english speech emma watson

Emma Watson: Gender equality is your issue too

Date: Saturday, 20 September 2014

Speech by UN Women Goodwill Ambassador Emma Watson at a special event for the HeForShe campaign, United Nations Headquarters, New York, 20 September 2014

[Check against delivery.]

Today we are launching a campaign called “ HeForShe .”

I am reaching out to you because I need your help. We want to end gender inequality—and to do that we need everyone to be involved.

This is the first campaign of its kind at the UN: we want to try and galvanize as many men and boys as possible to be advocates for gender equality. And we don’t just want to talk about it, but make sure it is tangible.

I was appointed six months ago and the more I have spoken about feminism the more I have realized that fighting for women’s rights has too often become synonymous with man-hating. If there is one thing I know for certain, it is that this has to stop.

For the record, feminism by definition is: “The belief that men and women should have equal rights and opportunities. It is the theory of the political, economic and social equality of the sexes.”

I started questioning gender-based assumptions when at eight I was confused at being called “bossy,” because I wanted to direct the plays we would put on for our parents—but the boys were not.

When at 14 I started being sexualized by certain elements of the press.

When at 15 my girlfriends started dropping out of their sports teams because they didn’t want to appear “muscly.”

When at 18 my male friends were unable to express their feelings.

I decided I was a feminist and this seemed uncomplicated to me. But my recent research has shown me that feminism has become an unpopular word.

Apparently I am among the ranks of women whose expressions are seen as too strong, too aggressive, isolating, anti-men and, unattractive.

Why is the word such an uncomfortable one?

I am from Britain and think it is right that as a woman I am paid the same as my male counterparts. I think it is right that I should be able to make decisions about my own body. I think it is right that women be involved on my behalf in the policies and decision-making of my country. I think it is right that socially I am afforded the same respect as men. But sadly I can say that there is no one country in the world where all women can expect to receive these rights.

No country in the world can yet say they have achieved gender equality.

These rights I consider to be human rights but I am one of the lucky ones. My life is a sheer privilege because my parents didn’t love me less because I was born a daughter. My school did not limit me because I was a girl. My mentors didn’t assume I would go less far because I might give birth to a child one day. These influencers were the gender equality ambassadors that made me who I am today. They may not know it, but they are the inadvertent feminists who are changing the world today. And we need more of those.

And if you still hate the word—it is not the word that is important but the idea and the ambition behind it. Because not all women have been afforded the same rights that I have. In fact, statistically, very few have been.

In 1995, Hilary Clinton made a famous speech in Beijing about women’s rights. Sadly many of the things she wanted to change are still a reality today.

But what stood out for me the most was that only 30 per cent of her audience were male. How can we affect change in the world when only half of it is invited or feel welcome to participate in the conversation?

Men—I would like to take this opportunity to extend your formal invitation. Gender equality is your issue too.

Because to date, I’ve seen my father’s role as a parent being valued less by society despite my needing his presence as a child as much as my mother’s.

I’ve seen young men suffering from mental illness unable to ask for help for fear it would make them look less “macho”—in fact in the UK suicide is the biggest killer of men between 20-49 years of age; eclipsing road accidents, cancer and coronary heart disease. I’ve seen men made fragile and insecure by a distorted sense of what constitutes male success. Men don’t have the benefits of equality either.  

We don’t often talk about men being imprisoned by gender stereotypes but I can see that that they are and that when they are free, things will change for women as a natural consequence.

If men don’t have to be aggressive in order to be accepted women won’t feel compelled to be submissive. If men don’t have to control, women won’t have to be controlled.

Both men and women should feel free to be sensitive. Both men and women should feel free to be strong… It is time that we all perceive gender on a spectrum not as two opposing sets of ideals.

If we stop defining each other by what we are not and start defining ourselves by what we are—we can all be freer and this is what HeForShe is about. It’s about freedom. 

I want men to take up this mantle. So their daughters, sisters and mothers can be free from prejudice but also so that their sons have permission to be vulnerable and human too—reclaim those parts of themselves they abandoned and in doing so be a more true and complete version of themselves.

You might be thinking who is this Harry Potter girl? And what is she doing up on stage at the UN. It’s a good question and trust me, I have been asking myself the same thing. I don’t know if I am qualified to be here. All I know is that I care about this problem. And I want to make it better.

And having seen what I’ve seen—and given the chance—I feel it is my duty to say something. English Statesman Edmund Burke said: “All that is needed for the forces of evil to triumph is for enough good men and women to do nothing.”

In my nervousness for this speech and in my moments of doubt I’ve told myself firmly—if not me, who, if not now, when. If you have similar doubts when opportunities are presented to you I hope those words might be helpful.

Because the reality is that if we do nothing it will take 75 years, or for me to be nearly a hundred before women can expect to be paid the same as men for the same work. 15.5 million girls will be married in the next 16 years as children. And at current rates it won’t be until 2086 before all rural African girls will be able to receive a secondary education.

If you believe in equality, you might be one of those inadvertent feminists I spoke of earlier.

And for this I applaud you.

We are struggling for a uniting word but the good news is we have a uniting movement. It is called HeForShe. I am inviting you to step forward, to be seen to speak up, to be the "he" for "she". And to ask yourself if not me, who? If not now, when?

Also available in: French ; Spanish ; Portuguese

To see a video of Emma delivering her speech, visit HeForShe.org

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Full Transcript of Emma Watson's 2016 U.N. Speech on Gender Equality

Celebrating the HeForShe Global Campaign

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Actress Emma Watson, a United Nations Goodwill Ambassador , has used her fame and activism to shine a spotlight on gender inequality and sexual assault at universities and colleges around the world. In September 2016, the "Harry Potter" star delivered a speech about the gender double standards that many women encounter when they study and work at universities. 

This address was a followup to a speech she made two years earlier after launching a gender equality initiative called HeForShe at the U.N. headquarters in New York . Then, she focused on global gender inequality and the role that  men and boys must play to fight for justice for girls and women . Her 2016 speech echoed these concerns while specifically focusing on sexism in academia.

Speaking Out for Women

A feminist , Emma Watson used her September 20, 2016, appearance at the U.N. to announce the publication of the first  HeForShe IMPACT 10x10x10 University Parity Report . It documents the pervasiveness of gender inequality across the globe and the commitment 10 university presidents made to fight this problem.

During her speech, Watson linked the gender disparities on college campuses to the widespread problem of sexual violence that many women experience while pursuing higher education. She said:

Thank you all for being here for this important moment. These men from all over the world have decided to make gender equality a priority in their lives and in their universities. Thank you for making this commitment.

I graduated from university four years ago. I had always dreamed of going and I know how fortunate I am to have had the opportunity to do so. Brown [University] became my home, my community, and I took the ideas and the experiences I had there into all of my social interactions, into my workplace, into my politics, into all aspects of my life. I know that my university experience shaped who I am, and of course, it does for many people.

But what if our experience at university shows us that women don't belong in leadership? What if it shows us that, yes, women can study, but they shouldn't lead a seminar? What if, as still in many places around the world, it tells us that women don't belong there at all? What if, as is the case in far too many universities, we are given the message that sexual violence isn't actually a form of violence?

But we know that if you change students' experiences so they have different expectations of the world around them, expectations of equality, society will change. As we leave home for the first time to study at the places that we have worked so hard to get, we must not see or experience double standards. We need to see equal respect, leadership, and pay .

The university experience must tell women that their brain power is valued, and not just that, but that they belong among the leadership of the university itself. And so importantly, right now, the experience must make it clear that the safety of women, minorities, and anyone who may be vulnerable is a right and not a privilege. A right that will be respected by a community that believes and supports survivors. And that recognizes that when one person's safety is violated, everyone feels that their own safety is violated. A university should be a place of refuge that takes action against all forms of violence.

That's why we believe that students should leave university believing in, striving for, and expecting societies of true equality. Societies of true equality in every sense, and that universities have the power to be a vital catalyst for that change.

Our ten impact champions have made this commitment and with their work we know they will inspire students and other universities and schools across the world to do better. I'm delighted to introduce this report and our progress, and I'm eager to hear what's next. Thank you so much.

Reaction to Watson's Speech

Emma Watson's 2016 U.N. speech on gender equality on college campuses has netted more than 600,000 YouTube views . In addition, her words garnered headlines from publications such as Fortune , Vogue , and Elle .

Since the actress, a Brown University graduate, gave her speech, new challenges have emerged. In 2016, Watson was hopeful that the United States would elect its first female president. Instead, voters elected Donald Trump, who appointed Betsy DeVos as his education secretary. DeVos has overhauled how colleges respond to sexual assault claims , making procedures more difficult for victims, her critics argue. They say the proposed changes to Obama-era educational policies will make women more vulnerable on college campuses.

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Watch CBS News

Emma Watson gives powerful UN speech about gender equality

By Jessica Derschowitz

September 22, 2014 / 12:50 PM EDT / CBS News

Emma Watson was named a UN Women Goodwill Ambassador earlier this summer, and now the actress and recent college graduate is speaking out about gender equality.

Watson gave a powerful speech at the United Nations headquarters in New York over the weekend to launch the HeforShe campaign, aimed at getting men and boys to become advocates against the inequalities faced by women and girls around the world.

In her address, the 24-year-old actress spoke passionately about the misconceptions surrounding feminism.

"I decided that I was a feminist. This seemed uncomplicated to me. But my recent research has shown me that feminism has become an unpopular word. Women are choosing not to identify as feminists. Apparently, I am among the ranks of women whose expressions are seen as too strong, too aggressive, isolating, and anti-men, unattractive even," she said.

"Why has the word become such an uncomfortable one?" Watson asked. "I think it is right I am paid the same as my male counterparts. I think it is right that I should be able to make decisions about my own body. I think it is right that women be involved on my behalf in the policies and decisions that will affect my life. I think it is right that socially, I am afforded the same respect as men."

The HeForShe campaign aims to get 100,000 men to pledge their commitment to ending gender inequality. " Men, I would like to give this opportunity to extend your formal invitation. Gender equality is your issue, too," Watson said.

She continued, "I've seen my father's role as a parent being valued less by society. I've seen young men suffering from mental illness, unable to ask for help for fear it would make them less of a man ... I've seen men fragile and insecure by what constitutes male success. Men don't have the benefits of equality, either. We don't often talk about men being imprisoned by gender stereotypes but I can see that they are."

Watson's association with the "Harry Potter" films will always follow her, and she acknowledged that those who know her from the films may not take her advocacy work seriously.

"You might think, 'Who is this "Harry Potter" girl? What is she doing at the UN?' I've been asking myself the same thing," she said. "All I know is that I care about this problem and I want to make it better. And having seen what I've seen and given the chance, I feel it is my responsibility to say something. Statesman Edmund Burke said all that is needed for the forces of evil to triumph is for good men and women to do nothing."

You can watch Watson's entire speech below:

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Emma Watson's UN speech: gender equality is a men's issue too – video

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Emma Watson’s UN speech: what our reaction says about feminism

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It is now more than a week since actress Emma Watson delivered what has repeatedly been described as a “game-changing” speech about sexism at the United Nations New York headquarters. The response to the speech, which launched the UN’s HeForShe campaign for gender equality, has been massive, but not universally positive.

Watson’s speech , which extended a “formal invitation” to men to participate in conversations about gender equality, has been highly praised, radically critiqued, and acted as a spur to a bizarre hoax involving a threat to publish nude photographs of Watson.

Just how can young feminists get their message across in such a complicated climate?

Did Watson really change the game?

Much of Watson’s speech contained fairly basic points about feminism that have nevertheless been distorted in light of the increasing normalisation of anti-feminism, as is evident in the #womenagainstfeminism hashtag. Watson is right that feminism is not innately about “man hating”. Nevertheless, a number of feminists have clarified that not hating men does not necessarily equate to needing the direct involvement of men to advance women’s rights.

As Mia McKenzie points out at Black Girl Dangerous, it is simplistic to assume men have not been involved in work toward gender equality simply because they haven’t been “invited”. McKenzie argues that the more logical reason why men have not been extensively involved is because they “benefit HUGELY (socially, economically, politically, etc. infinity) from gender inequality and therefore have much less incentive to support its dismantling”.

A number of feminists, including Australian journalist Clementine Ford , took issue with Watson’s emphasis on “men being imprisoned by gender stereotypes” and men’s “freedom” being the key to changing the situation for women. As Ford notes, while patriarchal structures do have some negative consequences for men, their affect on men is different and not as “drastically violent” as their toll on women. Moreover, men systematically benefit from the power conferred on them by those gender stereotypes.

In contrast, girls and women are more likely to find themselves unable to receive an education, being subject to violence or sexual assault, being paid less than men, or unable to make their own life decisions.

For example, it’s now almost six months since 270 Nigerian schoolgirls were captured by Boko Haram, who oppose girls’ education and are likely using the girls as domestic and sexual slaves. The international #BringBackOurGirls campaign has not been able to free a single one.

Watson’s speech has also been critiqued for ignoring the issue of intersectionality. The gender inequality that she describes as part of her experiences (being called “bossy” as a child, being sexualised by the media, and having friends who abandon sport because they don’t want to become “too muscly”) is the kind that affects comparatively privileged, white, middle-class, Western women.

Blackfeministkilljoy and The Middle Eastern Feminist , among others, explain that women of colour experience different kinds of discrimination to those that Watson has felt. Yet her speech made no reference to how other women’s lives might differ, or might be more difficult because the effects of gender, race, class, sexuality, class and disability discrimination can magnify each other.

The voices of women who lack the privilege of a wealthy, white woman like Watson – those who suffer most at the hands of gender inequality – have not been given the same platform or the same global attention.

In addition, Watson has also been criticised for reinforcing the gender binary , thereby dismissing the issues facing transgender people – though transgender model Geena Rocero has spoken out in support of Watson’s definition of gender as “a spectrum”.

Could Watson ever please everyone?

Many of the points raised by feminists about Watson’s speech, including questioning just how effective an online pledge will be in changing the violence and discrimination enacted on women, have merit. But there is little about Watson and her speech, including her highly feminine appearance, her nervous delivery, and her heterosexuality that has escaped criticism.

Feminists have been careful to explain they are not aiming to tear Watson down and to acknowledge that elements of her speech could provide an accessible introduction to feminism. Yet the ability of white, privileged celebrity to act as a spokesperson for women’s rights on a global scale is immensely fraught.

It is Watson’s fame and image that make her the kind of person who can inspire widespread interest in the topic of women’s rights. Yet those same qualities are also seen as detrimental to the cause because they work to present a concept of gender equality that is palatable to men, as does the HeForShe campaign.

The question is whether a marketable and non-threatening brand of feminism founded on the most acceptable model of femininity could every really dislodge the power structures that make such an approach necessary in the first place.

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Emma Watson introduces the new HeForShe.org

Have you heard about Emma Watson's HeForShe campaign? It's all about gender equality – which means women and men having the same rights. Watch the first part of the video (to 5 minutes and 15 seconds!), do the exercises and then have a look at the HeForShe website. 

Instructions

Do the preparation task first. Then watch the video and do the exercises. Remember you can read the transcript at any time.

Preparation

Ali: Hi, I’m Ali Plum. I’m here to talk to Emma about HeForShe and the launch of the new HeForShe website. For those who don’t know, what is HeForShe?

Emma: HeForShe is a solidarity movement for gender equality, like, in a nutshell.

Ali: Big question here … what is HeForShe trying to achieve?

Emma: We’re trying to achieve gender equality, but I think the really cool thing about HeForShe is that we aren’t just, you know, an education or an awareness campaign. It’s wonderful that so many people are talking about it and it’s great that so many people are talking about it but we’re more than just an awareness campaign, we are mission-focused. We’re really trying to erm… collect, register, be aware of people that are taking action for gender equality, and, and that’s really our main focus.

Ali: Where are we currently in the world with the state of gender equality?

Emma: Well, it’s really interesting because there’s this perceived notion that gender inequality was sort of a thing of the past, that we’ve sort of figured that one out and, you know, we’re kind of where we need to be but when you start to look even just a little bit deeper beneath the surface you start to realise that actually we’ve got quite a long way to go.

Ali: Why is it important to involve men, like myself, with this project?

Emma: I think there’s this perception that feminism or gender equality or women’s issues are to be talked about by women, that it’s for women, and you know, women are like this separate thing but of course, women are human beings and these are human rights that we’re talking about so we kind of need everyone to be part of the conversation and that was really what HeForShe is about and how HeForShe was born, was that we wanted to make sure that conversation was inclusive and also we were talking to people that didn’t agree with us and that was actually really important. We want to create change and so the conversation needs to be opened up to groups that perhaps traditionally hadn’t been associated with engaging with feminism or gender equality.

Ali: Could you give me some examples of stories from men who have become involved with HeForShe?

Emma: I was on the university, er, tour for HeForShe and there was a young man who we asked, you know, like, what would gender equality mean for you and he was like, well, it would mean that I could drink my fizzy cider without my mates taking the piss out of me, and I was like, well, it doesn’t sound like a very compelling reason to achieve gender equality in the world, but actually, he sort of started to elaborate more, and he was just saying that he found the pressure to fit this male mould and to conform to this kind of lad culture of like this very heavy binge drinking, actually really kind of soul-destroying and he was often ashamed of how he acted when he was on these huge, like, binge drinking, erm, things with his mates and and how he treated girls specifically when he was like that and … the dude just wanted to drink fizzy cider, you know what I’m saying?! And it was just … it was just really sweet, actually and I just found that, something so simple, but guys feel this incredible pressure to be ... that, in order to be a man, there are all these ideas that they really have to live up to and to conform to and it’s actually a bit suffocating.

Ali: We’re here to specifically discuss the HeForShe.org website. Why is that so important?

Emma: Well, it’s important because we want to be the first and largest, er, crowdsourcing tool for solutions to gender equality and the reason that is exciting is because we’ve had people sign up to the commitment and I’ve had lots of wonderful emails from men, saying all right, I’m on board, I get it, I’m into it, you know, great, but what do you want me to do? What do you actually want me to do about this now? I’m like … So this has been great, and we’ve received hundreds of emails like this and so we’ve set up this website. But what’s been interesting is that we haven’t wanted to prescribe to anyone how best within their specific country, town, school, community whatever the best way to enact this change is and actually when people have come up with their own solutions organically, there’s been some amazing things that have happened, so, erm, a man in Zimbabwe started a husband school for HeForShe, which was incredible, erm, we’ve had, one of our HeForShe champions, the president of Malawi, just annulled 300 child bride marriages, and sent the girls back to school, which was unbelievable, erm … we’ve had the University of Waterloo decided that they’re going to give scholarships for girls for engineering specifically, which has been amazing, so, we’ve kind of, we’ve realised that, like, you guys have the solutions and we just need to create the platform through which we can inspire you, erm, so, we’ve created this website and we think it’s pretty awesome.

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What do you think about the HeForShe campaign? Do you think that gender equality is an important issue? 

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