„International Women’s Day: Unnecessary celebration or essential reminder?“ – Rede aus dem Englischunterricht

Im Rahmen des Englischunterrichts im Sprachprofil der Q1 haben wir letzte Woche die Aufgabe bekommen, ein Skript für eine Rede zum Weltfrauentag zu schreiben, die den Titel „International Women’s Day: Unnecessary celebration or essential reminder“ tragen sollte. Dieser Arbeitsauftrag stellte einen Abschluss zu unserem Thema der letzten Monate dar, in denen wir uns unter anderem mit Sexismus und Feminismus beschäftigt hatten. 

Anlässlich des Weltfrauentags und unserer Sonderausgabe hierzu habe ich mich also entschlossen, meine im Englischunterricht entstandene Rede hier zu veröffentlichen. 

„Ladies and gentlemen, dear fellow students, 

I am honored to be here today and talk to you about a topic that I believe is needed to be spoken about. Even though it is 2024 and maybe even because of that: Feminism. 

Have you ever had a conversation with someone who would say things like „Women have it so much better nowadays, we don’t even need feminism!“ or „Why isn’t there an international men’s day?“ when talking about gender equality? If not, you probably are the kind of person to make such statements. 

And I am not even trying to deny that there has been a lot of movement regarding the equality of the genders over the past decades. But if there really were full equality of men and women, why do women still fear going out in the dark alone while men do not? Why do we tell little girls that the boy who is kicking them in kindergarten simply likes them and they should keep up with it? And why do we still see mainly male CEOs and doctors but female nurses and elementary school teachers? Shouldn’t these jobs be split equally in an equal society? The answer to this is simple: Because every other day than March 8th the women of this world aren’t internationally celebrated, while the men are. 

And it’s not even just these smaller inequalities in our everyday life. I can see that feminism could seem unnecessary to someone who, for example, grew up with a mother who worked a full-time job or knows plenty of women who study and work in academically challenging fields. 

I would also say that I, myself, definitely have a lot of opportunities and chances in life, maybe even just as much as a boy my age who grew up in similar life circumstances like me. 

But it is called International Women’s Day for a reason. I am talking about the bigger picture. Because if we really wouldn’t need feminism anymore, why are there still so many girls and women in the world who aren’t allowed to work or get an education? And thousands of girls and women who get raped or murdered on a daily basis? I know that these are extreme examples, but sadly they are true ones as well. And they show us how important feminism always has been and still is. And only by not stopping to talk about gender equality and being feminist, because we have the option to be, even if don’t always see the need of it right away, we can take a step closer to world wide fairness. 

So, to come back to the question from the start: The International Women’s Day is definitely still an essential reminder in 2024 and needed in order to accomplish a more equal world. And the more steps we take on this path the more important it is to remember the true goal of feminism. 

Let us all celebrate the International Women’s Day for a better present and future!

Thank you very much for your attention.“