DISMANTLING GENDER OPPRESSION IN AMERICAN SAMOA

Written by:  Marilyn Ho Ching, Media Coordinator

During the month of August The Alliance team shared nuggets and pieces on the significance on Women’s Equality Day. The nuggets provided information on dismantling gender oppression and how it relates to our local community. Women’s oppression still exists today. In our local society some of our women’s oppression gravitates around our Samoan cultural system and beliefs. To ensure equity it is important we begin to dismantle gender oppression and create a foundation where men and women are equal. Women’s equality day helps us to understand and see the inequity that women before and now face.

 A century ago, on August 26th, Women’s Equality Day became a day to commemorate the passage of the 19th Amendment in the United States Constitution. The 19th Amendment grants Women’s their right to vote. Women's Equality Day resulted from the start of the women’s suffrage movement in the 1840’s. For almost 2 centuries women have fought for their rights and equality. Many women advocates over this period of time have aided and helped to decrease the lack of gender equality. Women like Elizabeth Cady Stanton, Rosa Parks, Maya Angelou and Oprah Winfry have fought for women’s rights and equality. These women were and are change agents in regards to dismantling women’s oppression nationally and globally. 

Some achievements that women have gained are education, running businesses, participating in the workforce, participating in political activities and much more. Locally, a handful of our women have created history for our territory. Congresswoman Aumua Amata Radewagen is the first woman to serve in the U.S. House of Representatives from American Samoa. Another woman who’s paved a way for women in American Samoa is Andrea Samoa who is the only woman who sits in the fono. Recently, Jessop Taase was just appointed the first woman to serve as American Samoa’s Attorney General (AG). 

 However, the reality of a gender equality based foundation has still yet to be achieved, not only locally but globally. Women continue to experience discrimination, inequality and violence. There needs to be a shift in the roles we place on women, men, and fa'afafine in American Samoa. When we see each other as equal, we dismantle the attitudes, and prerequisites that promote stereotyping of social roles primarily based on gender. For the rest of the month we will continue to raise awareness on women’s equality and commemorate the holiday celebrated on the 26th. ​