Social Justice Day

Social Justice Day

Today, 20^th February 2018, is Social Justice Day around the world. J. S. Mill, Harriet Taylor Mill and Helen Taylor were all very passionate about social justice and active, vocal advocates in bringing it about for more groups in society than is often appreciated. As Reeves points out:

“For Mill, every individual, black or white, Christian or Hindu, male or female, must have the necessary liberties and resources to lead lives of their own construction.”¹   

What do we mean when we talk about social justice? Why is it important?

I think this passage on the United Nations’ website answers both questions and summarises key features:  

“Social justice is an underlying principle for peaceful and prosperous coexistence within and among nations. We uphold the principles of social justice when we promote gender equality or the rights of indigenous peoples and migrants. We advance social justice when we remove barriers that people face because of gender, age, race, ethnicity, religion, culture or disability.”²

I like the fact that this description highlights that social justice is a foundational principle, rather than, for instance, an ideal or ideology. It also draws attention to the need to be vigilant wherever social injustice occurs, as well as the role of making continuous advancements to expand the realm of what constitutes social justice and how to address all those disadvantaged by societal prejudice and bias. This, unfortunately, includes a huge number of people in society if not the majority.

Women are not a minority group (historically women outnumbered men in the world, which is important in order to ensure genetic diversity, although this is no longer the case, there are currently more men than women³) yet suffer so many more obstacles in life than men, be it educational (the further along the education system you go the less percentage of women there are), or employment opportunities (far less and paid less and often do not match their ability or education and that is in addition to discrimination of women of child bearing age). Just these two factors alone place women in a far less stable financial situation than men. Women are considerably poorer than men, with few exceptions, throughout the world. This impacts on women when they reach mature years, because their lack of financial security when younger negatively affects their assets, savings, pensions and health so that, in old age, many women are on the poverty line which is totally unacceptable and is unnecessary in developed countries. Furthermore, women of colour suffer from the added obstacle of racial discrimination so they can be worse off than both white women and even men of colour. The picture I’ve painted above becomes even worse if you are disabled because the world simply isn’t constructed to fit you in whether it’s travelling on public transport or entry to most buildings where, for instance, there are steps but no ramps or the entrance is too narrow for a wheelchair. Educational and employment opportunities for disabled people are the lowest out of all groups in society. Hence, poverty is particularly acute for this group.

This is why it’s essential that feminism embraces and includes all women irrespective of their background and their additional identities. In other words, fully including women of all colours and (so-called) none, LGBTQ+, mature women, disabled women, women of all classes, religions, beliefs, cultures and nationalities and being sensitive to their diverse needs and experiences. United we may have a better chance of bringing about justice for all.

This does not even begin to show the full picture. We have a long way to go before we can say that there is social justice in our country or other countries around the world. It’s vitally important that we are sensitive and empathetic towards others and realize the hardships they suffer and do everything that a civilization should that everyone, regardless of gender, sexual orientation, age, race, class, religion, or disability has a home, access to educational and employment opportunities which give them financial security and that they feel fully included in society. This isn’t pie in the sky but a fundamental human right and society benefits from it because it promotes physical, mental and emotional health, creates diversity which promotes ideas and creativity which in turn creates prosperity from which all benefit. It also reduces crime and social instability so bringing about an ideal state of co-operation and peace not just within a nation, which also includes respect and recognition of the rich contribution of indigenous peoples, but between nations too. Social justice brings about freedom, happiness, security and peace for individuals and as a collective.

¹ Reeves, R. (2007) “John Stuart Mill: Victorian Firebrand”, Atlantic Books, p7

²http://www.un.org/en/events/socialjusticeday/

See also: http://www.un.org/en/events/socialjusticeday/background.shtml

³http://www.medicaldaily.com/female-population-has-always-outnumbered-males-historically-according-our-genes-304428

100 years since women were allowed to vote

Today, I’m commemorating 100 years since some women were given the vote in Britain with my Mill Philosophy Circle. Here’s a link to the suffragettes’ rousing anthem, written by Dame Ethel Smyth in 1911: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LCtGkCg7trY

JS Mill was a key figure in the Suffragette movement and worked tirelessly for women’s freedom and equality whether it was in raising money or presenting their case  and putting forward amendments to a Reform Bill in the House of Commons which would help give women the vote. He abhorred the power men held over women considering it unhealthy for both sexes but also detrimental to any children a couple may have together. JS Mill was passionate about women’s equality and their freedom to determine their lives as they wished. He strongly believed that this was good for women and for society as a whole. Both JS Mill and his wife Harriet Taylor Mill wrote about women’s suffrage¹. Her daughter, Helen Taylor joined the Kensington Society, set up in 1865 by a group of women to hold intellectual debates. In this year, Helen gave a paper, alongside others, addressing the society’s question of parliamentary reform to include women’s right to vote. This debate culminated in Helen drafting the 1866 petition which JS Mill used to argue for an amendment to the 1867 Reform Act. When it was voted down, they, including Emily Davies, transformed themselves into the London Society for Women’s Suffrage alongside JS Mill who became its first president. This society spread to having branches around the country which eventually, together with other suffrage groups, united under the umbrella name of the National Union of Women’s Suffrage Societies. Millicent Garrett Fawcett became a president of this society, having been an active participant in the previous Suffrage Society after her sister, Elizabeth Garrett, introduced her to JS Mill’s speeches and the movement for the emancipation of women.  

The Suffragettes went on to suffer horrendously for their cause. It makes for gruesome reading/viewing! So today we remember everything they went through to give us the vote and lead freer lives than they were able to do. This must never be taken for granted! Nevertheless, there’s still an awful lot left to do before women have true equality with men, especially in the present political world climate where women’s rights are, once again, being threatened. The Mills would be extremely concerned and shocked by the lack of progress and scaling back of women’s rights in the world today! What would please him, however, would be the unveiling of the statue of the suffragette Alice Hawkins in Leicester. He certainly lived by her motto ‘Deeds not Words’.

¹ Open access texts of their writings, including on women’s suffrage, are available to read at:

http://oll.libertyfund.org/titles/mill-the-collected-works-of-john-stuart-mill-volume-xxi-essays-on-equality-law-and-education and see appendix C for Harriet’s essay ‘Enfranchisement of Women’