MDM – Women’s Democratic Movement / Facebook
They demonstrate because Portuguese women are at risk of losing rights. The “50 voices” project didn’t get where it wanted.
“There continue to be strong indicators of inequality and disadvantage for female directors.”
“There are many things missing for equality. As women they enter their career later, they earn less, they take longer to progress, there are very few women in top positions in production teams, women are often infantilized and kept on the margins of decision-making circles, women are more subject to precariousness, when someone leaves work to take care of a child, it is the woman who abandons her career”.
The words were spoken by Mariana Liz, from the direction of MUTIM (Mulheres Trabalhadoras das Imagens em Movimento), regarding the initiative ‘Elas Fazem Filmes – Mostra de Cinema made by women in Portugal’, which is spreading women’s films across the country .
The words were said about cinema. But they could be about many other sectors of society.
A few days ago, what is happening in literature: there are many more men writing and publishing. “But I can’t tell you why! It’s not the quality. It’s a little more complex”, said Analita Alves dos Santos at the time.
The writer and trainer added that access opportunities are not equal for women: “Just because we are women. We need to work much harder, to try much harder.”
50… No, 35
It was with a lot of effort that Daniela, Katerina and Maria Luísa tried to find 50 female voices with influenceand miscellaneous. Women with “authority” and who did not live in Lisbon or Porto, or surrounding areas.
The project is called “50 voices” and I wanted to find, make known, women that the country doesn’t know. “Incredible projects, women who left an impact in their respective areas of work interest”, the organization, which wanted to stop always seeing the same faces in debates, conferences, news, etc. (and yes, more men)
The research ended a few weeks ago, in December. And with 35 names. They couldn’t even reach 50.
Why? For several reasons, they explained in .
“Within the representation of women, it is very difficult to find ethnic diversity, of socioeconomic conditions, professional experience and areas different from those that usually occupy the media space”, begins by saying Daniela Cunha.
Then there is “some shame”. Women think they have nothing to add, despite their above-average trajectory. It’s: people who feel little qualified, little capable, think they don’t deserve what they do. And it affects more women than men.
Mónica Canário, from the Portuguese Association for Diversity and Inclusion (APPDI), thinks it is also a question of leadership education: “We are not educated in that sense.” There is a need to “change mentalities”.
Then there are the “populist narratives that go against the promotion of diversity, equity, inclusion, gender equality” – and that end up entering, taking root, in companies.
Mónica Canário added that Portugal is going through “a retreat” in the representation of women in positions of power, management and public administration.
Manifestation
Because of this (and not only that), the Feminist Platform and the 8 de Março Network this Monday a manifestation for International Women’s Day.
The two associations must agree and reinforce everything written in this article.
Women are “at risk” of losing their rightsbegins by warning Dejanira Vidal, from Plataforma Feminista.
In an interview with , the activist summarizes: “We continue to fight for sexual and reproductive rights, for open maternity wards with professionals and conditions, for an end to the forced sterilization of women with disabilities. We demand equal pay: the pay gap in Portugal has increased, as we have seen from the latest statistics. And domestic violence has been one of the most reported crimes and the crime that kills the most in Portugal”.
Dejanira Vidal believes that we live under “macho justice” and warns: “The State has been failing all women. We need true and effective answers.”
Nuno Teixeira da Silva, ZAP //
