The Fight for Women’s Rights in 2022: Reasons to Stay Hopeful · Kate Peacock

Written by Kate Peacock · Artwork by Ellena Kappos

In what initially appeared as a harmless, innocent year ahead, 2022 has turned out to be a minefield. We collectively entered January with a sense of naivety; that all would be well again after an eternity of Covid regulations and restrictions. Yet by February, war was afoot on Europe’s doorstep, outlooks for winter were bleak, and the bubbling hate and loathing emulating from the far-right seemed to be boiling over the edge. A sense of anxiety and trepidation began fluttering into our lives.

For women across the globe, the epitome of this fear has come from the United States. Abortion has been a contentious topic for as long as it has existed, however, many developed nations began legalising it in the 1970s as a response to the wider social movement of the sexual revolution. In the US, the legalisation process went through the judicial system and was taken to the Supreme Court, where it was eventually approved in the landmark Roe v. Wade case of 1973. Protests surrounding the Roe v. Wade verdict began as soon as the decision was made, with pro-life advocates storming the streets in the 1970s. Yet, for five decades, the pro-life movement was limited to picket lines outside abortion clinics and empty promises of reversing the decision. That was until 2016. The Trump era brought the anti-abortion movement onto a much bigger stage and, with the appointment of three conservative Supreme Court justices, made the reversal of the 1973 decision appear feasible for the first time. As a result, the most recent challenge to Roe v. Wade, and thus abortion rights on a national scale, was successful. On 24th June 2022, the constitutional right to abortion in the US was overturned, allowing states to criminalise the practice. The chaos that ensued was frightening, with women across the US having to cross state lines, reports of doctors and even taxi drivers being arrested, and in some cases incidents of rape victims being refused abortions.

Elsewhere in the world, things continued to look bleak for women’s rights. Andrew Tate – a hypermasculine, misogynistic social media influencer – had grown in popularity, particularly amongst young boys. Meanwhile, in Iran, a 22-year-old student was beaten to death by the police for showing strands of hair from under her hijab, sparking mass protests and further police brutality. Reports of rape and sexual abuse have been frequent. Emerging beneath the surface has been a dark and twisted reality:

At least, that’s how it feels. This year we have been hit with story after story about sexism, sexual assault and general misogyny that has left most women dreading what the future brings.

Yet, upon digging deeper, there are reasons not to give up yet. Just this August, Spain approved its affirmative consent bill, prompted by the powerful “solo sí es sí” or “only yes is yes” movement. Affirmative consent defines rape as when a woman cannot or does not consent, as opposed to when they explicitly say “no”, or when physical force is involved. Many other European countries have similar laws, which shows evidence of increasing rape convictions and the likelihood of victims coming forward. Spain’s law, however, goes further, criminalising street harassment and the sharing of someone’s sexual pictures without consent. Of course, this legislation has been met with backlash, but it nevertheless represents a huge step forward and encourages other nations to follow suit.

The turn to the consent-based (rather than coercion-based) legal framework of sexual consent is a contemporary movement. Countries considered incredibly liberal, such as Sweden and Denmark, only brought in these laws in 2018 and 2021, respectively. Whilst it might seem like the women’s rights movement is at a standstill, hard work is still being done behind the scenes.

What’s more, the recent protests in Iran have sent shockwaves throughout the world, not only due to the barbaric nature of the ‘morality police’, but also as a result of the staggering courage Iranian women are demonstrating. The hardships women of colour face are often ignored by the Western paradigm of feminism, yet now tragedy has thrust them upon the world. The enduring protests and vigour of Iranian women have united women across the world to support a common cause - one saturated with sympathy and heartbreak, but ever more determined and enraged. A cross-cultural phenomenon is revealing itself, where unity and anguish are fuelling both women and men to defend Iranian women and women’s rights as a whole.

There is certainly something ominous in the air this year, but counteraction is prevalent too. Although often hard to see, when you look, you will find progress. Women’s rights have undeniably faced setbacks this year. Yet the drive for change, equality, and respect will not end. Our job now is to simply keep hopes alive in the face of adversity.