isis and Osiris</a> how these invigorating conversations on death, virtue and religious history inspired his own work.</p>
<hr>
<p>
<em>
<strong>
Read more:
<a href="https://theconversation.com/hidden-women-of-history-the-priestess-pythia-at-the-delphic-oracle-who-spoke-truth-to-power-108401">Hidden women of history: the priestess Pythia at the Delphic Oracle, who spoke truth to power</a>
</strong>
</em>
</p>
<hr>
<h2>3. Thecla</h2>
<p>When she first appears on the scene in the Acts of Paul and Thecla, <a href="https://www.biblicalarchaeology.org/daily/people-cultures-in-the-bible/people-in-the-bible/who-was-thecla/">Thecla</a> (most active around 1st century CE) is leading a normal middle class life, sequestered at home and about to make an advantageous marriage. But leaning out of her balcony, she hears the dynamic preaching of Paul and decides on a radically different path. </p>
<p>She follows Paul around, resists a variety of amorous advances and survives being thrown to carnivorous seals in the arena. Finally, she is confirmed as a teacher in her own right and begins an illustrious career. Although it’s been speculated Thecla <a href="https://sophia.stkate.edu/cgi/viewcontent.cgi?article=1002&context=ma_theology">never really existed</a>, her legend inspired many women to pursue a life of philosophy. </p>
<p>Some 250 years later, <a href="https://orthodoxwiki.org/Methodius_of_Olympus">Methodius of Olympus</a> wrote a philosophical dialogue full of women, with Thecla as the star participant, and Macrina (see below) was given a family nickname of Thecla, inspired by her philosophical and religious mission.</p>
<h2>4. Sosipatra</h2>
<p><a href="http://www.societyforthestudyofwomenphilosophers.org/Sosipatra_of_Epheseus.html">Sosipatra</a> (most active around 4th century CE) lived the dream: she had a successful teaching career along with a content family life. After an education in mysticism by foreigners, Sosipatra became a respected teacher in the <a href="https://plato.stanford.edu/entries/neoplatonism/#:%7E:text=Neoplatonic%20philosophy%20is%20a%20strict,%2C%20or%20%E2%80%9Cthe%20Good%E2%80%9D.">Neoplatonic tradition</a>, interpreting difficult texts and mediating divine knowledge.</p>
<p>She was surrounded by male experts, one of whom was her husband Eustathius. But according to Eunapius’ biography in his <a href="https://www.loebclassics.com/view/eunapius-lives_philosophers/1921/pb_LCL134.341.xml">Lives of the Philosophers</a>, her fame was greater than any of theirs, and students far preferred her inspiring teaching. </p>
<h2>5. Macrina the Younger</h2>
<p><a href="http://monasticmatrix.osu.edu/cartularium/life-macrina-gregory-bishop-nyssa">Macrina</a> (circa 330-379 CE) was the oldest of ten in an expansive, influential well-educated Christian family in Cappadocia. </p>
<figure class="align-right zoomable">
<a href="https://images.theconversation.com/files/387672/original/file-20210304-21-12ki3cd.jpeg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=1000&fit=clip"><img alt="statue of woman" src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/387672/original/file-20210304-21-12ki3cd.jpeg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=237&fit=clip" srcset="https://images.theconversation.com/files/387672/original/file-20210304-21-12ki3cd.jpeg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=600&h=800&fit=crop&dpr=1 600w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/387672/original/file-20210304-21-12ki3cd.jpeg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=600&h=800&fit=crop&dpr=2 1200w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/387672/original/file-20210304-21-12ki3cd.jpeg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=600&h=800&fit=crop&dpr=3 1800w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/387672/original/file-20210304-21-12ki3cd.jpeg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&h=1005&fit=crop&dpr=1 754w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/387672/original/file-20210304-21-12ki3cd.jpeg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=754&h=1005&fit=crop&dpr=2 1508w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/387672/original/file-20210304-21-12ki3cd.jpeg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=754&h=1005&fit=crop&dpr=3 2262w" sizes="(min-width: 1466px) 754px, (max-width: 599px) 100vw, (min-width: 600px) 600px, 237px"></a>
<figcaption>
<span class="caption">Saint Macrina on the colonnade of St Peter’s square.</span>
<span class="attribution"><span class="source">Wikimedia Commons</span></span>
</figcaption>
</figure>
<p>She kept the family together through her sharp mind, devout soul and strong will, ultimately transforming her ancestral estate into a successful community of male and female ascetics. </p>
<p>Her brother, Gregory of Nyssa, commemorated her wisdom both in a biography <a href="https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/1549184.The_Life_of_Saint_Macrina?from_search=true&from_srp=true&qid=kH0rj9HTPj&rank=1">Life of Macrina</a> and also in a philosophical dialogue <a href="https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/555076.On_the_Soul_and_the_Resurrection">On the Soul and Resurrection</a>.</p>
<p>The latter depicted a conversation about death between the siblings as Macrina lay dying, in which she displays wide knowledge in philosophy, scripture and the physical sciences.</p>
<h2>6. Hypatia of Alexandria</h2>
<figure class="align-left zoomable">
<a href="https://images.theconversation.com/files/387666/original/file-20210304-19-1v90pwl.png?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=1000&fit=clip"><img alt="sketch of woman" src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/387666/original/file-20210304-19-1v90pwl.png?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=237&fit=clip" srcset="https://images.theconversation.com/files/387666/original/file-20210304-19-1v90pwl.png?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=600&h=879&fit=crop&dpr=1 600w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/387666/original/file-20210304-19-1v90pwl.png?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=600&h=879&fit=crop&dpr=2 1200w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/387666/original/file-20210304-19-1v90pwl.png?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=600&h=879&fit=crop&dpr=3 1800w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/387666/original/file-20210304-19-1v90pwl.png?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&h=1104&fit=crop&dpr=1 754w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/387666/original/file-20210304-19-1v90pwl.png?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=754&h=1104&fit=crop&dpr=2 1508w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/387666/original/file-20210304-19-1v90pwl.png?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=754&h=1104&fit=crop&dpr=3 2262w" sizes="(min-width: 1466px) 754px, (max-width: 599px) 100vw, (min-width: 600px) 600px, 237px"></a>
<figcaption>
<span class="caption">A portrait of Hypatia by Jules Maurice Gaspard, originally the illustration for Elbert Hubbard’s 1908 fictional biography.</span>
<span class="attribution"><a class="source" href="https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Hypatia_portrait.png">Wikimedia Commons</a></span>
</figcaption>
</figure>
<p>Most famous for her dramatic death at the hands of a Christian mob, <a href="https://www.britannica.com/biography/Hypatia">Hypatia</a> (circa 355–415 CE) was a Neoplatonic teacher admired for her mathematical and astronomical works.</p>
<p>One of her successful students, the Christian bishop Synesius, wrote glowing letters to her, exchanging information not only about philosophy but also about obscure mathematical instruments. </p>
<p>She edited her father Theon’s astronomical commentary, which he acknowledged at publication.</p>
<p>Recalling the wisdom of ancient women both expands our view of history and reminds us of the gendered elements of modern complex thought. </p>
<p>This is particularly true in the field of philosophy, which <a href="https://quod.lib.umich.edu/cgi/t/text/idx/e/ergo/12405314.0006.026/--philosophy-x2019s-undergraduate-gender-gaps-and-early?rgn=main;view=fulltext">consistently rates</a> as one of the most <a href="https://www.washingtonpost.com/news/speaking-of-science/wp/2015/01/15/gender-gap-women-welcome-in-hard-working-fields-but-genius-fields-are-male-dominated-study-finds/">gender-imbalanced</a> in the humanities in modern universities.</p>
<p>The ancient world found space to include women’s voices in philosophy, and so must we.</p>
<p><em>Further reading:
for Aspasia: Plato’s <a href="https://www.gutenberg.org/files/1682/1682-h/1682-h.htm">Menexenus</a> and Plutarch’s <a href="https://penelope.uchicago.edu/Thayer/E/Roman/Texts/Plutarch/Lives/Pericles*.html">Life of Pericles</a>;
for Clea: Plutarch’s <a href="https://penelope.uchicago.edu/Thayer/E/Roman/Texts/Plutarch/Moralia/Bravery_of_Women*/home.html">On the Bravery of Women</a> and <a href="https://penelope.uchicago.edu/Thayer/E/Roman/Texts/Plutarch/Moralia/Isis_and_Osiris*/home.html">On Isis and Osiris</a>;
for Thecla: the anonymously written <a href="https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/28201503-the-acts-of-paul-and-thecla">The Acts of Paul and Thecla</a> and Methodius’ <a href="https://www.newadvent.org/fathers/0623.htm">Symposium</a>;
for Sosipatra: Eunapius’ <a href="https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/551639.Philostratus?from_search=true&from_srp=true&qid=tIIasH7NtK&rank=4">Lives of the Philosophers</a>;
for Hypatia: the <a href="https://www.livius.org/articles/person/synesius-of-cyrene/synesius-texts/">letters of Synesius of Cyrene</a> and Socrates Scholasticus’
<a href="https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/48889135-church-history">Church History</a>.</em></p><img src="https://counter.theconversation.com/content/156033/count.gif" alt="The Conversation" width="1" height="1" />
<p class="fine-print"><em><span>Dawn LaValle Norman does not work for, consult, own shares in or receive funding from any company or organisation that would benefit from this article, and has disclosed no relevant affiliations beyond their academic appointment.</span></em></p>When we think about ancient philosophers we tend to imagine old men as deep thinkers. Women too have helped shape modern thought.Dawn LaValle Norman, Research Fellow, Institute for Religion and Critical Inquiry, Australian Catholic UniversityLicensed as Creative Commons – attribution, no derivatives.tag:theconversation.com,2011:article/1546232021-03-04T17:02:35Z2021-03-04T17:02:35ZGang rape exposes caste violence in India and the limits of Me Too<figure><img src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/387598/original/file-20210303-20-1wgn1zt.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&rect=279%2C148%2C5211%2C3252&q=45&auto=format&w=496&fit=clip" /><figcaption><span class="caption">People protesting the gang rape and killing of a woman in Hathras, Uttar Pradesh, hold onto each other as policemen try to detain them in New Delhi, India, in September 2020. The gang rape of the woman from the lowest rung of India's caste system sparked outrage across the country.</span> <span class="attribution"><span class="source">(AP Photo/Altaf Qadri)</span></span></figcaption></figure><p>After details of a violent gang rape in Hathras, Uttar Pradesh, were released to the public last year, protests broke out all over India. <a href="https://thewire.in/women/hathras-gang-rape-and-murder-case-a-timeline">The story of four upper-caste men brutalizing a 19-year old Dalit woman, and her subsequent death from injuries</a> sent shock waves throughout the country. It set off new conversations about violence against marginalized women in India, challenging both traditional spaces and the urban middle- to upper-class Me Too movement. </p>
<p>The Hathras case follows a <a href="https://www.bbc.com/news/world-asia-india-51969961">2012 Delhi gang rape</a> that galvanized a national debate on the treatment of women. The Hathras story is a reminder of the ongoing violence Dalit women in India experience. </p>
<p>Although India’s caste system was <a href="https://www.bbc.com/news/world-asia-india-35650616">officially outlawed in 1950</a>, <a href="https://medium.com/@Bahujan_Power/the-dalit-bahujan-guide-to-understanding-caste-in-hindu-scripture-417db027fce6">caste-based discrimination</a> is still very much in practice. It positions Dalit women at the bottom of the social hierarchy and normalizes rape and sexual violence by upper-caste men. The Dalit community makes up about 25 per cent of India’s population. Indigenous communities (Advasis) have also been marginalized. </p>
<figure class="align-center ">
<img alt="A woman carries a placard that reads 'Stop violence against women'." src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/384892/original/file-20210217-23-127fk6f.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&rect=30%2C61%2C4067%2C2666&q=45&auto=format&w=754&fit=clip" srcset="https://images.theconversation.com/files/384892/original/file-20210217-23-127fk6f.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=600&h=400&fit=crop&dpr=1 600w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/384892/original/file-20210217-23-127fk6f.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=600&h=400&fit=crop&dpr=2 1200w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/384892/original/file-20210217-23-127fk6f.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=600&h=400&fit=crop&dpr=3 1800w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/384892/original/file-20210217-23-127fk6f.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&h=503&fit=crop&dpr=1 754w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/384892/original/file-20210217-23-127fk6f.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=754&h=503&fit=crop&dpr=2 1508w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/384892/original/file-20210217-23-127fk6f.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=754&h=503&fit=crop&dpr=3 2262w" sizes="(min-width: 1466px) 754px, (max-width: 599px) 100vw, (min-width: 600px) 600px, 237px">
<figcaption>
<span class="caption">A protester holds a placard during a demonstration against the gang rape of a Dalit woman in Uttar Pradesh, India, on Oct. 10, 2020.</span>
<span class="attribution"><span class="source">(AP Photo/Anupam Nath)</span></span>
</figcaption>
</figure>
<p>Despite the awareness, <a href="https://www.hrw.org/reports/1999/india/India994-11.htm">the levels of violence against marginalized women in India continue to rise</a>. According to the <a href="http://cdn.ipsnews.net/Library/2020/11/PDF-FILE-1-NCRB-LATEST-CRIME-DATA.pdf">National Crime Records Bureau</a> 26 per cent of reported violent cases against women are instances of men raping Dalit women. The government data reveal that at least <a href="https://www.equalitynow.org/india_caste_system_preventing_justice_nov2020">10 Dalit women and girls</a> are raped daily in India, although the figure is likely much higher as many do not report these incidents out of shame, stigma and fear of violence from the perpetrators. </p>
<h2>Systemic caste violence</h2>
<p>Even after police departments all over the country faced both international and local pressure to deal with the issue, problems with policing continue. Apart from the stigmatization and shame associated with rape, there is limited legal or social support available to women for redressing the violence. </p>
<p>In Hathras, police not only delayed registering the <a href="https://thewire.in/women/hathras-gang-rape-and-murder-case-a-timeline">first information report</a>, but also provided little support to the victim’s family. The failure and apathy to hold perpetrators accountable contributes to systemic impunity for upper-caste men who enable violence.</p>
<p>Explaining the caste system in India, social reformer <a href="https://www.marxists.org/archive/ambedkar/2015.71655.Annihilation-Of-Caste-With-A-Reply-To-Mhatma-Gandhi.pdf">B.R. Ambedkar</a> noted that Brahmins, or the upper caste, maintained the hierarchy by systematically excluding lower-caste Dalits. The Dalits, once called “the untouchables,” help to preserve the notion of <a href="https://warwick.ac.uk/fac/arts/history/students/retrospectives/issues/volume4/retrospectives_iv_2015_-_sarah_gandee.pdf">upper-caste “purity” and rank</a>. </p>
<p>Ambedkar said the <a href="https://warwick.ac.uk/fac/arts/history/students/retrospectives/issues/volume4/retrospectives_iv_2015_-_sarah_gandee.pdf">systematic internalization</a> of the caste hierarchy prevents lower-caste people from challenging the system. </p>
<p><a href="https://doi.org/10.36251/josi.103">The patriarchal view</a> of upper- and lower-caste women are vastly different. Upper-caste female bodies have historically been constructed as desirable, racially pure and protected, so as to maintain caste-purity. On the other hand, lower-caste and Dalit women’s bodies are constructed as readily available and without any subjectivity. Religious customs and social norms have allowed upper-caste men to have easy access to Dalit women’s bodies. Caste-supremacy is <a href="https://news.trust.org/item/20201125013415-sqvxe/">maintained through Dalit women’s bodies</a>.</p>
<h2>Seeking intersectional feminist solidarity</h2>
<p>The Me Too movement has enabled many Indian women to forge bonds over shared experiences of sexual vulnerabilities allowing them to <a href="https://ideas.repec.org/a/spr/decisn/v46y2019i2d10.1007_s40622-019-00212-x.html">hold their abusers accountable</a>. The movement has contributed towards a sense of public acknowledgement of the pervasiveness of sexual violence in India and an abuse of power in the workplace dominated by upper-caste men. </p>
<figure class="align-center zoomable">
<a href="https://images.theconversation.com/files/382381/original/file-20210204-20-57952m.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&rect=0%2C8%2C5682%2C3819&q=45&auto=format&w=1000&fit=clip"><img alt="A woman carries a placard which reads: punish rapists and murderers without delay." src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/382381/original/file-20210204-20-57952m.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&rect=0%2C8%2C5682%2C3819&q=45&auto=format&w=754&fit=clip" srcset="https://images.theconversation.com/files/382381/original/file-20210204-20-57952m.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=600&h=400&fit=crop&dpr=1 600w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/382381/original/file-20210204-20-57952m.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=600&h=400&fit=crop&dpr=2 1200w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/382381/original/file-20210204-20-57952m.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=600&h=400&fit=crop&dpr=3 1800w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/382381/original/file-20210204-20-57952m.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&h=503&fit=crop&dpr=1 754w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/382381/original/file-20210204-20-57952m.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=754&h=503&fit=crop&dpr=2 1508w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/382381/original/file-20210204-20-57952m.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=754&h=503&fit=crop&dpr=3 2262w" sizes="(min-width: 1466px) 754px, (max-width: 599px) 100vw, (min-width: 600px) 600px, 237px"></a>
<figcaption>
<span class="caption">A protester carries a placard in front of the Indian parliament in New Delhi in 2018.</span>
<span class="attribution"><span class="source">(AP Photo/Oinam Anand)</span></span>
</figcaption>
</figure>
<p>However, feminist solidarity in India will take a huge blow if women’s movements don’t acknowledge the role of caste in the perpetration of sexual violence against women. Many upper-caste women remain complicit in caste-hierarchy as it benefits them and affords them social mobility and access to <a href="https://feminisminindia.com/2020/08/05/me-too-movement-rural-india-margins/">economic benefit</a>.</p>
<p>Feminist writer and researcher <a href="https://asiatimes.com/author/sanjana-pegu/">Sanjana Pegu</a> argues that feminist activists need to move beyond the individualist narratives of sexual harassment in the workplace and at home to develop inclusive documentation of women’s experiences of sexual violence. </p>
<p>Marginalized “working class” women without access to social media have limited access to the Me Too movement, which is limited to urban women with a fair amount of social mobility. </p>
<p>Many upper-caste women have spoken about their personal experiences of violence without acknowledging how their lives have benefited from keeping Dalit women in the margins. Feminist movements in India need to collaborate on and advance the demands for justice over sexualized crimes. To do so, organizations need to develop an intersectional approach, allowing Dalit women to take the lead. Doing this work could help challenge caste bias in the legal and institutional systems. </p>
<p>Indians need to acknowledge the plight of Dalit women. The Indian government needs to start calling it what it is — caste-based gendercide — and take action now.</p><img src="https://counter.theconversation.com/content/154623/count.gif" alt="The Conversation" width="1" height="1" />
<p class="fine-print"><em><span>Deeplina Banerjee does not work for, consult, own shares in or receive funding from any company or organisation that would benefit from this article, and has disclosed no relevant affiliations beyond their academic appointment.</span></em></p>Because of its extreme violence, the Hathras rape sent shock waves throughout India: it is a disturbing reminder of the normalization of rape culture there and should be seen as a call to action.Deeplina Banerjee, PhD Student, Gender, Sexuality and Women Studies, Western UniversityLicensed as Creative Commons – attribution, no derivatives.tag:theconversation.com,2011:article/1328512020-03-04T21:20:32Z2020-03-04T21:20:32ZAfter a newborn was found in a recycling bin, a safe haven baby hatch may save lives<figure><img src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/318696/original/file-20200304-66052-149xb24.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&rect=39%2C36%2C2005%2C1324&q=45&auto=format&w=496&fit=clip" /><figcaption><span class="caption">Although the United Nations has raised concerns about the rights of children, advocates say a baby hatch, like the one shown here in Karlsruhe, Germany, can save lives. </span> <span class="attribution"><a class="source" href="https://www.hardtstiftung.org/">(Hardt Foundation)</a></span></figcaption></figure><p>Tragedy struck in November <a href="https://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/saskatoon/baby-dead-saskatoon-bin-police-1.5361612">when an infant was found dead</a> in a recycling bin in Saskatoon. The death renewed concern that there is no way for women in Saskatchewan to safely and anonymously leave their babies if they feel they can’t care for them. </p>
<p>One proposed solution is a baby hatch, a heated, ventilated cabinet into which people can place their infant and leave. After a very short time, sensors inside trigger an alarm that notifies nurses or others to retrieve the child inside. </p>
<p>In October 2018, <a href="https://sanctumcaregroup.com/programs/sanctum-1-5">Sanctum 1.5</a>, a 10-bed home that supports high-risk and HIV-positive pregnant women and their babies, announced plans for a baby hatch. Within the month, these plans were <a href="https://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/saskatoon/saskatoon-sanctum-angel-cradle-idea-on-hold-1.4870498">put on hold</a> by the Ministry of Social Services, which said it wanted a chance to review the plans before proceeding.</p>
<figure class="align-center ">
<img alt="" src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/318535/original/file-20200304-66089-obac8j.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&fit=clip" srcset="https://images.theconversation.com/files/318535/original/file-20200304-66089-obac8j.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=600&h=400&fit=crop&dpr=1 600w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/318535/original/file-20200304-66089-obac8j.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=600&h=400&fit=crop&dpr=2 1200w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/318535/original/file-20200304-66089-obac8j.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=600&h=400&fit=crop&dpr=3 1800w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/318535/original/file-20200304-66089-obac8j.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&h=503&fit=crop&dpr=1 754w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/318535/original/file-20200304-66089-obac8j.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=754&h=503&fit=crop&dpr=2 1508w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/318535/original/file-20200304-66089-obac8j.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=754&h=503&fit=crop&dpr=3 2262w" sizes="(min-width: 1466px) 754px, (max-width: 599px) 100vw, (min-width: 600px) 600px, 237px">
<figcaption>
<span class="caption">Katelyn Roberts, executive director of the Sanctum Care Group, stands next to the stalled construction site of a hatch meant to host an angel’s cradle, where newborns can be safely left for care.</span>
<span class="attribution"><span class="source">THE CANADIAN PRESS/Liam Richards</span></span>
</figcaption>
</figure>
<p>After the infant was found in the recycling bin, leadership at Sanctum 1.5 worked to move plans forward with the baby hatch. Executive Director Katelyn Roberts told the <a href="https://thestarphoenix.com/news/local-news/minister-does-not-commit-to-proposed-angels-cradle-in-saskatoon"><em>Saskatoon Star Phoenix</em></a> that “the tragedy … demonstrates a real need to push the initiative along in a more efficient way.” </p>
<p>Still, the province, and specifically the Department of Social Services, expresses reticence about moving ahead.</p>
<h2>Baby hatches: A place for abandoned babies</h2>
<p>Baby hatches can be traced back to <a href="https://www.nytimes.com/2007/02/28/world/europe/28rome.html">foundling wheels</a> built into the walls of convents and hospitals in the Middle Ages through to the late 1800s. These were barrels embedded in an outside wall of the institution — places women could leave a newborn. They turned a wheel to deliver the infant safely to others without venturing inside.</p>
<figure class="align-left zoomable">
<a href="https://images.theconversation.com/files/318524/original/file-20200304-66074-1h77ks6.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=1000&fit=clip"><img alt="" src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/318524/original/file-20200304-66074-1h77ks6.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=237&fit=clip" srcset="https://images.theconversation.com/files/318524/original/file-20200304-66074-1h77ks6.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=600&h=821&fit=crop&dpr=1 600w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/318524/original/file-20200304-66074-1h77ks6.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=600&h=821&fit=crop&dpr=2 1200w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/318524/original/file-20200304-66074-1h77ks6.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=600&h=821&fit=crop&dpr=3 1800w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/318524/original/file-20200304-66074-1h77ks6.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&h=1031&fit=crop&dpr=1 754w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/318524/original/file-20200304-66074-1h77ks6.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=754&h=1031&fit=crop&dpr=2 1508w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/318524/original/file-20200304-66074-1h77ks6.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=754&h=1031&fit=crop&dpr=3 2262w" sizes="(min-width: 1466px) 754px, (max-width: 599px) 100vw, (min-width: 600px) 600px, 237px"></a>
<figcaption>
<span class="caption">Foundling wheel at the Ospedale degli Innocenti in Florence, Italy.</span>
<span class="attribution"><a class="source" href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Baby_hatch#/media/File:Ruota_Innocenti.jpg">(Wikipedia)</a></span>
</figcaption>
</figure>
<p>The use of foundling wheels declined over time as laws were introduced that allowed women to give birth to children and to safely and anonymously give them up.</p>
<p>In recent decades, foundling wheels have re-emerged in the form of baby hatches, with <a href="https://www.bbc.com/news/world-us-canada-46801838">iterations around the world</a>. The goal of these new, modern, heated, ventilated hatches is the same as their predecessors: to ensure that those who want to give up their babies safely have a way to do so. </p>
<p>In most of Canada, however, abandoning a baby safely and legally is not an option. There are no “<a href="https://www.theglobeandmail.com/news/toronto/safe-havens-needed-for-unwanted-babies-advocates-say-after-alleged-toronto-report/article37632550/">safe haven</a>” laws like those in the United States that allow for parents to “safely surrender” their child in a police station, hospital or fire station. </p>
<p>Instead, <a href="https://www.canlii.org/en/ca/laws/stat/rsc-1985-c-c-46/latest/rsc-1985-c-c-46.html#PART_VIII_Offences_Against_the_Person_and_Reputation_994092">Section 218 of the Criminal Code of Canada</a> prohibits abandoning any child under 10 “so that its life is or is likely to be endangered.” As a result, there is discretion in the law about what is considered a danger, and those who would abandon their child are always at risk of prosecution. </p>
<p>There are, however, a few places in the country where children can be left safely and anonymously. Since 2010, <a href="https://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/the-revival-of-baby-boxes-for-unwanted-infants-1.1357615">three baby hatches</a> have been established — one in Vancouver and two in Edmonton. </p>
<p>Because they are clearly identified as safe places, leaving a child in a baby hatch is one way to circumvent potential legal repercussions. In Vancouver, <a href="https://www.theglobeandmail.com/news/british-columbia/five-years-on-angels-cradle-program-a-safe-haven-for-abandoned-babies/article23400524/">police have agreed</a> not to pursue parents unless there is evidence that the child “was abused or otherwise endangered.” To date, three babies have been left in Canadian baby hatches. </p>
<h2>Women need access to more options</h2>
<p>Despite calls for more baby hatches across the country, there has been reluctance to move forward. One objection is that the children involved will not know their family background and health history. This issue is significant enough for the United Nations <a href="https://www.theguardian.com/world/2012/jun/10/unitednations-europe-news">to have expressed concern</a> that the proliferation of baby hatches around the world may violate human rights agreements about children’s rights to know where they come from. </p>
<p>As both donor-conceived people and adoptees have articulated, people have a right to know their origins. </p>
<p>There are other concerns. <a href="https://www.ctvnews.ca/health/health-headlines/european-parliament-urged-to-ban-boxes-for-unwanted-infants-1.1052814">Critics have suggested</a>, for example, that women might be coerced into leaving a child in a baby hatch against their will, or conversely, that women may give up a child without the knowledge of a father who may be willing or able to raise the child. </p>
<figure class="align-center ">
<img alt="" src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/318531/original/file-20200304-66060-txksom.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&fit=clip" srcset="https://images.theconversation.com/files/318531/original/file-20200304-66060-txksom.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=600&h=419&fit=crop&dpr=1 600w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/318531/original/file-20200304-66060-txksom.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=600&h=419&fit=crop&dpr=2 1200w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/318531/original/file-20200304-66060-txksom.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=600&h=419&fit=crop&dpr=3 1800w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/318531/original/file-20200304-66060-txksom.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&h=526&fit=crop&dpr=1 754w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/318531/original/file-20200304-66060-txksom.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=754&h=526&fit=crop&dpr=2 1508w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/318531/original/file-20200304-66060-txksom.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=754&h=526&fit=crop&dpr=3 2262w" sizes="(min-width: 1466px) 754px, (max-width: 599px) 100vw, (min-width: 600px) 600px, 237px">
<figcaption>
<span class="caption">In this photo taken in February 2017, Francine Phago, manager at Doors of Hope, re-enacts how an abandoned baby would be taken from the drop box at the sanctuary in Johannesburg.</span>
<span class="attribution"><span class="source">AP Photo/Denis Farrell</span></span>
</figcaption>
</figure>
<p>Others suggest there is no evidence, or at least no evidence yet, that baby hatches do anything to reduce infanticide or the abandonment of children in precarious circumstances. </p>
<p>While these critics raise important objections, it’s unclear that their concerns are more important or more pressing than giving women the capacity to give up their child safely if they need to do so. </p>
<p>Further, there are ways to mitigate some of these issues and support women using baby hatches in their decision-making. In Germany, for example, there is an eight-week period where a woman can change her mind and come back to retrieve her child.</p>
<figure class="align-center ">
<img alt="" src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/318532/original/file-20200304-66099-7os4q7.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&fit=clip" srcset="https://images.theconversation.com/files/318532/original/file-20200304-66099-7os4q7.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=600&h=457&fit=crop&dpr=1 600w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/318532/original/file-20200304-66099-7os4q7.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=600&h=457&fit=crop&dpr=2 1200w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/318532/original/file-20200304-66099-7os4q7.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=600&h=457&fit=crop&dpr=3 1800w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/318532/original/file-20200304-66099-7os4q7.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&h=574&fit=crop&dpr=1 754w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/318532/original/file-20200304-66099-7os4q7.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=754&h=574&fit=crop&dpr=2 1508w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/318532/original/file-20200304-66099-7os4q7.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=754&h=574&fit=crop&dpr=3 2262w" sizes="(min-width: 1466px) 754px, (max-width: 599px) 100vw, (min-width: 600px) 600px, 237px">
<figcaption>
<span class="caption">Lt. Chuck Kohler, with the Coolspring Township Volunteer Fire Department, shows how a mother can relinquish her newborn anonymously, using the Safe Haven Baby Box, in Michigan City, Ind., in this 2018 photo.</span>
<span class="attribution"><span class="source">Jon Gard/The News Dispatch via AP</span></span>
</figcaption>
</figure>
<p>Baby hatches aren’t a perfect solution. They are no substitution for affordable housing, readily available mental health services, safe and accessible abortion, publicly funded childcare, and a minimum guaranteed income (among other social programs and services) that make it possible for more people to choose whether and when to raise children. </p>
<p>And there may always be some people, no matter what provisions are in place, who will <a href="https://globalnews.ca/news/6453992/christmas-eve-baby-found-calgary-charges/">abandon their baby in a dumpster</a>, a <a href="https://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/manitoba/abandoned-baby-found-at-winnipeg-hotel-1.1031542">stairwell</a> or a recycling bin. </p>
<p>Still, without safe haven laws or other sites where babies can safely be left without the risk of legal repercussions, baby hatches make a critical, potentially lifesaving option available to those faced with an impossible choice.</p>
<p>In Saskatoon, as elsewhere, baby hatches might just save both mother and child.</p><img src="https://counter.theconversation.com/content/132851/count.gif" alt="The Conversation" width="1" height="1" />
<p class="fine-print"><em><span>Alana Cattapan has received research funding from the Social Sciences and Humanities Research Council of Canada, the Canadian Institutes of Health Research, Canadian Blood Services, and the Saskatchewan Health Research Foundation. She currently has a grant to conduct a policy evaluation of Sanctum 1.5 in Saskatoon. She is on the Board of the Canadian Research Institute for the Advancement of Women.
</span></em></p>Since an infant was found in a recycling bin last fall in Saskatoon, advocates have renewed their campaign for baby hatches, places mothers can leave newborns safely and anonymously.Alana Cattapan, Assistant Professor, Department of Political Science, University of Waterloo, University of WaterlooLicensed as Creative Commons – attribution, no derivatives.tag:theconversation.com,2011:article/1130542019-03-07T19:06:18Z2019-03-07T19:06:18ZWomen in STEM need your support – and Australia needs women in STEM<figure><img src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/262556/original/file-20190306-100781-1vfmr6n.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=496&fit=clip" /><figcaption><span class="caption">Only two women are in this photo from the 2018 Prime Minister's Prizes for Science award night: Minister Karen Andrews, and 2018 Life Scientist awardee Lee Burger. </span> <span class="attribution"><a class="source" href="https://www.scienceinpublic.com.au/category/prime-ministers-prize">Prime Minister’s Prizes for Science, Commonwealth Department of Industry, Innovation and Science</a></span></figcaption></figure><p>In Australia, only <a href="https://www.chiefscientist.gov.au/wp-content/uploads/OCS_Women_in_STEM_datasheet.pdf">16% of STEM graduates (Higher Education and VET) are women</a>, and <a href="http://www.professionalsaustralia.org.au/professional-women/wp-content/uploads/sites/48/2018/08/2018-Women-in-STEM-Survey-Report_web.pdf">27% of the total STEM workforce is female</a>.</p>
<p>So how can Australians support women in science, technology, engineering and maths (STEM)? Nominating and supporting them in applications for high profile opportunities, prizes and awards is a great place to start. </p>
<hr>
<p>
<em>
<strong>
Read more:
<a href="https://theconversation.com/walking-into-a-headwind-what-it-feels-like-for-women-building-science-careers-102259">'Walking into a headwind' – what it feels like for women building science careers</a>
</strong>
</em>
</p>
<hr>
<p>The economic imperative for greater female participation in STEM is overwhelming. According to PricewaterhouseCoopers, upskilling just 1% of the Australian workforce into STEM roles <a href="https://www.pwc.com.au/pdf/a-smart-move-pwc-stem-report-april-2015.pdf">would add $57 billion to Australia’s gross domestic product</a> over 20 years. </p>
<p>But increasing gender equity in STEM matters beyond just economics. As a society we have a moral duty to make sure that women can participate equally in the high‑growth areas of technologically-skilled jobs. We should not put up with a situation where half the population is ill‑equipped to take part in vast areas of employment as technology rapidly evolves.</p>
<p>In December 2018, I was appointed as the Australian Government’s Women in STEM Ambassador. My role is to advocate for gender equity in STEM, increase awareness of opportunities for women in STEM, build the visibility of women working in these fields and drive cultural and social change.</p>
<h2>Self-belief is vital</h2>
<p>Relatively low representation of women in STEM careers has many <a href="http://www.professionalsaustralia.org.au/professional-women/wp-content/uploads/sites/48/2018/08/2018-Women-in-STEM-Survey-Report_web.pdf">well documented</a> causes. </p>
<p>One reason that makes its presence felt at an early age is lower self-efficacy (the belief in your ability to succeed) <a href="https://journals.iupui.edu/index.php/muj/article/download/20487/20087/">experienced by young women</a>, compared to young men in mathematics and the physical sciences. </p>
<hr>
<p>
<em>
<strong>
Read more:
<a href="https://theconversation.com/study-of-1-6-million-grades-shows-little-gender-difference-in-maths-and-science-at-school-101242">Study of 1.6 million grades shows little gender difference in maths and science at school</a>
</strong>
</em>
</p>
<hr>
<p>Publicly recognising female excellence and leadership in STEM <a href="https://www.engr.psu.edu/awe/misc/arps/arp_selfefficacy_overview_122208.pdf">can go some way towards addressing this issue</a>. </p>
<p>Representation in public life can also provide a strong set of role models to young women and shine a light on career paths that may not feel achievable. Promotion of role models also helps retain women in STEM careers by defying gender stereotypes and reinforcing that successful STEM careers are possible.</p>
<h2>Increasing visibility</h2>
<p>What is being done to improve the visibility of female STEM role models? There are many exciting projects currently underway that provide a platform for women in STEM professions. </p>
<p>One is the ABC’s recent <a href="https://forms.office.com/Pages/ResponsePage.aspx?id=mkDBl3hw50e7lNHlNQPgEj5Fo_rp3iJCr2j3217RsWZUQzFaOEg4OEU1WEgyR0paME5XT09UQldHNS4u">push to sign up more female subject-matter experts</a>, given that only <a href="https://docs.wixstatic.com/ugd/ee1ce5_eeff63af2a2848478ddd7c2ce89f5555.pdf">26% of media mentions in relation to STEM stories in Australia are female.</a>.</p>
<p>The Australian Academy of Science’s upcoming STEM women database will offer a similar service, by collating information on verified female experts who can be contacted for academic, consulting or media projects. </p>
<p>Science and Technology Australia’s <a href="https://scienceandtechnologyaustralia.org.au/what-we-do/superstars-of-stem/">Superstars of STEM</a> program is providing training and opportunities for 60 female STEM practitioners in the latest round of their program. This will hopefully propel many of them into the public eye, improving gender balance in the STEM media for future generations.</p>
<hr>
<p>
<em>
<strong>
Read more:
<a href="https://theconversation.com/the-hunt-for-the-superstars-of-stem-to-engage-more-women-in-science-76854">The hunt for the Superstars of STEM to engage more women in science</a>
</strong>
</em>
</p>
<hr>
<h2>And the winner is…</h2>
<p>Public awards and honours are another excellent avenue for celebrating female STEM talent. The most well-supported national awards provide media coverage, prize money and an increased platform for recipients to pursue projects for social benefit related to their area of expertise. </p>
<p>My 2016 award of the <a href="https://theconversation.com/the-2016-eureka-prizes-showcase-the-best-in-australian-science-64668">Eureka Prize for Promoting Understanding of Australian Science Research</a> led to several exciting and unexpected career opportunities for me, including media and public speaking engagements that raised the profile of my science. </p>
<p>The <a href="http://www.aips.net.au/tall-poppies/tall-poppy-campaign/">Tall Poppy Awards</a> also engage the public in celebrating scientific excellence and recognise its importance in forming public policy.</p>
<p>Arguably the highest-profile accolade is the Prime Minister’s Prizes for Science. With a total award fund of $750,000 given to outstanding scientists, innovators and science teachers, they have the biggest budget in the business. Winning a PM’s Prize is often life-changing, leading to new opportunities and greater impact for the recipient’s work.</p>
<figure class="align-right ">
<img alt="" src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/262563/original/file-20190306-100793-6ke7ou.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=237&fit=clip" srcset="https://images.theconversation.com/files/262563/original/file-20190306-100793-6ke7ou.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=600&h=599&fit=crop&dpr=1 600w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/262563/original/file-20190306-100793-6ke7ou.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=600&h=599&fit=crop&dpr=2 1200w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/262563/original/file-20190306-100793-6ke7ou.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=600&h=599&fit=crop&dpr=3 1800w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/262563/original/file-20190306-100793-6ke7ou.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&h=753&fit=crop&dpr=1 754w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/262563/original/file-20190306-100793-6ke7ou.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=754&h=753&fit=crop&dpr=2 1508w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/262563/original/file-20190306-100793-6ke7ou.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=754&h=753&fit=crop&dpr=3 2262w" sizes="(min-width: 1466px) 754px, (max-width: 599px) 100vw, (min-width: 600px) 600px, 237px">
<figcaption>
<span class="caption">Prize winner Sarah Chapman pictured with Prime Minister Tony Abbott in 2013.</span>
<span class="attribution"><a class="source" href="https://www.scienceinpublic.com.au/other/2013pmsphotos">Prime Minister’s Prizes for Science</a></span>
</figcaption>
</figure>
<p>For example, Sarah Chapman won the <a href="https://www.industry.gov.au/data-and-publications/prime-ministers-prizes-for-science-2013-recipient-citations">2013 PM’s Prize for Excellence in Science Teaching in Secondary Schools</a>. Subsequently selected as a Queensland Government Science Champion, her innovative teaching strategies were featured on <a href="http://www.abc.net.au/lateline/unique-program-offers-key-to-student-engagement-in/8581990">ABC’s Lateline</a>. </p>
<p>In 2016, Chapman was awarded a Barbara Cail STEM Fellowship and travelled overseas to gather evidence of international best practice in STEM education. With fellow recipient Dr. Rebecca Vivian she released a report: <a href="https://cew.org.au/wp-content/uploads/2017/03/Engaging-the-future-of-STEM.pdf">Engaging the Future of STEM: A study of international best practice for promoting the participation of young people, particularly girls, in science, technology, engineering and maths (STEM)</a>, which has contributed to the formulation of national STEM engagement policy.</p>
<p>In 2017, Jenny Graves was the <a href="https://theconversation.com/x-y-and-the-genetics-of-sex-professor-jenny-graves-awarded-the-prime-ministers-prize-for-science-2017-85740">first solo female recipient</a> of the Prime Minister’s Prize for Science. </p>
<hr>
<p>
<em>
<strong>
Read more:
<a href="https://theconversation.com/x-y-and-the-genetics-of-sex-professor-jenny-graves-awarded-the-prime-ministers-prize-for-science-2017-85740">X, Y and the genetics of sex: Professor Jenny Graves awarded the Prime Minister's Prize for Science 2017</a>
</strong>
</em>
</p>
<hr>
<h2>Nominate a woman</h2>
<p>Awards are effective methods of recognition since they acknowledge and reward excellence in research, teaching and innovation and share the contemporary stories of STEM excellence with the public. By publicly recognising women’s achievements in science we reflect the collaborative and diverse nature of the field today and boost the careers of their winners.</p>
<p>Women are less likely to be nominated for awards and when they do win, they are likely to receive <a href="https://theconversation.com/minding-the-gender-gap-in-science-prizes-109219">less prestigious awards with lower prize money</a>. </p>
<hr>
<p>
<em>
<strong>
Read more:
<a href="https://theconversation.com/minding-the-gender-gap-in-science-prizes-109219">Minding the gender gap in science prizes</a>
</strong>
</em>
</p>
<hr>
<p>This International Women’s Day, you can make a difference by nominating a deserving scientist, innovator or science teacher for recognition. </p>
<p>There are only four days left to nominate for the <a href="https://www.industry.gov.au/funding-and-incentives/science-and-research/prime-ministers-prizes-for-science">Prime Minister’s Prizes for Science</a>: they close on 12 March 2019. The <a href="http://www.aips.net.au/tall-poppies/tall-poppy-campaign/young-tall-poppy-science-awards/">Tall Poppy Science Awards</a> close on 10 April 2019, and the <a href="https://australianmuseum.net.au/get-involved/eureka-prizes/enter/">Eureka Prizes</a> close 3 May 2019.</p><img src="https://counter.theconversation.com/content/113054/count.gif" alt="The Conversation" width="1" height="1" />
<p class="fine-print"><em><span>Lisa Harvey-Smith receives funding from a Commonwealth Government grant as the Women in STEM Ambassador.</span></em></p>You can support career development by nominating a deserving scientist, innovator or science teacher for recognition through a prize or award.Lisa Harvey-Smith, Professor and Australian Government’s Women in STEM Ambassador, UNSW SydneyLicensed as Creative Commons – attribution, no derivatives.tag:theconversation.com,2011:article/928802018-03-06T22:31:23Z2018-03-06T22:31:23ZIranian women risk arrest: Daughters of the revolution<figure><img src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/209182/original/file-20180306-146697-12lxcm6.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=496&fit=clip" /><figcaption><span class="caption">Thousands of Iranian women took to the streets to protest against the hijab law in Tehran in the spring of 1979. A women's movement has recently taken hold in Iran.
</span> <span class="attribution"><span class="source">Hengameh Golestan</span></span></figcaption></figure><p>In the lead-up to March 8, I am sometimes asked whether we really still need an <a href="http://www.unwomen.org/en/news/in-focus/international-womens-day">International Women’s Day (IWD)</a>. Though my greatest hope is to see a day when gender inequity and gender injustice are social artefacts of the past, that day feels nowhere near. </p>
<p>I celebrated March 8, 2016 in Tehran by walking in the streets, riding the Metro to attend a discussion group and reading some Happy Women’s Day greetings on social media. In my heart and mind, I celebrated these Iranian women in the women-only train compartments in their colourful outfits and loose scarves, resisting the regime’s attempt to control their bodies and eliminate their choices. </p>
<p>I celebrated their incredible entrepreneurship, which has turned the women’s sections of the busy Tehran Metro into platforms for public discussion on matters that concern them and a shopping mecca full of women from all walks of life, shopping for an incredible variety of goods despite ongoing pressure from the authorities to shut down their informal and innovative methods of boarding and exiting the trains to sell their kitchen equipment, clothing, makeup, sports gear and other goods. </p>
<p>On a high note, I went to sleep that night feeling optimistic as I prepared to leave Iran on the 10th. But on the evening of March 9, as I was packing, my apartment was raided by Revolutionary Guards. I was eventually arrested and ultimately sent to Evin prison, charged with “dabbling in feminism and security matters” — a crime that does not actually exist. </p>
<p>Knowing that my incarceration was just one tiny incident amid a huge history of women’s struggles helped keep my spirits up for the 121 days I was in prison. So did the songs that played in my head: The feminist anthem of my youth, <a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LWkVcaAGCi0"><em>Bread and Roses</em></a>, and the Iranian song <a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=X2lOvOA0U9A"><em>Zan</em> (Woman) by Ziba Shirazi</a>, telling Ayatollah Khomeini that women are softer than flower petals and stronger than iron, do not try to veil us, reminding him that he and all other men owe their very existences to women. </p>
<figure class="align-center ">
<img alt="" src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/209171/original/file-20180306-146645-15b1skk.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&fit=clip" srcset="https://images.theconversation.com/files/209171/original/file-20180306-146645-15b1skk.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=600&h=600&fit=crop&dpr=1 600w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/209171/original/file-20180306-146645-15b1skk.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=600&h=600&fit=crop&dpr=2 1200w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/209171/original/file-20180306-146645-15b1skk.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=600&h=600&fit=crop&dpr=3 1800w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/209171/original/file-20180306-146645-15b1skk.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&h=754&fit=crop&dpr=1 754w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/209171/original/file-20180306-146645-15b1skk.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=754&h=754&fit=crop&dpr=2 1508w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/209171/original/file-20180306-146645-15b1skk.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=754&h=754&fit=crop&dpr=3 2262w" sizes="(min-width: 1466px) 754px, (max-width: 599px) 100vw, (min-width: 600px) 600px, 237px">
<figcaption>
<span class="caption">Women protest their lack of bodily autonomy daily in Iran. The number of women making flags out of their headscarves in public spaces is increasing.</span>
<span class="attribution"><a class="source" href="http://mystealthyfreedom.net/en/">Facebook/mystealthyfreedom</a></span>
</figcaption>
</figure>
<h2>Unified global voices</h2>
<p>This March 8, as we remember the struggles that have brought us closer towards gender equality, we also must consider the social and legal inequalities women continue to face worldwide. While women’s quests for gender equality, dignity and justice are arguably universal, strategies and solutions vary widely under a vast range of social, cultural and political conditions and constraints. Not recognizing this multiplicity has undermined feminist solidarity and has prevented a diversity of strategic solutions.</p>
<p>As an Iranian woman, I well know the fragility of gains women have made. I recall my pain and frustration in the weeks following the <a href="https://www.theguardian.com/artanddesign/2015/sep/03/hengameh-golestans-best-photograph-iranian-women-rebel-against-the-1979-hijab-law">1979 revolution</a>, when Ayatollah Khomeini and others in charge passed Shari’ah laws in conjunction with practices straight out of the Middle Ages, and rendered Iranian women second-class citizens. In <a href="https://www.dawn.com/news/1278135">Pakistan, President Zia ul-Haq</a> soon followed Khomeini’s lead. </p>
<p>These developments encouraged <a href="http://www.inquiriesjournal.com/articles/1016/mob-violence-against-women-in-algeria-a-historical-case-analysis">Algerian Islamists who kidnapped and sexually enslaved women</a> throughout the 1980s. They harassed unveiled women, and women working and studying outside the home. A similar story <a href="https://yorkspace.library.yorku.ca/xmlui/handle/10315/29986">unfolded in Sudan</a>. <a href="https://www.cnn.com/2014/06/05/asia/gallery/afghan-women-past-present/index.html">In Afghanistan</a>, beginning in 1994, the Taliban, once considered U.S. allies and championed as freedom fighters by western media, took the oppression of women to new levels.</p>
<figure class="align-center ">
<img alt="" src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/208955/original/file-20180305-146671-6sw5a4.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&fit=clip" srcset="https://images.theconversation.com/files/208955/original/file-20180305-146671-6sw5a4.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=600&h=460&fit=crop&dpr=1 600w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/208955/original/file-20180305-146671-6sw5a4.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=600&h=460&fit=crop&dpr=2 1200w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/208955/original/file-20180305-146671-6sw5a4.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=600&h=460&fit=crop&dpr=3 1800w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/208955/original/file-20180305-146671-6sw5a4.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&h=578&fit=crop&dpr=1 754w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/208955/original/file-20180305-146671-6sw5a4.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=754&h=578&fit=crop&dpr=2 1508w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/208955/original/file-20180305-146671-6sw5a4.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=754&h=578&fit=crop&dpr=3 2262w" sizes="(min-width: 1466px) 754px, (max-width: 599px) 100vw, (min-width: 600px) 600px, 237px">
<figcaption>
<span class="caption">Mandatory hijab Laws in Iran spurred similar policies in Pakistan. In this archived photo, thousands demonstrate in Lahore, Pakistan on March 8, 2006, International Women’s Day. Placard on right reads, ‘Stop domestic violence.’</span>
<span class="attribution"><span class="source">(AP Photo/Khalid Chaudary)</span></span>
</figcaption>
</figure>
<p>Throughout the 1980s, Amnesty International — then the most prominent of human rights’ organizations — refused to campaign for jailed and tortured gender activists, insisting they were not political activists and so outside their mandate. Amnesty also refused to condemn governments that ignored non-state actors’ violations against women. Among feminists and within women’s organizations, frustration and disappointment with Amnesty deepened. </p>
<p>This disappointment, spurred the emergence of a truly transnational women’s movement. At that time, I could not imagine Amnesty would one day take the lead in campaigning to free me from Iran’s Evin prison 25 years later. </p>
<p>But that was during the 1990s, and well before Amnesty’s change in mandate. The internet and social media, and even affordable international telephone connections and fax machines, were not yet a reality. </p>
<p>Determined to establish women’s rights as human rights through the development of global legal tools and political and social structures, women formed networks such as <a href="http://www.dawnnet.org/feminist-resources/about/main">Development Alternatives with Women for a New Era (DAWN)</a>,<a href="http://www.wluml.org/">Women Living Under Muslim Laws</a> and the <a href="http://wgnrr.org/">Women’s Global Network for Reproductive Rights</a>.</p>
<p>Advocates of all ages, nationalities, religions, gender orientation and political affiliations mobilized to research, and collected thousands of testimonies of violence against women: Second World War rape survivors; German women raped by Russian soldiers; <a href="http://www.history.com/news/comfort-women-japan-military-brothels-korea">Korean women used as sexual slaves for Japanese military personnel</a>; <a href="https://www.womensmediacenter.com/women-under-siege/conflicts/bangladesh">Bangladeshi women raped</a> during the 10-month Liberation War of 1971; <a href="http://www.independent.co.uk/news/world/europe/bosnia-war-crimes-the-rapes-went-on-day-and-night-robert-fisk-in-mostar-gathers-detailed-evidence-of-1471656.html">Bosnian women raped</a> as part of the “ethnic cleansing strategies.”</p>
<p>The data was presented at regional meetings, national and international tribunals and finally at the UN Human Rights Committee in June 1993 that established women’s rights are human rights with the <a href="http://www.un.org/documents/ga/res/48/a48r104.htm">Declaration on the Elimination of Violence against Women</a>. The global demand for gender equity and justice is also reflected in the <a href="http://www.un.org/womenwatch/daw/beijing/pdf/BDPfA%20E.pdf">1995 Beijing Platform for Action</a> signed by U.N. members at the 1995 Women’s Conference in Beijing. </p>
<p>These declarations provided women around the world a framework for working towards gender justice and for holding their national governments accountable in the process. But even though change continues to ripple, the full achievement of the goals laid out 30 years ago are far from realized.</p>
<p>The North America-based #MeToo and #TimesUp movements are among many ongoing fights against the commodification and victimization of women as sexual objects and the gendered power differentials that persist in ways that gravely constrain the lives of girls and women everywhere. </p>
<p>Though it may seem obvious to younger generations, the ideas of “women’s rights as human rights” is only 25 years old, and is still frighteningly tenuous in many contexts.</p>
<figure class="align-center ">
<img alt="" src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/208954/original/file-20180305-146697-6ud2o0.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&fit=clip" srcset="https://images.theconversation.com/files/208954/original/file-20180305-146697-6ud2o0.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=600&h=348&fit=crop&dpr=1 600w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/208954/original/file-20180305-146697-6ud2o0.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=600&h=348&fit=crop&dpr=2 1200w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/208954/original/file-20180305-146697-6ud2o0.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=600&h=348&fit=crop&dpr=3 1800w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/208954/original/file-20180305-146697-6ud2o0.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&h=437&fit=crop&dpr=1 754w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/208954/original/file-20180305-146697-6ud2o0.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=754&h=437&fit=crop&dpr=2 1508w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/208954/original/file-20180305-146697-6ud2o0.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=754&h=437&fit=crop&dpr=3 2262w" sizes="(min-width: 1466px) 754px, (max-width: 599px) 100vw, (min-width: 600px) 600px, 237px">
<figcaption>
<span class="caption">Women’s rights need to be protected. In this photo about 1,500 people marched through heavy snowfall on International Women’s Day in Toronto on March 8, 1980.</span>
<span class="attribution"><span class="source">THE CANADIAN PRESS/Jann Van Horne</span></span>
</figcaption>
</figure>
<h2>1979: Imposition of the hijab</h2>
<p>As an Iranian, this is not a hypothetical issue for me. In 1979, I saw how easily the limited reforms and modest gains that Iranian women had previously struggled for were annulled within two weeks of the end of the Revolution. As post-Revolution generations of Iranians have learned, without protection and nurturing, rights perish. </p>
<p>In the early days of the Islamic Republic of Iran (IRI), leaders decided that women would collectively symbolize the Islamicization of the nation to Iranians and the world. On March 7, 1979, the IRI imposed a compulsory hijab for women. The next morning, coincidentally the 8th of March — a day not normally marked or noticed in Iran — <a href="https://www.theguardian.com/artanddesign/2015/sep/03/hengameh-golestans-best-photograph-iranian-women-rebel-against-the-1979-hijab-law">thousands of women all across the country poured into city streets</a> to protest compulsory veiling. </p>
<p>The vociferous opposition took the new leaders by surprise and they temporarily retreated. Over the next two years, however, the regime used the rhetoric of patriotism to gradually reimpose veiling, first for government employees, then for any woman accessing government offices and buildings, then for students. </p>
<p>Ultimately, public veiling was imposed for all females, Muslims or not, over the age of nine. The state claimed that unveiled women caused men’s immoral thoughts – a persistent trope in the history of female diminishment and male impunity.</p>
<figure class="align-center ">
<img alt="" src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/209159/original/file-20180306-146655-i5xxou.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&fit=clip" srcset="https://images.theconversation.com/files/209159/original/file-20180306-146655-i5xxou.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=600&h=375&fit=crop&dpr=1 600w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/209159/original/file-20180306-146655-i5xxou.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=600&h=375&fit=crop&dpr=2 1200w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/209159/original/file-20180306-146655-i5xxou.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=600&h=375&fit=crop&dpr=3 1800w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/209159/original/file-20180306-146655-i5xxou.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&h=471&fit=crop&dpr=1 754w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/209159/original/file-20180306-146655-i5xxou.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=754&h=471&fit=crop&dpr=2 1508w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/209159/original/file-20180306-146655-i5xxou.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=754&h=471&fit=crop&dpr=3 2262w" sizes="(min-width: 1466px) 754px, (max-width: 599px) 100vw, (min-width: 600px) 600px, 237px">
<figcaption>
<span class="caption">Iranian Revolution 1979.</span>
<span class="attribution"><a class="source" href="http://www.parsine.com">(photo credit: CC-BY-David Burnett)</a>, <a class="license" href="http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/">CC BY</a></span>
</figcaption>
</figure>
<p>Extreme political suppression in the early years of the IRI and the bloody and costly Iran-Iraq war (1981-88) made organized, collective action for women’s rights impossible. Yet various strategies for resistance continued. For example, many women refused to wear the all-enveloping black chador (literally <em>tent</em>) favoured by some conservative groups and promoted by the Republic, arguing that the black chador did not exist at the time of the Prophet. </p>
<p>Instead, they wore scarves and ‘<em>manteaux</em>.’ They challenged the government’s colour restriction as well, (brown, white, navy blue and gray), arguing that even the most conservative interpretation of Islamic text fails to even hint at colour restrictions, and that the Prophet’s favourite colour was pink. </p>
<p>In those early years, many women, myself included during my visits, wore the very bright and shiny colour known as Saudi green, which annoyed the regime to no end, but which the morality police were at a loss to address since green is generally considered the colour of Islam. Within a few years, women started to appear in public in other bright colours.</p>
<figure class="align-center ">
<img alt="" src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/209169/original/file-20180306-146700-4o4sn2.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&fit=clip" srcset="https://images.theconversation.com/files/209169/original/file-20180306-146700-4o4sn2.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=600&h=400&fit=crop&dpr=1 600w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/209169/original/file-20180306-146700-4o4sn2.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=600&h=400&fit=crop&dpr=2 1200w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/209169/original/file-20180306-146700-4o4sn2.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=600&h=400&fit=crop&dpr=3 1800w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/209169/original/file-20180306-146700-4o4sn2.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&h=503&fit=crop&dpr=1 754w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/209169/original/file-20180306-146700-4o4sn2.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=754&h=503&fit=crop&dpr=2 1508w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/209169/original/file-20180306-146700-4o4sn2.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=754&h=503&fit=crop&dpr=3 2262w" sizes="(min-width: 1466px) 754px, (max-width: 599px) 100vw, (min-width: 600px) 600px, 237px">
<figcaption>
<span class="caption">Women walking in the streets of Isfahan, Iran, in August 2016.</span>
<span class="attribution"><span class="source">Shutterstock</span></span>
</figcaption>
</figure>
<p>The hijab was also intended by the regime to demonstrate national pride in opposition to the alleged Western hedonism of fashion popularized by the previous government. Iranian women continued to subvert the regime’s intentions by styling “traditional” attire in new ways, donning bright-coloured ethnic patterns that nevertheless completely conformed to Islamic codes of modesty. </p>
<p>Thus the morality police and other state agents had no easy justification for arresting women for dress-code violations, and tactics for expressing agency and opposition by this first generation of women living under the IRI continued.</p>
<h2>Daughters of the revolution</h2>
<p>Over time, among many demographics, successive generations of girls born and raised in the IRI have worn increasingly shorter and tighter tunics over their leggings; their scarves have become ever smaller and looser. Older women, claiming as a result of age to no longer be seductive, have allowed their head coverings to slip lower as they moved through their cities and towns going about daily business. </p>
<p>Despite the state’s investment of massive resources to employ hundreds of thousands of paid and volunteer morality police, and almost 40 years of school curricula designed to inculcate “Islamic” values as defined by the regime, the regime has not accomplished its goals.</p>
<p>The world has been surprised recently by a new wave of women’s activism in Iran. Bareheaded Iranian women climb on platforms and benches in public spaces, white scarves tied to the ends of poles, waving their hijab flags to protest compulsory veiling. </p>
<figure class="align-center ">
<img alt="" src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/209179/original/file-20180306-146666-yn33iu.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&fit=clip" srcset="https://images.theconversation.com/files/209179/original/file-20180306-146666-yn33iu.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=600&h=500&fit=crop&dpr=1 600w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/209179/original/file-20180306-146666-yn33iu.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=600&h=500&fit=crop&dpr=2 1200w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/209179/original/file-20180306-146666-yn33iu.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=600&h=500&fit=crop&dpr=3 1800w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/209179/original/file-20180306-146666-yn33iu.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&h=629&fit=crop&dpr=1 754w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/209179/original/file-20180306-146666-yn33iu.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=754&h=629&fit=crop&dpr=2 1508w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/209179/original/file-20180306-146666-yn33iu.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=754&h=629&fit=crop&dpr=3 2262w" sizes="(min-width: 1466px) 754px, (max-width: 599px) 100vw, (min-width: 600px) 600px, 237px">
<figcaption>
<span class="caption">Women have been climbing on platforms to protest compulsory hijab.</span>
<span class="attribution"><span class="source">(White Wednesday Campaign/@masihpooyan)</span></span>
</figcaption>
</figure>
<p>Alone and silent, the women can hardly be charged with mobilizing against the state or disturbing the peace — the usual justifications for arresting demonstrators. While some have been arrested for baring their heads in public, often the authorities are generally looking away to avoid escalating tension, drawing attention to the women and fuelling the movement. </p>
<p>But <a href="http://mystealthyfreedom.net/en/">videos and images of these actions are shared widely on social media</a>, bringing a new sense of empowerment to women in Iran and drawing increasing <a href="https://www.vice.com/en_ca/article/jmk8z3/the-iranian-women-fighting-state-censorship-one-selfie-at-a-time">interest from media</a> elsewhere. </p>
<p>The young protesters are being called “daughters of the revolution.” The movement has taken the regime by surprise; there has been no coherent response and the number of women making flags of their headscarves in public spaces is increasing. There is no organized, central orchestration of these actions, though they have attracted many supporters. </p>
<p>Rather, we see an organic civil movement manifesting the widespread dissatisfaction of large segments of both the male and female population, including many women who will wear the veil regardless but object to the compulsory hijab. </p>
<p>There has been at least one instance of a woman in full chador climbing onto a platform on a busy street and waving a scarf to protest her lack of bodily autonomy. The struggle is not about a piece of cloth on a woman’s head, it is about the gender politics that cloth symbolizes, and its use to silently and broadly communicate a rejection of state control over women’s bodies. </p>
<p>The political aspect of the struggle over the veil can be perplexing to outsiders, who wonder why some groups of women in Turkey and Europe fight for the right to wear the veil while in Iran many women — including some devout women — have fought for almost four decades for the right to remove their veils. In all cases, women are demanding state recognition of bodily autonomy as an essential step to recognition of their full personhood and citizenry rights.</p>
<p>And so, I continue to both protest and celebrate on International Women’s Day.</p>
<p>We need this day of conscious connection to the long, sometimes violent history of women’s struggles for personhood; a day to reflect on the rights we have gained; and a day to recognize the vigilance required to retain those rights — rights women of many nations and contexts have yet to achieve. This I know from personal experience.</p>
<p>The 8th of March is a day for global, collective reflection on that history and on the conditions we must continue to challenge that create barriers to women’s full, free and fearless participation in all facets of human social life.</p>
<p><div data-react-class="Tweet" data-react-props="{"tweetId":"970010982373306369"}"></div></p><img src="https://counter.theconversation.com/content/92880/count.gif" alt="The Conversation" width="1" height="1" />
<p class="fine-print"><em><span>Homa Hoodfar does not work for, consult, own shares in or receive funding from any company or organisation that would benefit from this article, and has disclosed no relevant affiliations beyond their academic appointment.</span></em></p>Iran’s young “daughters of the revolution” are protesting hijab laws and demanding equal rights. They’re the ultimate symbol of female resistance on this International Women’s Day.Homa Hoodfar, Professor of Anthropology, Emerita, Concordia UniversityLicensed as Creative Commons – attribution, no derivatives.