Emma Watson - United Nations Speech on Gender Equality (2024)

[AUTHENTICITY CERTIFIED: Text version below transcribed directly from audio]

Your Excellencies, UN Secretary General, President of the General Assembly, Executive Director of UN Women, and Distinguished Guests:

Today, we are launching a campaign called HeForShe.

I am reaching out to you because we need your help.We want to end gender inequality, and to do this we need everyone 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 change. And we don’t just want to talk about it. We want to try and make sure that it's tangible.I was appointed as Goodwill Ambassador for UN Women 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."1 I started questioning gender-based assumptions a long time ago, when I was eight, I was confused at being called "bossy," because I wanted to direct the plays that we would put on for our parents -- but the boys were not3; when at 14 I started to be sexualized by certain elements of the media; when at 15 my girlfriends started dropping out of their beloved sports teams because they didn’t want to appear "muscle-y"; when at 18 my male friends were unable to express their feelings.

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

Why has the word become such an uncomfortable one? I am from Britain and I think it is right that 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 -- I think it is right that women be involved on my behalf in the policies and the decisions that will affect my life. 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 that 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 that 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. We need more of those.

And if you still hate the word, it is not the word that is important; it’s the idea and the ambition behind it -- because not all women have received the same rights that I have. In fact, statistically very few have been.

In 19972, Hilary Clinton made a famous speech in Beijing about women’s rights. Sadly many of the things that she wanted to change are still true today. But what stood out for me the most was that less than 30 percent of the 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 less of a men -- or less of a man. In fact, in the UK suicide is the biggest killer of men between 20 to 49 -- 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 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 instead of two sets of opposing ideals. If -- If we stop defining each other by what we are not and start defining ourselves by who 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 that 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 speaking at the UN? And it’s a really good question. I've been asking myself the same thing. 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]4 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?5 If you have similar doubts when opportunities are presented to you I hope that those words will 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 can have a secondary education.

If you believe in equality, you might be one of those inadvertent feminists that I spoke of earlier -- and for this I applaud you. We are struggling for a uniting word, but the good news is that we have a uniting movement. It is called HeForShe. I am inviting you to step forward, to be seen, and to ask yourself, "If not me, who? If not now, when?"

Thank you very, very much.

1 Defined here by Meriam-Webster.com.

2 This dynamic, as pertaining to women and leadership, is addressed by the concept of "Double Bind"

3 Presumably in reference toHillary Clinton's Address to the 4th World Congress delivered 5 September 1995

4 Quotation not italicized for two reasons. First, the source of this quotation is disputed (seeWikipeda entry). Second, and consistent with the common use of gender exclusive pronouns of the era, the terms "and women" do not appear in the accounts noted in the entry above. It is likely that the speaker knowingly took literary/rhetorical license for the purpose of representing the very subject under consideration, i.e. gender equality.

5 Phrase and its proximate attributed tovarious sources, but most directly to Mikhail Gorgachev

U.S. Copyright Status:Text = Uncertain.

Emma Watson - United Nations Speech on Gender Equality (2024)

FAQs

Emma Watson - United Nations Speech on Gender Equality? ›

No country in the world can yet say that they 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.

How did Emma Watson support the UN? ›

In 2014, she was appointed a UN Women Goodwill Ambassador and helped launch the UN Women campaign HeForShe, which advocates for gender equality. Since the launch of the HeForShe movement, Emma has participated in many events that have sought to promote women's rights and women's political participation.

Is Emma Watson feminist? ›

At a very young age, Emma Watson became something of a feminist icon practically by default when she was cast as the brilliant, inspiring Hermione Granger in the Harry Potter films. In the years since hanging up her wand, however, she has joined the fight for gender equality in a more deliberate way.

How did Emma Watson contribute to women's rights? ›

British actor Emma Watson was appointed UN Women Goodwill Ambassador in July 2014. The accomplished actor, humanitarian and recent graduate of Brown University will dedicate her efforts towards the empowerment of young women and will serve as an advocate for UN Women's HeForShe campaign in promoting gender equality.

How does Emma Watson define feminism? ›

During her UN Speech, Watson defined feminism point blank: "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. '"

What Has Emma Watson done to change the world? ›

Alongside her acting work, Emma Watson campaigns on climate, social and gender equality issues. She is a Goodwill Ambassador for UN Women – the United Nations organization which promotes gender equality and the empowerment of women.

Why Emma Watson is a role model? ›

A Fierce Advocate of Human Rights, Literacy, Feminism & Environmental Issues. A true humanitarian, an educationist and a social activist, Watson actively participates in numerous charity endeavours and stays updated about the latest issues around the world from trans rights to #blacklivesmatter.

What did Emma Watson hope to achieve with her speech? ›

In the speech, Watson made the important point that in order for gender equality to be achieved, harmful and destructive stereotypes of masculinity and behavioral expectations for boys and men have got to change.

What are Emma Watson's beliefs? ›

When asked about her faith in 2014, Watson described herself as a spiritual universalist.

How does Emma Watson inspire others? ›

Emma is the leading feminist at the UN and a role model. Not only is she just the UN Ambassador but she also started the campaign HeForShe which encourages men to support the feminist movements. It also aims to raise awareness about violence and discrimination that women and girls experience all around the world.

In what ways is Emma a feminist novel? ›

Emma may be considered a feminist novel because it focuses upon the struggles and development of a strong, intelligent woman.

What does a UN goodwill ambassador do? ›

The role of the Messengers of Peace and Goodwill Ambassadors is to communicate the activities and concerns of the United Nations to help extend its public outreach.

How old is Emma Watson? ›

Who defined feminism? ›

Charles Fourier, a utopian socialist and French philosopher, is credited with having coined the word "féminisme" in 1837. The words "féminisme" ("feminism") and "féministe" ("feminist") first appeared in France and the Netherlands in 1872, Great Britain in the 1890s, and the United States in 1910.

Top Articles
Latest Posts
Article information

Author: Kareem Mueller DO

Last Updated:

Views: 5676

Rating: 4.6 / 5 (66 voted)

Reviews: 89% of readers found this page helpful

Author information

Name: Kareem Mueller DO

Birthday: 1997-01-04

Address: Apt. 156 12935 Runolfsdottir Mission, Greenfort, MN 74384-6749

Phone: +16704982844747

Job: Corporate Administration Planner

Hobby: Mountain biking, Jewelry making, Stone skipping, Lacemaking, Knife making, Scrapbooking, Letterboxing

Introduction: My name is Kareem Mueller DO, I am a vivacious, super, thoughtful, excited, handsome, beautiful, combative person who loves writing and wants to share my knowledge and understanding with you.