All Things Women

This full-day session takes us through a journey of unpacking our reality as Ethiopian women. The topics to be raised are Women, Power & Peace; Understanding Culturally Defined Boundaries, and The Concept of Feminism.

1. Women, Power & Peace

Power is the influence that an individual or organization has over others. The way people gain power is from recognition by others as a result of their fame, wealth, position, or status. In today’s world, we can say that a few women can gain real power. This comes from the socially imposed standards put on women and the women accepting them. Those who don’t accept it either are cast as an outsider or they become one of the few who get to climb up the ladder of power.

Women are powerful, kind, compassionate, and intuitive. These are the qualities that we would love to see in ourselves and our leaders and these are the qualities that can potentially bring us peace and stability. Then, why is it socially challenging to put a fair share of women in positions of real power? Let’s explore!

2. Understanding Culturally Defined Boundaries

Before going into the culturally defined boundaries, let’s clarify what boundaries are. Physical boundaries include our needs for personal space, comfort with touch, and our needs to rest, eat food, and drink water. Emotional boundaries are about the right to have our feelings respected and validated. It also involves not imposing responsibility on us for how others feel. Sexual boundaries are our right to sexual consent, sexual preferences, desires, and privacy. It also includes boundaries around sexual comments or advances made upon us in different situations from our partners or others.

As Ethiopian women, our boundaries are usually defined by social, religious, and cultural norms. These boundaries expect us to conform to the traditional gender roles and sometimes force us to not dare question them. It is undeniable that we are challenged by these boundaries and we are the ones who get to set our physical, emotional, and sexual boundaries. We women have the right and obligation to redefine these boundaries, not only for ourselves but for the generations of women to come.

3. The Concept of Feminism

Feminism is both the belief and practice of equality between women and men. The practice of feminism starts with an awareness of how society is deeply gendered, starting from the use of language and social norms to the skewed values placed on women’s and men’s actions, and the discrimination & violence faced by women all over Ethiopia.

The understanding of feminism is shifting away from its true concept and we as Ethiopians shall find our own unique way of practicing feminism.