President Barack Obama has made his most extensive and heartfelt remarks about feminism in an essay for Glamour magazine in which he reflects on American women’s fight for equality and calls on men to join them.
In the 1,500-word essay, Obama argues that “when everybody is equal, we are all more free,” while praising the progress of women over the past century on equal pay and reproductive rights, and warning against “dated assumptions of gender roles.”
He also spoke about how having two daughters changed his perception of gender stereotypes. “I’d like to think that I’ve been pretty aware of the unique challenges women face—it’s what has shaped my own feminism,” he writes. “But I also have to admit that when you’re the father of two daughters, you become even more aware of how gender stereotypes pervade our society. You see the subtle and not-so-subtle social cues transmitted through culture. You feel the enormous pressure girls are under to look and behave and even think a certain way.”
He continues, “We need to keep changing the attitude that raises our girls to be demure and our boys to be assertive, that criticizes our daughters for speaking out and our sons for shedding a tear. We need to keep changing the attitude that punishes women for their sexuality and rewards men for theirs.”
“We need to keep changing the attitude that permits the routine harassment of women, whether they’re walking down the street or daring to go online. We need to keep changing the attitude that teaches men to feel threatened by the presence and success of women.”
After you’ve finished, read why women’s sportswear has a big problem.