The Feminist Queries: Sheryl Wudunn

by Jen Nedeau

categories: Feminism, Global Feminism, Interviews, Media, The Feminist Queries

Published October 18, 2009 @ 06:00AM PT

For today's Feminist Query, we have a special interview with Sheryl Wudunn a reporter for the New York Times and wife of Nicholas D. Kristof, about the book they co-wrote, Half the Sky. As you may remember in September, New York Times Magazine proclaimed that women's rights is the cause of the 21st century, which appeared to be prompted by the reporting done by Wudunn and Kristof in their book. The couple have already won a Pulitzer Prize for their coverage of China as New York Times correspondents and while at the Times, Ms. WuDunn worked as a business editor and a foreign correspondent in Tokyo and Beijing. Together, Mr. Kristof and Ms. WuDunn have written three books: China Wakes, Thunder from the East, and Half the Sky.

I got a chance to read the book and then ask Wudunn a few questions about it. Take a look at what she had to say and the final question she has for all of you.

Some people believe there are still many problems in the United States when it comes to gender repression and we can't help others until we help ourselves. Why does Half the Sky take a predominantly international focus given that there are many existing domestic problems at hand?

We recognize that there are problems here in the United States and we have to address them. It's not an either or, we can do both. We know that the problems are pretty bad domestically, but we also think that in terms of order of magnitude, and it is about an order of magnitude, things are more brutal overseas. Nevertheless, we still have to fix our problems at home as well.

In the book, you often write about the conflict of Western values with local traditions - in particular when it comes to medical treatment. How can we help women abroad by offering things like advanced medical services without appearing imperialistic in some sense?

That's a good question. It's always a hard issue, but I don't agree with the cultural imperialism argument that we shouldn't interfere and we should just stand by and watch. I am a Chinese American and my grandmother's feet were bound. But there was a strong movement inside China and outside that fought that tradition, and now it is no longer a common practice. I am very glad that happened because my mother and I did not have to have our feet bound. Sometimes, in outrageous situations, we have to interfere.

I really think that one has to think carefully about the ways in which we bring about change. The most successful way is to partner with local change agents and work through them. There are a number of places we talk about this problem of interfering with local customs such as in the case of genital cutting - which is a really tough one to resolve. How we see it, is that there are people locally who want to change this tradition. While they are currently a minority, the key is to work with them because they know how to navigate the local area and cultural nuances. What they need from us are often resources - whether financial resources or medical expertise - and that is how we can help create change, by supporting them locally.

Some reflected on the recent New York Times Magazine issue about women by saying that "women need rights, not rescue." What do you think about this? Is telling stories enough? What else can be done to ensure that women have the legal status they need and deserve around the world?

Our role is to raise awareness - that's what we can do best. There are also many different types of players who can all play a role. The average American citizen can contribute by learning about these issue, they can donate through small amounts such as giving micro loans to international organizations. There are many ways individuals can help, but they need to be made aware of the problems first. We need to create a greater awareness and after that a greater engagement.

If you don't get people engaged then change is not going to happen. And the ultimate change is not going to be made by top down decisions, but rather the real change comes from bottom up. If the average citizen doesn't care about women's rights, why should politicians care?

Finally, if you could ask women around the world one question, what would it be?

What do you want to be, what do you want to do with your life? Most in the developing world don't think about that or think about what they want to do. So really, it comes down to: what do you want accomplish in life?