In celebration of International Women's Day, March 8, we spoke to Nikki van der Gaag about the importance of involving men in feminism.
Nikki van der Gaag is a Senior Collaborator at Promundo. She is a consultant in the area of gender development, with a special focus on girls, men and gender equality. She is co-author of the first report “The State of Fatherhood in the World ”, in 2015. Her most recent book is “ Feminism and Men ”. Zed Press, 2014. She is also the author of “ The Non-Nonsense Guide to Women 's Rights ”. New Internationalist / Verso, 2008), and six reports “ The State of Girls in the World ” (“ State of the World’s Girls “) by Plan International, including one on boys and gender equality. She is a member of the Advisory Board for Young Lives, an Oxford University study of child poverty; director of Just Change UK; and board trustee of the Great Men Initiative and New Internationalist magazine.
What would you like everyone to know on International Women's Day?
That even though at times it may feel like we are taking two steps forward and one step back, the tide is starting to turn. Women and men need to stand by each other and celebrate the many positive changes that have been achieved – and at the same time continue to be realistic about what still needs to be done.
What mobilizes you in the fight for gender equality, and what is your desire to achieve equity?
I have been a feminist since my teens, and have worked on gender and women's rights for over 25 years. I first heard about Promundo's work in early 2000, when I was working with men and HIV at the Panos Institute. This started to make me wonder what role men can and should play in promoting gender equality: could we, as feminists, continue to see men as the problem rather than part of the solution? Then, in my travels, writing about and working with women and girls, I started to notice men, and especially boys, who wanted to know what was going on and why they weren't involved. I started talking to them, and in 2010, I proposed to Plan Internacional to write the State of the World's Girls report, including boys and gender equality. The Advisory Editorial Board had representatives from Promundo, Laço Branco, and similar organizations. I had never written about men in my work on women and girls until then. My wish? Continue to work toward a broader, less binary definition of gender equality so we can truly move forward together to change the world.
What is the biggest challenge we face in achieving gender equality, and what are some key strategies for achieving this goal?
I think we cannot separate work with men and gender equality from gender justice, given the broader context of development. We need to continue to listen to what women and men at the local level have to say, and work with them on small and big strategies.
It remains a major challenge to convince more than a relatively small number of men of the need to become part of the gender equality movement. So we also need to work with men in positions of power to reinforce the feminist idea that the personal is political. The influence of fundamentalist religions on sex is another growing problem that also needs to be addressed, as is the ongoing epidemic of violence against women and girls.
Tell us a little about your role as a Senior Collaborator at Promundo.
This is still very new to me, and in many ways it is simply an extension of what I have done for many years: promoting the ideas and work of Promundo, Sonke Gender Justice, and a range of other important organizations that work with men and gender equality in my writings, in negotiations, and in workshops.
How can working with men and boys help promote women's social, economic, cultural and political fulfillment?
While the work that women have done in recent decades must continue, including spaces and resources set aside for that work, I am convinced that we need to involve men if we want to achieve a more just world.
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