We're not feminists since we're born | Dora Barrancos | TEDxRíodelaPlata

What is feminism? Dora Barrancos explains her vision about history and feminist struggle. Dora is a Sociologist graduated from the University of Buenos Aires. She has a master in Education by the University of Minas Gerais (Brazil).

Being in exile in Brazil during the military dictatorship, she got in touch with feminism and other social movements. She has studied feminism in Argentina and its conflicts, female political rights (always in contact with the democratic struggles), the social movements of the first part of the century, social and anarchist movements, the role of education in Argentinean history and sexual diversity in Argentina.

This talk was given at a TEDx event using the TED conference format but independently organized by a local community. Learn more at http://ted.com/tedx

As you can imagine

women are not born feminist.

I wasn't born a feminist myself.

I will tell you how I became one.

I lived in Brazil,

exiled because of the
military dictatorship

in 1979,

and a tragedy happened.

A wonderful woman from Minas Gerais,
were I used to live

was shot to death
on the beach by her partner

who said she was cheating on him.

One day, I was going to a TV show

and I found out that a journalist

was interviewing the murderer's attorney.

The attorney was well known
in Brasil's criminal law.

The journalist asked

how was he going to face
the murderer's defense.

He answered that it was very simple

-- of course, he said this in Portuguese --

very simple,

it was a legitimate defense
of the murderer's honor.

That's why he killed her.

As you can imagine, that shocked me;

I was a justice seeker
in every sense of the word

fighting for equality for all people,

and I realized I was missing
a very special chapter,

so I made myself study and think about

what had happened to women.

What had happened to women in history?

And there I met the patriarchal system

which is an excluding system.

Not only for women.

Not only for women.

The system also excludes

others who don't have
the same level of masculinity.

In that search I found, most of all,

what had happened during the 19th century --

a century in which women
were mostly excluded --

So we went to Napoleon's
Code of Law, from 1804,

which was completely imitated
by most of the countries

that placed women on a lower
place regarding civil rights;

women couldn't study or work,

or administrate their own property.

However, I want to bring up

that even we have a system
so full of exclusion,

lots of men started to
join women's claims;

feminism was born.

In 1848 took place probably
the first feminist council

in Seneca Falls,

close to New York,

and there were 30 percent of men,
joining women

in their claims for equal rights.

The 19th century was specially
hard for women;

it was very usual to think

that women were less
intelligent than men.

I will use Gustave Le Bon's words,
he was a French sociologist that said

that women's intelligence was
similar to a gorilla's intelligence

and that had to be checked.

So, I think

that we have walked a long way

but there are still plenty of things to do

to achieve complete gender equality.

I will present four dimensions,
that for me are basic

to achieve equality.

First of all, we need to stop

violence against women.

In Argentina, we have had
three big marches:

the "Ni una menos", Not one less,
movement has been very important;

and during the last few days we had

(Applause)

we had the first, maybe
historical, women's strike.

Yes, there were some in the past,
and also in literature

but this one was remarkable.

I also would like to say

that is absolutely fundamental

to have equal participation,
from both women and men

in different tasks.

Why are there tasks exclusively for women?

Why men can't take care of the kids,

or the house?

Why women can't perform

typically masculine work?

Labor market is

really harsh to women;

Women's total payroll represents
70 percent of men's total payroll.

The third item I want to mention

is that we need equality.

Equality of representation
in government's areas

and in every institution.

Women can barely reach
the highest positions.

Today, only 30 percent
of CEOs are women,

the same happens with all high levels.

Not even universities have been
a place to develop equality.

And finally, I would like
to give you some food for though

about the idea

of autonomy of our own bodies.

Men's bodies and women's bodies.

Women have to be owners of their bodies

they can decide to become mothers,

go through a pregnancy,

or not carrying on with
pregnancies they don't want.

(Applause)

We need to have legal
abortion in Argentina.

(Applause)

Finally, I would like to share
a really intimate belief;

a feminist belief,

that it's a better future for human beings.

It's about people's dignity

men, women, and other
sexual identities,

it's about sexual diversity
that requires, for each of us,

a life full of dignity.

That's my main goal.

(Applause)