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Global Thought Leaders Weigh In


Over the past 18 months we have witnessed tectonic shifts in our world, exposing the many fundamental cracks in our societies and systems. The COVID-19 pandemic, which has exacerbated gender, racial and economic inequality, is expected to push an additional 88 million to 115 million people around the world into extreme poverty, with that number possibly rising to 150 million in 2021, laying bare the historic systemic inequities that have gone unaddressed for far too long. 

We are at a critical juncture where we have a unique and vital opportunity to challenge and reimagine the oppressive systems and paradigms of the past, including the long elusive goal of achieving gender equality and justice, an aspiration that benefits us all. There is a misconception that we are more equal than we are: the majority of Americans are surprised to learn that even in 2021, men and women are still not guaranteed equal rights in the U.S. Constitution.

For equality to exist, in addition to prioritizing passing important legislation like the Equal Rights Amendment (ERA), we need to dismantle inequitable systems and understand that the people leading the charge should be those most affected by the challenge. We must take an intersectional approach, as gender intersects powerfully with other social identities such as race, class, age and other axes of power and privilege. 

Reaching these ambitious and necessary milestones will take working together to create bold visions and amplifying diverse voices and leaders across sectors. The old siloed model of working in parallel and addressing issues one by one has passed—we need a multitude of intersectional visions, not one vision.

It is within this spirit that I am proud to be collaborating with Sarah Henry and the Global Center for Gender Equality at Stanford and the ERA Coalition on #EnvisionEquality, an article series and digital campaign to visualize an equal and just world, amplify diverse perspectives and solutions, and highlight what actions we can all take. Through this campaign, we want to challenge the norms, assumptions and narratives around what equality looks like and catalyze people to share their own personal visions with the understanding that we can’t be what we can’t see. 

The first installment in the series is on “Envisioning Equality,” in which we asked a diverse and esteemed set of global activists, visionaries, politicians, academics and other thought leaders across sectors and industries to share their visions of what a gender equal and just world would look like, what gives them hope and inspiration, and what the world would be like once we’ve achieved it. And stay tuned for part two of this series where we uncover the biggest barriers to equality and what actions we can take to manifest these visions.      

Featuring: Ada Williams Prince, Ai-jen Poo, Aimee Allison, Amy Hepburn, Barbara Lee, Carol Jenkins, Hilary Knight, Jennifer Siebel Newsom, Jensine Larsen, Jessica Houssian, Joanne Sandler, Joia Adele Crear-Perry, Kavita Ramdas, Kimberly Peeler-Allen, Latanya Mapp Frett, Michelle Nunn, Mona Sinha, Pamela Shifman, Rena Greifinger, Riki Wilchins, Sarah Haacke Byrd, Suzanne Lerner, Terry McGovern, Tina Tchen, Tony Porter, Valerie Jarrett, Vanessa Kerry and Wanjiru Kamau-Rutenberg.

Here is a sampling of their powerful and visionary responses (to view each contributor’s full responses click here):

What would a gender equal world look like? How will we know when we’ve achieved it?

The experience, conditions and aspirations of women of color should be the litmus by which we define equality. In a gender equal world, all genders (women, men and non-conforming people) will have comparable access to resources and opportunities, and will receive the support of a culture that openly affirms the value of all women. There is no understanding of gender in the United States without accounting for race. Therefore, how we define equality depends on accounting for and acknowledgement of the lived experiences of women of color. In a gender equal world, the lives and hopes of women of color will serve as the basic principles for establishing equality and justice. 

A gender equal world will be a world transformed. It’s a world where we have control over our lives, our bodies and our communities so that all women of color can thrive and grow to our greatest potential—as artists, writers, scientists, philosophers, mothers, builders, healers and scholars. —Aimee Allison | Founder and President of She the People

 

A world with gender equity is a world where patriarchy and the systems that are rooted in it don’t exist. Things like sexual and gender-based violence in the workplace, or anywhere, aren’t considered because the systemic and cultural conditions that allow them to persist wouldn’t exist. Our workplaces would be safer, more equitable places where people can achieve their goals and make meaningful contributions because no one would have to navigate the dangers that exist when their identities are leveraged against them by those in power. A world with gender equity is one where equality and justice aren’t things we fight for, but are an unspoken part of our existence as human beings.  

We will know we’re finally there when we solve the issues that keep women, LGBTQ+, BIPOC and disabled people from realizing their full potential in the workplace. When all of us, regardless of how we identify, can send our children into the world without disclaimers and hard conversations about how to ensure they’re safe at school and work, when mothers and other caregivers don’t fear losing their jobs because a sick relative needs a ride to the doctor, then we’ll know we’ve made progress. 

It means having a functional care infrastructure, paid leave, fair pay and promotions, pay equity up and down the wage scale and diverse representation in leadership of organizations across industries, including more women in seats of power. —Tina Tchen | President and CEO of TIMES UP

A gender equal world is one where everyone experiences equal representation, equal funding and equal ownership over the issues, conversations and decisions that impact their lives. We will not achieve a gender equal world by continuing to exclude the voices of those most vulnerable and impacted by existing inequities, while we continue to underinvest in proven strategies and approaches to increase the safety, health and opportunity for women and their families. We will know when we’ve achieved a gender equal world when we reverse this persistent trend. —Sarah Haacke Byrd | Executive Director of Women Moving Millions 

I think a lot about when we most notice inequality: an enormous gap in representation in Congress and all levels of government, where decisions are made about our everyday lives—what is important, and not; in Corporate America, where almost all decisions are made by white men—and where there is still little representation in leadership, internally and on boards, and massive amounts wealth is amassed; I think about those of us not at the top—the vast inequality in opportunity, income, education, housing and food. Most of the impoverished in our country are women. Most of the caregiving of children and the elderly is done by women. Most of the essential work—low paying and hard—is done by women. 

One couldn’t blame little girls, finding their grown-up versions missing from power and influence, for thinking they are somehow less than. Which is why we spend so much time telling them that they are just as good. An equal world would make convincing unnecessary. —Carol Jenkins | President and CEO of the ERA Coalition and the Fund for Women’s Equality

 

A gender equal world means: Every person is seen, heard, loved, respected and championed; identifying as a woman does not make her vulnerable or constrained; and the intersections of her gender with all her other identities only make her more interesting, successful and strong.

True gender equality will catalyze a ripple effect. Wars will end. The planet will be healthy and abundant. Hunger, maternal mortality, gender-based violence and poverty will be behind us. Societies everywhere will thrive. And then, for goodness sake, we can stop having to fight for it every single day, for centuries on end. —Rena Greifinger | Managing Director of Maverick Collective

A world where opportunities and rewards are distributed regardless of the gender you were assigned at birth. We will know we have achieved it when these conversations are antiquated and unnecessary and we have moved past the binary of gender being a box one checks. —Hilary Knight | U.S.A. Women’s National Hockey Team; Olympic Gold Medalist; Two-time Olympic Silver Medalist; Seven-time IIHF World Champion

In a gender equal world, people of all genders will have equal representation at the highest levels of decision making, whether that be in the courtroom, the political arena, the boardroom or through financial status. The words “boss” and “founder” will no longer be preceded by a gender label because gender will no longer be a determinant of access to and success in leadership positions. The ladder to these titles will not be custom-built for masculine behaviors. Women will no longer break through the professional glass ceiling by assimilating to the patriarchal definitions of professionalism; there will be no need to “bring your folding chair,” because a seat will already be waiting at the table, ready to support you exactly as you are. —Amy Hepburn | CEO of the Investor Leadership Network

We will know it when every girl, woman and non-binary person is able to live in their full power, choose their own pathway, define their own dreams and live life on their own terms. We will see it when violence, oppression and injustice finally give way to healing, liberation and justice—not just for some of us, but for all of us. We will feel it in our bones: with joy, spaciousness and the chance to reconnect to our own humanity and to each other. When every girl, woman and non-binary person feels it too, we will have made it. Only then will we know what it really means to be whole and to be free. —Jessica Houssian | Co-CEO of the Equality Fund

A gender equal world is one in which there is equal opportunity for women, men and non-binary individuals and where their contributions to family, work and society are equally valued. In the health sector, for example, it is estimated that women contribute $3 trillion annually to the global GDP, but almost half of that labor is unrecognized and unpaid. Further, though women make up over 70% of the health workforce, they hold only 25% of the leadership positions.     

A gender equal world would reflect no bias in representation at every level, whether formally employed or in the household. There will be proportionate leadership that truly reflects the makeup of our population. There would be equal rights, equal pay, equal benefits, equal caregivers at home, equal recognition and promotion pathways, equal value and recognition in sports, culture, business, arts, health, politics and opportunity. It would be a world where we celebrate our unique values—and differences—and are not punished for them or held back. —Vanessa Kerry, MD MSc | CEO of Seed Global Health

A gender equal world would require addressing systemic inequality and creating a world without sexism, discrimination or gender-based violence. It would also mean ensuring equal access to economic and public health resources. Intersectionality, a term coined by Professor Kimberlé Crenshaw, is also extremely important. We can’t view race, class or gender in a silo, and our efforts to recover from this global pandemic must include women from all communities and backgrounds. 

Gender equality is not only a human right but is also fundamental for a peaceful and prosperous world. Women’s equality and empowerment is one of the 17 UN Sustainable Development Goals, but to achieve this we need to end discriminatory laws and center marginalized and underrepresented groups in our efforts. This will take all of us to work together to create a more just society for our children and grandchildren. —Congresswoman Barbara Lee | Democratic U.S. Representative of California; Co-chair of the House Democratic Leadership Team; Human rights advocate

In a gender equal world, our shared human experiences hold equal value and there is a recognition of the truly intersectional nature of our experiences. As a Black woman, gender inequality comes at me with a distinctly strong white supremacy flavor. So for me, a gender equal world is also a world free of racism and other forms of inequality. I’m not sure that attempts to address gender inequality while remaining silent on other forms of inequality have served us well. —Wanjiru Kamau-Rutenberg, Ph.D. | Founder of Akili Dada; Outgoing Director of African Women in Agricultural Research and Development (AWARD)

How we value the work of care is a profound indicator of our progress in creating a gender equal world. The work of care has long been undervalued and taken for granted, due to its long-time association with women, regardless of who is doing the work. Professional care workers are underpaid and overworked, and family caregivers are often taken for granted and made invisible.   

In a gender equal world, the lives, work and contributions of all people will be valued equally. Professional care workers will receive fair pay that affords them the ability to support their own families even as they care for others. Our culture will no longer invisibilize caregivers, and our policies will ensure care is supported as a public good. —Ai-jen Poo | Executive Director of the National Domestic Workers Alliance; Director of Caring Across Generations

We’ll know that we’ve achieved gender equality in the world when ALL women and girls can walk down public streets at night or during the day free of the fear of violence. We’ll know that we’ve achieved gender equality in the world when words replace weapons as a way of settling disagreements and conflict. We’ll know we’ve achieved gender equality when all men of all ages, races, religions, ethnicities, abilities and other differences can express their aspirations and frustrations in ways that do not rely on dominance, submission and threats. —Joanne Sandler | Board Co-chair of JASS (Just Associates); Senior Associate of Gender at Work; Co-host of Two Old Bitches

In a gender equal world, we would not see the devastating economic consequences for women caregivers during COVID. In a gender equal world, new drugs would be tested on women, gynecologists would be part of the evaluation team and contraception would be available over the counter. In a gender equal world, laws wouldn’t excuse rape in marriage, polygamy, female genital mutilation, or require third party male consent. All forms of interpersonal violence would be considered illegal and boys and girls would no longer be constrained by outdated perceptions of gender roles. Science would not be driven by investment but rather the desire to promote well-being. —Terry McGovern, JD | Heilbrunn Professor and Chair of Columbia University Mailman School of Public Health 

A gender equal world looks like Black women having the same birth outcomes as white women. We can measure well-being by maternal mortality rates, and right now the United States comes in dead last when compared to other high-income countries since Black women are two to three times more likely to die from pregnancy related complications. The alarming statistics surrounding Black maternal health is evidence that racism is woven throughout our society…. In the future, we would be celebrating the fullness of Black joy, achieved when Black mamas and babies can thrive. —Joia Adele Crear-Perry, MD, FACOG | Founder and President of the National Birth Equity Collaborative (NBEC)

Some would aspire for a gender equal world to mean that noting someone’s gender in relation to their job, caregiving roles or other life choices would be as innocuous as noting someone’s eye color—something completely irrelevant to the task at hand. I, however, believe that in a gender equal world, gender would be irrelevant to career choices, caregiving roles and other life choices, but gender would also be centered in decision making processes, policy development, team makeup, elected representation and other aspects of society. The lived experiences of women need to be considered equally to the experiences of men to ensure that the balance actually shifts. It will require constant deliberate efforts to challenge the status quo, assess the equity in the policy or practice and a change in behavior when necessary.   

We will know that we have achieved a gender equal world when we are just as likely to have a man or a woman in any role and there is an assumption of their complete competence at the task at hand regardless of their gender. —Kimberly Peeler-Allen | Visiting Practitioner of Center for American Women and Politics, Rutgers University; Board Chair of the ERA Coalition; Cofounder of Higher Heights

A gender equal world is an exquisite one which embraces wholeness. I believe that unless we can fully love the beauty in our diverse world we can never be complete as humans and changemakers. Every identity, no matter how different from one that we choose for ourselves, is valuable because by accepting differences we learn and grow. Equality celebrates and appreciates diversity instead of rejecting it. We will know that we’ve achieved it when identity politics no longer play a role in our world. —Mona Sinha | Board Chair of the ERA Fund for Women’s Equality; Board Chair of Women Moving Millions; Producer of Disclosure

I like to think of our goal as a gender just world, not merely gender equal. For me, equality suggests a world where girls, women and gender non-conforming people may access something that currently is available only to the dominant gender of heterosexual male beings. A gender just world, in contrast, would first dismantle the underlying systems of patriarchy that define and allocate power and dominance across the globe.

We will know when we have achieved gender justice when the world’s powerful nations come together at the UN or some similar body in agreement to destroy their stockpiles of weapons because they recognize that our joint survival requires investments into new ways of living with climate change and global warming. We will know we have a gender just society when religious leaders come together to affirm that love and respect for all human beings and our Mother Earth, regardless of where they worship, or whom they call God, is the first and primary commitment of all religions. We will get to that place  because women and girls, alongside boys, men and gender non-binary people in societies across the globe, demand that we prioritize the well-being of all people in a society. People will come together and refuse to accept things as they are today, where a few men control the resources of the planet financially, and where, similarly, small numbers of men control the powerful systems of religion, politics, economics and culture inside and across most nations, while millions of other people struggle simply to survive. A gender just world would most immediately be more peaceful, less militarist and more equitable. It would offer all human beings the space to be fully themselves from the moment of their birth to the end of their lives. —Kavita Ramdas | Director of Women’s Rights Program of Open Society Foundations

In a gender just world, movements for gender justice will have transformed power and privilege for a few into equity and equality for all. This isn’t a pipe dream. Gender justice movements all around the globe are working right now to create meaningful change that will last beyond our lifetimes. —Latanya Mapp Frett | President and CEO of Global Fund for Women

Given the current status of the world, what gives you hope and inspiration that we can achieve equality?

The last year has been one of collective loss. At the same time, it has ushered in a moment of profound and painful reckoning with the institutions and structures that are failing too many. The stakes have never been higher and the call for change so loud. Historically, the long battle for equal rights has won its most significant victories not during periods of prosperity but during transitional periods when the status quo is no longer acceptable. It is during these difficult moments when transformation is possible and where I find hope.

The movement for women’s rights has continued to gather strength, dedicating itself to the work of equality with renewed focus, energy and drive. Since 2016, the movement has gained new visibility as we’ve marched to demand equality. We’ve taken this fight from the streets to social media, the courts, the election booth and corporate boardrooms. We’ve battled against corporate misogyny and invested in political candidates to increase representation and expand power. By sharing testimonies of survival from violence, we’ve shone a light on a crisis of abuse that is both hidden from view and ubiquitous. Activists are gaining significant traction for a once-in-a-lifetime progressive care economy agenda that could lift women’s economic well-being and prosperity. We are ready. —Sarah Haacke Byrd | Executive Director of Women Moving Millions

I am deeply hopeful about the future. I am inspired by the young women who are on the forefront of fighting authoritarianism around the world—from Brazil to India, from Hungary to the United States. I am inspired by the Black-led, multiracial global movement for Black lives, the largest social movement in U.S. history, which has created the conditions for real transformation to end structural racism. I am inspired by Indigenous feminists who are making the link between violence against women and girls and violence against the earth, and shutting down pipelines and man camps where Indigenous women face rampant sexual exploitation. I am inspired by the domestic workers who have organized so brilliantly that care work is finally being understood as critical infrastructure—just like roads and bridges. —Pamela Shifman | Advocate for girls’ and women’s rights, social justice and transformative philanthropy

What gives me the most hope are all the women who are showing the impact they have on the world in all sectors despite the barriers that they have had to overcome. I am inspired by decision makers who recognize when women and other underrepresented groups are not at the table and do the work to make sure they are included. I am inspired by the younger generations who call out gender inequality not because they are making a political statement but because they see inequality as a lack of fairness and a disservice to the greater good. Progress is slow and the pace is not consistent, but it is there. —Kimberly Peeler-Allen | Visiting Practitioner of Center for American Women & Politics, Rutgers University; Board Chair of the ERA Coalition; Cofounder of Higher Heights

What gives me hope is the fact that representation in government in our country is moving closer and closer toward looking a little more like America. More women than ever are running for office and winning, and we have seen so many firsts—from our first every Black and AAPI woman as Vice President to our first Muslim women members of Congress to our first Native woman Cabinet Secretary. Their voices represent all of us. Their diverse experiences and the communities they represent help to highlight inequities we have lived with for hundreds of years, and they are pushing to build systems that work better for everyone. Throughout the history of our country, women of color have been leading the way, and I’m thrilled to see they are finally getting the recognition they deserve. 

And during this pandemic, nothing gave me more hope than the incredible women who were doing everything they could to take care of their communities, their families and themselves. Women of color overwhelmingly bore the brunt of this pandemic economically, in their health and in their well-being, but it was women of color who every day were getting up to serve their communities, to build solutions to what wasn’t working and even to build our vaccines. And now I have hope because as a country we are having a conversation about how we ensure that when and if something like this happens again, our systems don’t continue to break the backs of those women, but instead help them to find success and thrive. —Valerie Jarrett | Author of Finding My Voice; Senior Advisor to Barack Obama; President of the Obama Foundation; Chair of Civic Nation; Co-chair of The United State of Women

The past 15 months have been nothing short of devastating. But the inequities that have been at the center of the national conversation have further validated the urgent and sustained need for gender and racial equity work. The good news is that millions of individuals have committed to being practicing aspiring allies. Thousands of organizations have committed to becoming anti-sexist and anti-racist. Men in positions of privilege and power have said, “I will use my influence and platform to create positive social change.” We’ve seen some of the biggest protests and resistance in American history, and we’re feeling momentum that rivals the Civil Rights era—much of which is being led by young people. We recognize that we have a big opportunity for action right now, and we are proud to be working alongside all of those folks to help shape the next generation of manhood and create a more equitable and just society. —Tony Porter | CEO of A Call to Men

What gives me hope is the incredible courage of young people who are increasingly stepping away from rigid gender binaries to say they won’t be part of preserving a system that has oppressed so many for so long. —Riki Wilchins | Author and Activist; Executive Director of True Child 

We are talking about care in the public square in a new way. Susie Rivera, a homecare worker for 40 years in Texas, had a 30-minute conversation with President Biden to share her experiences as a professional caregiver. People are recognizing and lifting up essential workers who have been invisible, and the care economy is more widely recognized as a critical part of economic recovery. The disruption of the pandemic has created new openings for shifts in our policy and culture that are long overdue. It gives me hope that we can fundamentally change the aspects of our lives that may have seemed impossible before, from the small changes in relationship between a care worker and employer to large-scale policy changes. —Ai-jen Poo | Executive Director of the National Domestic Workers Alliance; Director of Caring Across Generations

While the pandemic has been especially challenging for moms, it also offers a window of opportunity. I’m hopeful that the momentum we’re seeing now will only continue to grow and accelerate the pace at which change takes hold. Already, we see signs that care is being recognized for what it is: infrastructure. Historically, infrastructure investments have benefited men and focused squarely on things like roads and bridges. Today, the Biden administration is championing care investments as infrastructure investments, and prioritizing robust child care assistance, universal preschool, and national paid leave programs—all crucial to the operation of society and the economy. —Jennifer Siebel Newsom | First Partner of California; Award-winning filmmaker; Advocate for gender equity

I’ve been steeped in feminist tech for a decade, and I believe that this is a pivotal moment. New innovations and emergent online platforms, communities and tools are poised to ultimately unlock the voices and leadership of billions of women—voices that are still too buried today by oppressive systems and social norms. It’s already happening. Across the globe in the pandemic era, I see women community leaders rising to the moment with technology in hand, creating rapid-response lifelines and connecting to exchange information across geographic distances: joining digital protests, exchanging health information, advising on homeschooling, providing virtual life-saving services for those experiencing domestic violence, mental health crises and more. Despite few resources or little political power, they are moving quickly together, creating vast webs of a global, mutual-aid, care economy. They’re using their online access to protect the most at risk and grab hold of social media to transmit the voices of others who don’t have access. They are also tapping into online communities to find solidarity and strength in the face of exhaustion and despair. They’re using radio, web, Zoom, SMS, social media and more to organize and craft policy demands. They are reaching out across the wires and saying, “Listen to us; we know the way forward.”

In today’s digital age, there is no excuse to not listen anymore. We no longer need to fly women to decision-making tables: technology can bring the table to them—and enable them to build new ones. The act of listening and shifting power to leaders who are rooted in excluded and marginalized communities is the only way that we will find effective and inclusive solutions.

It’s our job to crank up the volume on these often-unheard voices and support their linkages through communications technology, so that they can become an unstoppable, vibrant collective force for equality: quiet no more, loudly roaring with life. The beauty of this vision is that it is woven from multitudes of new visions that will rise and shape our future. —Jensine Larsen | Founder of World Pulse

I started and ran several companies to gain the freedom, as a woman, to forge my own path. No matter how much talent I displayed, or how hard I worked, the way forward was typically blocked because of my gender. Thankfully, things have changed because of the work of many advocates who have tirelessly fought to help women gain equal pay, equal opportunity and equal protections under the law. These gains have been encouraging, but we need more!

Where I’m seeing the biggest change is in the business world. CEOs recognize that they can’t take a laissez-faire attitude anymore when it comes to equality. Their companies are making multi-year and multi-billion-dollar commitments to close the equity gap, through new and expanded diversity and inclusion programs. Their influence is enormous and there’s no limit to the positive impact they can have. It’s imperative that they use this renewed sense of purpose to help change policies and laws across all the countries they work in. —Suzanne Lerner | Cofounder and CEO of Michael Stars; Activist; Philanthropist

My hope comes from listening to and seeing extraordinary women around the world. Salamatou, a Nigerien woman forced at age 13 to marry a 60-year-old man, inspires me. By age 20 she had four children and could not read or write. Her life changed when she joined a savings group that provided solidarity with other women and resources to start her own business. She left her husband, educated her younger children, and helped to create more than 175 savings groups for 3,000 people.  

We are grateful her story is one of many. Every day, through our work at CARE, we see determination and a sense of possibility reflected even in the depths of some of the most protracted crises in the world—from Afghanistan to the West Bank and Gaza. It is why women and girls are at the center of our work. —Michelle Nunn | President and CEO of CARE USA 

These things give me hope: The Generation Equality Forum that was recently launched in Paris with commitments from governments, private sectors and foundations to support and fund initiatives that are “feminist led” efforts for driving social change; The next generation of activists—the young feminists of ALL genders—who speak, write, perform, sing, rap, mobilize, organize and walk the streets and walk the talk; Queerness—going beyond the binary is so, so, so groundbreaking and intersectional. It helps us in a myriad of ways; Racial justice and feminist movements like #BLM, #MeToo and #ClimateStrike led by young people of all genders, races and ages—these are radical reimaginings of what society should be; New feminist political leaders in New Zealand, in Finland and in local races across the USA. More and more women are running for political office at every level, and that is making change in governance possible; New Feminist Economics—thanks to the pandemic, suddenly people are paying attention to things like Reciprocity in the Economy, the rights of workers and the power of care. These are things that feminist economists have been talking about forever! Let’s hope that they get to define the future, as they are in Argentina where women like Mercedes D’Allesandro and her sisters are shaking up the status quo; And men who are done with the single story of patriarchy. Men like my 60-year-old husband who is a born care-giver and would like to be acknowledged for his commitment to being the #Caregiver and #Careworker in our family, but also men of all ages who have a different vision for what it means to be a decent human being in today’s world and don’t give a hoot about what that means for traditional notions of “masculinity.” —Kavita Ramdas | Director of Women’s Rights Program of Open Society Foundations

If we’re sitting in the future celebrating our success at achieving equality, what have we achieved, who is celebrating with us and how are we experiencing the world differently? 

When we’re able to celebrate, we’ve achieved a standard where every room being full of a plethora of ethnic backgrounds and gender identities is the norm. The celebration will include everyone whose voice was once left out of the process. It will include everyone who worked tirelessly to make proactive change in the face of resistance. It will embody those who came before us and sacrificed for us. The world will look different through the eyes of our children, where no matter their gender, their race, their religion, their ability—they know that they have equal opportunity to the child standing next to them. The experience of the world will be so new, but in its totality, feel wholly complete for the very first time. —Valerie Jarrett | Author of Finding My Voice; Senior advisor to Barack Obama; President of the Obama Foundation; Chair of Civic Nation; Co-chair of The United State of Women

Women have full power over their bodies and futures. We respect and celebrate differences and diversity. Girls and boys grow up able to choose how they want to identify, who they want to love and how they want to live. And all live freely from fear of oppression. —Rena Greifinger | Managing Director of Maverick Collective

Imagine Women of Color, no longer footnotes to the social movements they create to benefit society at large. They are heralded as the true changemakers they are. They are celebrated for their authentic selves, believed in for their formidable talents and appreciated for their great contributions. Imagine Women and Girls of Color, liberated. What gives me hope is to see organizations like Pivotal Ventures expanding the power and influence of Women and Girls of Color by centering their voices and investing in the organizations and communities that they lead. By assembling a Women of Color Design Council to co-design a new investment strategy, Pivotal is modeling what it looks like to truly build, strengthen and accelerate the power and influence of Women and Girls of Color to the benefit of all women. —Ada Williams Prince | Senior Advisor of Program Strategy and Investment of Pivotal Ventures

A future where we have achieved equality will feel more connected and dynamic. Our differences will be celebrated as strengths and dynamism as opposed to being used to marginalize or disempower. Each of us will be able to offer our unique contributions to our families, our communities, our economy and society without ever feeling less than whole or worthy. —Ai-jen Poo | Executive Director of the National Domestic Workers Alliance; Director of Caring Across Generations

Experiencing authenticity will be a hallmark of our future celebration. Authenticity is freedom. It is the freedom to embrace our full humanity and to celebrate all of who we are. —Tony Porter | CEO of A Call to Men

The world will be celebrating joyfully as every human being feels fulfilled and able to reach their potential. Color, caste, race and gender will no longer matter, and relationships will build upon trust not licenses. The world will live in harmony with other inhabitants since humankind will finally have reached equality and equilibrium. It will be a loving, stable place without war or conflict that cannot be resolved. Mother Earth will no longer be exploited, and the world will innovate and find solutions for the problems that it faces. Our families and friends will look and feel much less homogeneous than today. —Mona Sinha | Board Chair of the ERA Fund for Women’s Equality; Board Chair of Women Moving Millions; Producer of Disclosure

All the children born have the freedom to be their true and authentic selves, are surrounded by opportunities to realize their full potential, are committed to serving others and living in harmony with nature and are surrounded by a protective loving community. It sounds idealistic, but that is the society I am working toward. For me, gender equality is about much much more than men and women. It is about a shared vision for a more balanced future. —Wanjiru Kamau-Rutenberg, Ph.D. | Founder of Akili Dada; Outgoing Director of African Women in Agricultural Research and Development (AWARD)

An equal world will be one that everyone across all identities celebrates because they’ve all played a role in achieving it. This world feels safer. Women no longer live in perpetual fear of being unprotected from physical and emotional harm. This world feels more collaborative than competitive. Women of every background feel supported, accepted, empowered and limitless. This world is full of diverse leaders and decision makers and is designed more equitably, in effect. I hope this world will not take another 151 years to reach, and I work toward achieving it every day. —Amy Hepburn | CEO of the Investor Leadership Network

The quotes in this article have been edited for length and clarity.

Elements of this campaign, as well as additional responses from contributors are featured on the Envision Equality platform which you can find here.

Sarah Henry, Executive Director of the Global Center for Gender Equality at Stanford, provided editorial support to this piece.

Envision Equality is an article series and digital campaign that is a collaboration between between Feminist.com, the Global Center for Gender Equality at Stanford and the ERA Coalition.

Marianne Schnall is a widely-published interviewer and journalist and author of What Will It Take to Make a Woman President?, Leading the Way, and Dare to Be You. She is also the founder of Feminist.com and What Will It Take Movements.



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