Robert Kirchner
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| Why do I support Women's Rights? |
Coming
from a country like Germany where women rights have already gone a long way, I
experienced the social change that comes alongside women enjoying more and more
rights every day. In particular, I am referring to the role of women and men in
the household here. Some weeks ago, I was discussing this topic with a friend
of mine at a typical men evening where we watched sports. He summarized the
social change we experienced with regards to gender roles in the household in
my opinion well when he said:” Listen Robert, it is like this, my grandfather
could rest on the terrace while his wife did all the work at home and maybe
from time to time he had to do a bit of work in the garden. My father then had
to do the work in the garden and sometimes took the dishes out of the
dishwasher. And what about us? There is a reason why we know how to cook, to
wash and to clean. Because we do it quite often!” Indeed, it is true that in a
society where women enjoy the same political and civil rights and have the same
chances for a career, men will and do eventually end up covering the same share
of responsibilities at home. That doesn´t
really sound very promising for us men, does it?
Well,
no need to become afraid here since we talk about a good development for men as
I would argue. Coming back to the households I spoke of before and especially
the one I grew up in, I was never fully happy about the role that my mom and
dad played in it. Honestly speaking, my mom was carrying the family as she not
only worked but in addition took care of the entire household. I admired her
for this and there were a lot of moments where I was wondering how much
strength she must have to cope with all of her responsibilities. But then I
also thought it was not fair that she had to do this much and that my dad needs
to contribute more.
With
this experience in mind, I am living in a household today with my girlfriend
and, guess what, I cook, wash and clean
to an extent that can be considered a fair share of all the household
responsibilities. At least, I hope that is what my girlfriend would say too.
However, the point is that this helped me find out what kind of a man I am not
and at the same time what kind of a man I am. I am not a man because I enjoy
privileges that rights give me. I am not a man because I follow certain gender
perceptions within a society that seem to make my life more comfortable.
Instead, I am a MAN because every day I proof to myself that I cover the fair
share of my responsibilities at work and at home and even beyond this point if
necessary. Without women rights I would have never come to realize this. That
is why I support women rights.
In
the end, let me leave you with a question: What kind of a man are you?
Robert
Kirchner is an environmental expert who worked on sustainability strategies
with and for international organisations. He just recently contributed to the
green growth strategy of the African Development Bank. Before, he drafted
policy instruments for regional sustainable development in rural China or
contributed to a sustainability strategy for the German government. If he is
not busy working, he participated in the NGO Toastmasters which helps to
practice public speaking skills or advocates for the interests of the younger
generation at important conferences like Rio+20.