International Women ’s Day, 2021Women Must Continue To Claim Power & Challenge The Unseen Barriers

The following opinion piece is part of series to mark the upcoming International Women’s Day, March 8.By Sania FarooquiNEW DELHI, India, Mar 6 2021 (IPS) Power is an intriguing concept and it means different things to different people. In simple words, power is the ability to influence the behavior of others to get what you want. Power distribution is usually visible in most societies when there is a clear and obvious division between the roles of the men and expectations from women. One can’t talk about power without talking about patriarchy – in which men always hold the power and women are largely excluded from it. Women are almost always taught power and ambition are two dirty words, and should not be linked to their personalities. In 2020, as the world tried to survive the global pandemic, women across the world were trying to survive a lot more along with COVID-19, also at times claiming their power and negotiating their spaces in various different ways. Kawkab Al-ThaibaniIn Yemen, Kawkab Al-Thaibani, a women’s rights activist and former Director of Women4Yemen Network has been pushing for women’s meaningful participation in the country’s current peace process. “War is the face of toxic masculinity, and it will never give women space, because women are peace agents. The war in Yemen is the biggest challenge we are facing, but the lack of desire by the negotiators to include women in any talks, another challenge,” Kawkab said in an interview to...
Source: IPS Inter Press Service - Health - Category: International Medicine & Public Health Authors: Tags: Crime & Justice Economy & Trade Education Gender Identity Gender Violence Global Headlines Health Human Rights Humanitarian Emergencies Inequity Labour Peace TerraViva United Nations Women & Economy Women's Health Internati Source Type: news