There’s no doubt and there’s no other way to say it: men and women in this world have been standing on unequal ground for a long, LONG time. Instead of seeking equality however for the longest time women were in some cases treated like second-class citizens, and still are in some cases unfortunately. This is a big reason why something such as the Women in the World Summit is so important, as it gives women another platform to utilize so that they can come together from all points of the world and discuss just how they can bring about a new era that sees women equal to men in every way and capable of gaining the same advantages and possibly helping to right the world as we know it, as Allison Crist from The Hollywood Reporter speaks on in one of her articles. The history of this summit is pretty straightforward since it’s about bringing women together and has been since the summit’s inception in 2010. The summit manages to bring women from all over the world and from many different backgrounds so as to share their stories, their expertise, and to give them a chance to discuss and openly talk about various issues that women face today and how those issues can be alleviated or at the very least addressed.
For those men thinking this is a summit used by women to plot against them it might be that they have a bit of a persecution complex, the men not the women, since this is meant to be something of a giant brainstorming session, and a positive one at that. This summit is to address the concerns and ideas that women across the world have when it comes to find their place in the world and creating an equal space where women are seen as people, not as objects or ‘not all the way human’ as Terry Crews alludes to in a piece written by Madeleine Aggeler of The Cut. This summit is not about man-bashing even if it might seem that way at times since men are often said to be more violent, less apt to listen, and in some cases so defensive of their place in the world that they will do and say anything and everything to keep it. There have been a few influential men that have been invited to this summit over the years as their views have either been in line with those attending the summit or they have perhaps showed themselves to be a bit more enlightened than their fellow men.
On a more personal note it is a bit saddening that such things have to happen from time to time in order for anyone in this world to feel they have a voice since being considered human and worth something should never be limited to gender or who you are or what race you belong to or what religion you follow. There is intolerance in the world and this is obvious as it’s been shown more than once throughout the history of humanity. But treating one another with such disdain and exclusion is the antithesis of what it takes to come together as a species, not as a race, not as a religious gathering, but as a species that seeks to survive and thrive together. The Women in World Summit is a step in the right direction when it comes to gaining equality, but where it goes off the rails is the same location that so many people tend to fail when it comes to generalizing just how men treat women. The assumption that all men are the same is just as dangerous as the assumption that all women, feminists or not, are the same. The Women of the World Summit is meant to be a very positive moment and is a place and time where women can feel confident that they will soon enough be the change that this world needs.
Anne Kingston of Maclean’s put the matter into perspective a couple of years back by writing about how the summit at that time needed a serious shot in the arm thanks to the actions taken by President Trump during that year, and while the summit was kind of lacking in the energy it had had before, it did manage to finish out on a strong note. All in all this summit has been a popular and very supportive time for those women that find their way to the event each year and has become something that is further enabling women to go out and recognize their worth and take it when they need to. That our world has come to this point that we feel divided in such a way is rather saddening, but the fact that many aren’t willing to take this lying down brings some amount of hope.
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