On January 21, the day after the inauguration of Donald Trump as President of the United States, more than two million women marched in the United States and in cities around the world. Women marched who are deeply concerned that women’s rights will no longer be seen as human rights. Women marched who fear for their own – and for their families’ – futures. Many men who believe in full equality for women marched with them.
As a sign of solidarity, Equimundo led a group of men – activists and legislators, artists and writers, fathers and sons, husbands and citizens – to call on President Trump to support the women of this country and the world. See their full letter to President Trump here – and add your name to the petition.
Too many women and girls in the United States face violence and discrimination that is perpetrated in our homes, our schools, our workplaces, and our policies:
- One in four women in the U.S. will experience violence by a current or former partner at some point in her life. Underreporting persists due to stigma, and policies do not hold perpetrators accountable.
- Nearly one in five women in the U.S. has been raped during her lifetime, including in her own home, in the military, on campus, and at school.
- Women in the U.S. are paid 80 cents for every dollar paid to men, for the same work. The wage gap is even larger for women of color, with Black women paid 63 cents and Latina women paid 54 cents for every dollar paid to white, non-Hispanic men.
- More than 99% of women aged 15–44 who have ever had sexual intercourse have used at least one contraceptive method, and 3 out of 10 women under 45 will need to access safe and legal abortion in the U.S. – rights which are now being rolled back and are under threat.
- The U.S. is the only industrialized nation not to mandate paid leave for new mothers (or fathers).
Equimundo is calling on President Trump to:
- Show us, unambiguously, with both words and actions, that he will elevate women’s voices, rights, and leadership.
- Show us, by supporting the International Violence Against Women Act (IVAWA), the Office of Violence Against Women, and programs and campaigns against sexual assault on campuses, that he will promote initiatives that prevent men’s violence against women and hold accountable men who disrespect women.
- Show us, by supporting pay transparency and the Paycheck Fairness Act, that he believes in fighting discrimination in the workforce.
- Show us, by promoting paid family leave and affordable childcare for all parents, that he wants women as mothers – and their partners – to have adequate support to care for their children.
- Show us, by upholding the contraception mandate in the Affordable Care Act and by repealing the Global Gag Rule, that he cares about women’s – and men’s – health, wellbeing, and access to family planning.
- Show us that he will respect the rights of all women: immigrant women, women of diverse religious faiths, women of all sexual orientations and identities, indigenous women, women of color, women with disabilities, women who are economically impoverished, and survivors of violence.
Raise your voice with individuals and organizations that work to engage men in promoting gender justice and to end violence against women. Sign the letter to President Trump here.
Join the conversation online using #BeAModelMan.