What they do well, we should do better: Takeaways on the state of anti-rights and feminist movements from the Women Deliver Conference

By: Jordan Treible

Last month, I attended Women Deliver ’s 2023 Global Conference held this year in Kigali, Rwanda. The conference brought together stakeholders across sectors and disciplines to drive greater gender equity and provided a platform for people who have made enormous strides to advance societal progress, as well as emerging leaders who are wading into new territory.?

The conference’s intentionally expansive theme – “Spaces, Solidarity, and Solutions” – left ample room for gender equity advocates to creatively approach what and how they contributed. Documentary screenings, photo collages, workshops, poetry readings, musical performances, and “speed dating” networking sessions were peppered throughout daily offerings, alongside the tried-and-true keynote speech and panels. With lots to process, I reflected on my experience at the conference and sought to assess what feminist movements are getting right and what needs to be improved.?

1. The intersectionality of gender equity with progressive social movements. Numerous sessions positioned gender as a fundamental tenet of climate justice, disability rights, LGBTQ+ rights, anti-colonialism efforts and universal health coverage, among others. But is there risk in losing focus if the aperture is expanded so broadly??
2. Young women and girls need to not only be at the table, but genuinely, meaningfully shape agendas. This was raised in several forums, though in one notable instance, a youth leader called out organizations advocating for gender equity for too often holding up young people as props during international observance days, like International Day of the Girl Child, rather than engaging them substantively. Performative engagement is insufficient.
3. There is a push and pull between the importance and realities of data. Data has the power to help determine where action is needed and inform an approach to advance the rights and expand opportunities for women, girls, trans, and non-binary people. But the infrastructure doesn’t exist in many countries and communities to collect, analyze, and apply it. The solution to filling data gaps is vastly complex.???

While each of these topics lends itself to deeper exploration, what stood out to me most was how feminist movements are faring when put up against decidedly anti-rights movements. This topic struck me because the answer rang clear: they don’t measure up. Feminist movements are struggling while anti-rights movements are thriving. But why?:?

1. Funding – Not only are feminist movements woefully underfunded, but the funding that they do receive comes with strings. By and large, funding for feminist nonprofits is “restricted” – with donors stipulating where it is spent and setting targets they are expected to reach. This approach sounds logical and holds organizations accountable. However, it is holding movements back , keeping them from being nimble and compelling them to prioritize hitting metrics, even if those metrics shake out to be inaccurate indicators of progress. Anti-rights movements, like efforts to roll back reproductive freedom and access to abortion , by contrast, have been enjoying multi-year, unrestricted funding – with the freedom to spend funding based on their own need assessments and try new tactics. ???
2. Digital media – Bias in algorithms and content moderation policies from Meta and other BigTech platforms have damped the impact of many feminist movements, namely in the sexual and reproductive health and rights space . Social media ads and websites promoting feminist agendas get blocked and suspended on the pretense of content being “adult” for advocating for things like menstrual health and body autonomy.? While individuals at BigTech companies have been outwardly receptive and acknowledge that their systems are unjustly diminishing the voices of feminist actors, policies remain and restrictions persist. Then look at anti-feminist movements. They’ve been effective at using digital media to wage coordinated disinformation campaigns online to garner support and craft damaging narratives, like those that undermine the credibility of female politicians . ??
3. Red-lining – Feminist movements are not monolithic. Naturally specific goals, tactics, and points of view differ between and within efforts to put more women in political office, counter sexual violence against women, guarantee the rights of trans people, empower sex workers, increase access to reproductive health care, ensure girls can access education, and more. While the intention across movements may ladder up a shared vision of gender equity, the advocacy goals often have little to no overlap. But this means movement builders are missing opportunities to coordinate action, bolster efforts, and amplify marginalized groups impacted most. The need for greater unity is only exacerbated by the willingness of anti-rights movements to work together, as seen across the history of anti-abortion activists and legislators working in step with organizations promoting White supremacy and anti-trans policies and rhetoric.?

While these reflections may seem bleak, I did not walk away from the Women Deliver Conference discouraged. There is much work to be done to reach true gender equality (estimates say it’ll take nearly 300 years at our current pace!), but perhaps the most resounding learning from the conference was that advocates – as which I identify? – are clear-eyed and buoyed by passion and grit. We are determined to learn from history, each other and our detractors. Onward.