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Marc Jacobs F/W 14. Photos by David Urbanke.

Codie Young wears Dolce & Gabbana Alta Moda Spring/Summer 2014 for Vogue Germany April 2014 photographed by Luigi & Lango

This was an article published in my university’s student magazine Debate.

It upset and offended me so I thought I’d write an open letter to the magazine. I will be sending it to them.

An open letter to Debate,

In reference to the article titled ‘Feminism is Hurting Women’ written by Jessie Song in your issue published March 24.

To put it simply, this article shocked me. I couldn’t believe what I was reading and it actually made me feel somewhat sick.

I do not wish to downplay the role of free speech and genuine political debate in our society, but I do wish to criticise your decision to publish such a wilfully ignorant and harmful piece of writing.

It is your implied duty as publisher to ensure that all material published by the magazine is of a standard that is acceptable. I believe you failed that duty.

The article contains a number of passages that undermine, hurt and demean women (past and present) who have fought valiantly for equal rights. I can only speak for myself (as a male), but I found the article offensive.

The article contains a number of offensive, inaccurate and vitriolic statements. For example:

“…the reality is, whether in the West or the East, society is still dominated by men. Feminism hasn’t brought happiness to women obsessed with overachieving or comparing themselves to men, only misery from the inevitable disappointment of unrealistic expectations.”

“The false confidence of believing that men and women are equal has created an abundance of overqualified single women struggling against their ticking biological clock, because feminists convinced them that their priority is to spend their most crucial years ‘proving themselves’.

“…it’s simply not practical for companies to hire women who are at childbearing age for having to pay maternity leave.”

“One need only examine the sorry state of the modern western family to see how unsustainable and unhealthy feminism is.”

“When feminists demand ‘equal pay and work’ they are not in fact asking for ‘equality’ but quite the opposite.”

In my view such comments misrepresent feminism and misrepresent the law, in particular:

By suggesting feminism (and women) are simply obsessed with ‘overachieving’ and ‘comparing themselves to men’

By suggesting feminists have ‘unrealistic expectations’

By suggesting men and women are not, in fact, equal when they are

By suggesting employers can/should discriminate against women

By suggesting women are not of equal worth to men

The fact of the matter is women ARE equal and should be treated as equal to men. This is what countless decades of campaigning have been about. The feminist movement has been and is one that focuses on equality and human rights.

Women have a fundamental human right to equal treatment and equal pay. Women have a fundamental human right not to be discriminated against. Such rights are enshrined in both international treaties and in New Zealand law.

Article 11 of the UN Convention on the Elimination of All Forms of Discrimination Against Women (which New Zealand has ratified) states that signatories “shall take all appropriate measures to eliminate discrimination against women in the field of employment in order to ensure, on a basis of equality of men and women, the same rights, in particular:

The right to work as an inalienable right of all human beings

The right to the same employment opportunities, including the application of the same criteria for selection in matters of employment

The right to free choice of profession and employment

The right to equal remuneration, including benefits, and to equal treatment in respect of work of equal value

The right to social security, particularly in cases of retirement, unemployment, sickness, invalidity and old age

The right to protection of health and to safety in working conditions, including the safeguarding of the function of reproduction

States Parties shall [also] take appropriate measures:

To prohibit, subject to the imposition of sanctions, dismissal on the grounds of pregnancy or of maternity leave and discrimination in dismissals on the basis of marital status;

To introduce maternity leave with pay or with comparable social benefits without loss of former employment, seniority or social allowances;

To encourage the provision of the necessary supporting social services to enable parents to combine family obligations with work responsibilities and participation in public life, in particular through promoting the establishment and development of a network of child-care facilities;

To provide special protection to women during pregnancy in types of work proved to be harmful to them.”

In light of this international treaty, New Zealand has in place section 21 of the Human Rights Act 1993 which states that discrimination on the basis of “sex, which includes pregnancy and childbirth” is unlawful.

Section 22 of the Act also contains an explicit protection for women against employment discrimination.

It is sad to see Debate publish an article so devoid of insight, critical thought and fact. But further than that, it is disappointing to see Debate publish an article that suggests women are not equal to men. Such sentiments only set us further back as a society. They also undermine the genuine concerns of women.

Many women still do not receive the same pay as their male counterparts. Some women still face employment discrimination and many are still subject to the blight of sexual harassment – something which is demeaning and dehumanising. Some single mothers struggle to feed and take care of their children.

So I urge you, Debate, not to add to the struggles of New Zealand women by publishing material that demeans 50% of the country.

Regards,

Craig Robertson. 

“Head of Saint John the Baptist“ (detail), 1644, Jusepe de Ribera.

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