“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—they will 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, that they belong in 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 – not a privilege. A right that will be respected by a community that believes and supports survivors and recognizes that when one person’s safety is violated, everyone feels their own safety is violated.
A university should be a place of refuge that takes action against all forms of violence.”
-Emma Watson
This speech was given by Emma Watson—you may know her as Hermione Granger or Belle, but her work outside the film industry is what makes her one of the most influential figures of our era. Not only is she a key figure within the UN Women to launch the HeForShe campaign, but she continues to address the issue of gender inequality as a Goodwill Ambassador.
It’s the 21st century, but women are still being paid .80 cents for every $1 earned by men. It’s 2016, but women are still expected to be the primary caregivers and homemakers. It’s been 96 years since women got the right to vote, yet their voices are still being oppressed. One of the first things we learn as a young child is to never take what is yours—always ask if you want something; treat others the way you would want to be treated. However, here we are as adults that can’t understand the Golden Rule or explicit consent—resulting in cases like Brock Turner.
There are no set answers. Why did Brock Turner get a lenient sentencing—white privilege or gender? Why is he portrayed as the victim instead of the woman who he sexually assaulted? Why did Stanford University issue a hard alcohol ban when we should be teaching individuals not to rape? How are people supposed to feel safe at school when events like this happen and aren’t handled properly? Is justice a privilege now? Is equality a foreign concept?
Like I said—there are no clear answers.
Despite all of these concerns—it is 2016—and for the first time, a woman has the opportunity to be our next President.
Watson’s leadership and Clinton’s candidacy is proof—proof that they can exercise their rights, that they don’t have to have XY chromosomes to accomplish whatever they set their minds to.
As a college student myself, I know it is easy to get wrapped up in my university’s parameters—living in a bubble of some sorts. It’s simple to distinguish your experiences from what is “out there,” but even harder to understand what others are actually undergoing.
I empathize with Brock Turner’s victim—but I don’t think any of us will truly understand what she went through. The change begins within a community—whether it is your university, neighborhood, or even friend group.
Men are valued, but so are women. Safety is a right, not a privilege. Stop defining people’s capabilities by their chromosomes and start characterizing them through their actions. Crush double standards—create higher standards. Value brain power over physique. Aim to understand, not judge.
In a world full of people saying “you can’t,” be an Emma Watson and say "I just did."
