Let Women's Day Return to Its Origin and Continue the Pursuit of Gender Equality Together

Building a Tower with Accumulated Sand, Recognizing the Trivial to Understand the Remarkable – Speech at the Women's Theme Salon Event of the RUC Alumni Association

By Wu Yafeng (President of the RUC North America Alumni Association)

Distinguished guests, fellow alumni, and friends,

Good day, everyone. Welcome to this special event. On the occasion of Women's History Month and International Women's Day in the United States, allow me, on behalf of our alumni association, to extend my greetings to all female friends!

While preparing this speech, I constantly reminded myself to greet with "have a good holiday" instead of "happy holidays." Is there a difference? I believe there is a significant distinction. The simple and blunt "happy holiday" may seem harmless, but it is not always appropriate. Perhaps for most holidays like the Spring Festival, New Year, and National Day, which are indeed festive occasions, wishing for a happy holiday is not wrong. However, there are also commemorative holidays, which are meant to remember the struggle for equal rights for women or to inspire later generations to continue those unfinished great causes. These holidays are, in fact, memorial days, and wishing for a "happy holiday" on such occasions is not quite accurate.

Women's Day is one such holiday.

I remember in 2019, a female student from a university in China set fire to some banners on campus on the eve of Women's Day. She faced disciplinary action from the university and received criticism for being an extreme feminist. However, she later stated on Weibo that her action was intended to provoke questions and reflection. Women's Day is meant to commemorate the struggle for equal rights for women, not to encourage the consumption of gender symbols.

Regarding the actions of this female student, I refrain from expressing my opinion, but I believe her original intention deserves recognition. In a highly materialistic and still gender-unequal society, Women's Day has evolved into a consumer-driven holiday, exploiting and commodifying women. Businesses vigorously promote and market with slogans like "goddess" and "queen," artificially elevating women, not out of genuine respect but to tap into the colorful bills in consumers' wallets. Additionally, the various gestures of sympathy and support towards women around March 8th, such as granting half-day or one-day off, newspapers and media hyping the concept of "women's role," all aim to showcase their own perceived value for women. As objects of marketing, praise, and consumption, our female compatriots should not believe they are benefiting from gender dividends. In reality, all of these efforts merely use one day of gender benefits to conceal 364 days of gender inequality.

Furthermore, some well-intentioned individuals and those afflicted with narrow-mindedness refer to the day before March 8th as "Girls' Day." This vulgar, tasteless, mediocre, and filthy mindset is truly despicable.

Therefore, this is also the original intention behind organizing this special Women's Day event: to remind everyone not to forget the origin of Women's Day and to recognize that the fight for equal rights is far from over; there is still work to be done.

In all the great political literature of the West, the emphasis is always on "equality for all." However, the pioneers who wrote these texts did not tell us that this "all" always had limitations. The Declaration of Independence proclaimed in 1776 that "all men are created equal," but it referred to "all men," so it was not until 1920 that women in the United States gained the right to vote through the 19th Amendment. March 8, 1857, witnessed female garment and textile workers in New York City taking to the streets, demanding better working conditions and higher wages. This event marked one of the earliest origins of International Women's Day. However, more than 160 years have passed, and the desire for equal pay and gender equality remains far from realized. Recently, I came across a picture online that displayed a comparison of male and female salaries in various industries in the United States, including the finance industry we are discussing today. In this image, we can observe significant income disparities between men and women across all sectors, with the finance industry appearing particularly pronounced.

Expanding on this, women's rights are an integral part of broader human equality rights. Without gender equality, there can be no genuine social equality, and disregarding social equality would render women's rights as mere castles in the air. Today, our discussion on women's topics reflects one of the efforts to focus on equal rights for all groups. The world we live in not only experiences gender inequality but also severe racial and income inequality. This may be particularly felt by the Chinese living in the United States.

In American history, there was the infamous "Chinese Exclusion Act," the only law that specifically targeted and persecuted a particular ethnic group. It was not until 1943 that this law was repealed, and it was not until 2012 that the U.S. Congress passed a resolution apologizing for discriminatory laws against the Chinese, without any form of compensation. Recently, due to the COVID-19 pandemic and the foreign policies of the former U.S. administration, anti-immigrant and anti-Chinese sentiments have been on the rise, with an increase in vicious incidents targeting Asians, especially Chinese people. In such circumstances, we should be more vigilant and unite our efforts to eliminate discrimination and strive for equality.

Some may ask, what impact can an alumni association have? I would say, do not underestimate the power of small actions. Without taking small steps, we cannot reach great distances; without small streams, we cannot form rivers and seas.

Regarding women's rights, we have always attached great importance to this matter. Currently, our alumni association is undergoing a leadership transition, and in a few days, we will announce the results of the transition. Throughout this process, we have insisted on ensuring representation for female alumni, granting them greater voice and influence.

Furthermore, as you can see, in various events organized by our alumni association, especially the Mindu Forum series, we have consistently ensured the presence of female voices. It could be said that our events might even feature all-female panelists, just like today's salon, but we will certainly not have events with all-male panelists.

This is not to pursue so-called political correctness, but rather to always remember the importance of diversity and representation. Perhaps through this persistence, subtly, we can influence our own and many others' decision-making and thinking habits in other aspects of life. If we can achieve this, it would truly be of great virtue.

Some may ask, how does discussing the challenges faced by women in the finance industry today relate to these grand themes you mentioned? I would say, by examining the particulars, we can grasp the general.

The pursuit of equality encompasses various dimensions. At the national level, it involves protecting the rights of all individuals through legal systems. At the societal level, it entails promoting equality through thoughts, awareness, and public opinion. At the organizational level of companies and institutions, it means supporting marginalized groups in their operations. At the individual level, especially for women, it means daring to challenge the environment and change the status quo, becoming exemplary while achieving personal progress and success.

Therefore, today's event aims to showcase this most individualized dimension. In traditionally male-dominated Wall Street, a field that undeniably exhibits substantial inequality, we have several outstanding female alumni who have excelled. Their experiences and journeys should serve as valuable guidance and inspiration for young people aspiring to work in finance.

In fact, it's not just the four guest speakers who are remarkable; our host for today is also outstanding. As a foreign female student from a non-English-speaking country, being able to become an English journalist in a renowned financial media outlet in the United States, and excelling at it, truly exemplifies her talent.

Next, I will hand over the microphone to our host for today. Let us formally commence today's agenda.

Once again, I wish you all a good holiday. And of course, I genuinely hope that you are happy.

Thank you, everyone.

March 6, 2021. About "RUC-NAAA"

"Renmin University North America Alumni Association" (RUCNAAA) is a non-profit organization based on alumni relationships. It was initiated in 2014, registered in June 2015, and obtained tax-exempt status under section 501(c)(3) from the U.S. Internal Revenue Service in March 2018. The operational headquarters are located in New York City, with a member network spanning major cities in the United States and Canada. RUCNAAA's mission is to establish a communication platform for alumni to connect with each other, share experiences, and create opportunities and channels for mutual benefits and career development for alumni around the world.

In December 2018, former U.S. President Jimmy Carter sent a special letter to RUCNAAA, stating, "It is hard to imagine forty years ago that a Chinese elite university like Renmin University would have such an active and powerful alumni association in the United States. Through your alumni association, it is evident how much progress China has made and what achievements can be accomplished through investing in education."

Warm welcome is extended to alumni and friendly organizations to support the China Renmin University North America Alumni Association.