Pausanias, the Lydian traveler and geographer believed to have lived in the late 2nd century AD, writes in his work "Description of Greece," thought to have been written around 150 AD: “If a woman takes part in the Olympics, she shall be punished by being thrown from a high mountain.”
The day this piece is being written coincides with the opening day of the Paris Olympics. Nearly two thousand years have passed since Pausanias wrote his work. People often speak of things moving slightly forward or slightly backward here and there. This dualistic approach can only remain within the limits of “pontificating” when trying to make sense of what is happening on a planet woven together by multi-layered, spiraling relationships, networks, and structures. Still, let a well-meaning outlook be our guide. Here is the news regarding our “primitive area of agreement” — equality expressed in numbers, in scare quotes: “An equal number of male and female athletes will take part in the Paris 2024 Olympics. 5,250 women and 5,250 men from 206 delegations will compete in the Games.”
On Wikipedia, gender equality is defined as “a human rights concept referring to the equal and empowered participation of men and women in all areas of public and private life.” Could the boundaries of this definition be reconsidered, dear readers — what do you think? Perhaps the approach that will open the door to a better world is possible only by taking the concept out of the narrow window of a “human rights” perspective alone. Perhaps what is needed is a reminder to the human being — to ourselves — sitting at the center of the world: a reminder that we exist together with all living and non-living beings.
By the way, I should note that I am grateful to Opet for prompting me to rethink the concept of gender equality. The “Gender Equality in Communication Workshop” of Opet's “Eşitsek Fark Eder” (“Equality Makes the Difference”) Project, carried out with UN Women in support of “Kadın Gücü” (“Women's Power”) and guided by the understanding that “if women are strong, society is strong,” broadened my horizon. Starting within the organization and extending to all stakeholders, the project allows us to rethink and reconsider the subject.
Fadile Paksoy
This article was published in the July–August 2024 issue of Brandmap Magazine.
