© Mario Tama
Culture & Living
In lieu of in-person demonstrations around the world, the organisation devoted to defending women’s rights will launch the Global Count, one of the largest global mapping polls ever conducted to expose the barriers that continue to limit our collective progress
If you thought the pandemic would bring the 2021 Women’s March to a grinding halt, think again. Although global lockdowns and social distancing guidelines have meant that most in-person demonstrations have been postponed this year, Women’s March Global, the organisation behind the annual mobilisations for gender equality, has urged its supporters to make their voices heard —albeit virtually.
© Sarah Morris
On January 21, 2021, the day that would have ordinarily marked the fifth physical protest, the movement will instead launch the Global Count, one of the largest global mapping surveys ever conducted to document the cultural, economic and social barriers to women’s progress. Designed to be completed by women, non-binary, and transgender people from every continent, it aims to identify issues that need to be addressed urgently as the world resets in the wake of Covid-19.
In the 10-minute poll, you’ll be asked where you live in the world and what issues most affect you and your community. These could include ending violence, refugee rights, youth empowerment, reproductive freedom, environmental justice and racial equality. It then asks you to consider which factors—whether political, cultural, economic, educational or technological—are currently the biggest barriers to progress when it comes to campaigning for change on these topics. It ends with a profound question which, when answered, should provide a unique tapestry of what it means to be a woman in 2021: what does progress for women’s human rights look like for you in 10 years?
© Mario Tama
After its launch, the poll will be live until International Women’s Day on 8 March, and the goal is to encourage participants to share it with their networks and engage as many people as possible. Among the spokespeople set to boost the campaign are model and activist Munroe Bergdorf and Nobel Prize-winner Malala Yousafzai. “Every year since 2017, we have [assembled] around critical issues,” says Uma Mishra-Newbery, a Women’s March Global board member. “However, it’s time that we truly understand and collect data on what issues people face around the world. Data around these key issues on a global and local level is scarce. Yet, it is vitally needed, not only for movements but local collectives, funding institutions and the nonprofit sector at large. The data collected from Global Count will be shared across these spaces and will put power directly in the hands of the people who take the survey.”
The initiative, which is a collaboration between Women’s March Global and various organisations and policymakers, comes at a time when we need it most. Instances of domestic violence have soared globally during lockdowns and a report by Care International found that women have been more adversely impacted by the pandemic when it comes to unemployment, lack of food and the toll on their mental health. For Women’s March Global, the hope is that this poll will amplify intersectional voices from communities that have historically been the hardest to reach and ensure that they have a say in what governments prioritise in the future.
If you want to push for gender equality, the time to stand up and be counted is now.