Panel explores what it means to be a feminist on a day that celebrates women

Laurel O'Gorman, a Sudbury sociologist and professor at Thorneloe University, says International Women's Day shouldn't just be about commemorating past progress.

Today is the day designated by the United Nations to celebrate women and their achievements.

And although O'Gorman says it's good to celebrate past achievements, there are current struggles such as the fact that women still make less money than men.

"I think there's this prevailing idea that things are equal or getting more and more equal, and if we just leave it be, then eventually everything will be okay," she said.

"But if we don't keep fighting for this everyday, then statistics are showing us that it's actually starting to get worse again."

O'Gorman said that, for her, feminism is the constant struggle to make things better for women.

"It's about changing things on a day to day basis," she said.

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Using a different language to express feminism

Sarah Gartshore, anIndigenous playwright in Sudbury, said the first feminist she knew was her mother.

"She used to wear a t-shirt [that read] 'a woman needs a man like a fish needs a bicycle.'"

Her art allows her to tell feminist stories in a different language than an academic setting. Her characters often dwell on the peripheries of life: sex workers, drug users, and the Indigenous.

But Gartshore wonders what the word 'feminism' means to people who live these lives.

"It is a really layered word and can mean so many things to so many people," Gartshore said.

"It scares a lot of young women away from identifying with the word."

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Lending a voice to those who face sexism

Jennifer Johnson, an assistant professor at Thorneloe University, said the word 'feminism' might be too all-encompassing to define.

"A lot of people are nervous to define it," she said.

"For me, it's a movement to bring about gender equality in ways that may be experienced in different ways, based on the way we walk on the world, our citizenship, or the way we're racialized."

Johnson applauds artists like Gartshore, who aren't afraid to lend their voices to the marginalized.

"[Stories] can give a chance to have another voice," she said.

"Many women experience sexism and violence ... but to see it told through a creative voice to give that voice back to people who have experienced violence is important."

Listen to the Morning North Panel here