In honor of International Women's Day, Carla Cerqueira, Principal Investigator of FEMglocal, published a thought-provoking column in SIM: Revista do Minho titled "Da investigação à ação: porque é importante falar das desigualdades de género e dos direitos das mulheres" ("From Research to Action: Why It's Important to Talk About Gender Inequalities and Women's Rights"). In this article, Cerqueira examines the critical role of gender equality, recognized as one of the 17 Sustainable Development Goals. She also highlights the alarming global setbacks in human rights, particularly women's rights, fueled by the rise of hate speech, extremism, populism, and anti-feminism.
These forces threaten to dismantle hard-won rights and reverse progress made by social movements and academic work. Cerqueira emphasizes that these challenges are not just global but also manifest within national contexts. She underscores the importance of understanding the data, staying alert, and formulating strategies for action. This is why research, especially in gender studies, is essential—it equips us to understand these setbacks, confront them, and contribute to the ongoing struggle for equality and human rights.
The full column is available for reading.l
FEMglocal - Glocal feminist movements: interactions and contradictions is a research project funded by the Foundation for Science and Technology (FCT) through national funds (PTDC/COM-CSS/4049/2021 / DOI 10.54499/PTDC/COM-CSS/4049/2021).