Social Movements

Women protest the Bhopal 1984 gas disaster and the treatment of affected communities

Across the world there is an active, mass-based demand for an end to gender injustice in all domains of our social, economic, political, and cultural lives. In order for any action or intervention around rights, democracy and equality to be successful, it must include and value gender equality as part of its analysis and methodology for change. But while women's rights and gender justice are 'on the agenda' in many arenas, activists still encounter strong resistance to changing gendered politics and practices within movements and allied organisations. When it comes to making an impact on transforming gender power relations, social movements matter.

Find out more: 

Gender and Social Movements website

Screenshot of social movements website

The BRIDGE Gender and Social Movements website is an exciting online resource dedicated to bringing a gender perspective into the work of social justice movements. There is a wealth of information, evidence and tools for activists and supporters of gender-just movements worldwide.

socialmovements.bridge.ids.ac.uk

AWID

The Association for Women's Rights in Development (AWID) is a global, feminist membership organisation which works to support, resource and strengthen women’s rights organisations and movements. 

www.awid.org

Akiiki Consulting

Run by the BRIDGE Social Movements Cutting Edge Pack author Jessica Horn, Akiiki Consulting works with organisations to developing analysis, expand funding infrastructure and review and strengthen models for change. It also trains activists and growing movements around the intersections of women’s rights, health, and freedom from violence.

www.akiiki-consulting.org

JASS (Just Associates)

As a global women-led human rights network of activists, popular educators and scholars, JASS works to build the confidence of women leaders, ensuring they are better organised, louder and safer as they take on work to defend human rights.

www.justassociates.org

Gender At Work

Gender at Work is an international collaboration that helps organisations to build cultures of equality and social justice, with a focus on gender equality. It was founded in 2001 by AWID, CIVICUS, UN Women, and Women's Learning Partnership (WLP). 

www.genderatwork.org

Anacaonas

The Spanish language Anacaonas website has a section dedicated to Gender and Social Movements – it outlines some of the key concepts and resources from the BRIDGE Cutting Edge Pack.

www.anacaonas.net/movimientos

Observ'action

Oberv'action has a collection of news, research and other resources, in the French language, that make visible the participation of women in social movements and considers of gender. 

www.observaction.org/category/genre-et-mouvements-sociaux

Our Cutting Edge Pack

Gender and Social Movements (English)

In order for any action or intervention around rights, democracy and equality to be successful, it must include and value gender equality as part of its analysis and methodology for change.

BRIDGE Kit Actu’ Genre et mouvements sociaux (Francais)

Pour qu’une action ou une intervention relative aux droits, à la démocratie et à l’égalité porte ses fruits, elle doit prendre en compte l’égalité de genre et lui donner toute sa place dans l’analyse et la méthodologie du changement.

BRIDGE Canasta Básica Género y movimientos sociales (Español)

A fin de ser exitosa, cualquier acción o intervención en torno a los derechos, la democracia y la igualdad debe incluir y valorar la igualdad de género como parte de su análisis y metodología para el cambio.

Supporting social movements to advance women’s rights and gender justice: An approach for donors

This BRIDGE policy brief highlights strategies donors can take to advance women’s rights and gender justice in movements, drawing from successful approaches which have resulted in significant advances in mobilising women’s goals for collective power for change, building alliances with other movements and organisations and strengthening women’s leadership

Advancing gender justice in social movements – An approach for social movement leaders

This policy brief, published by BRIDGE, outlines political, cultural and learning strategies that can help movements to advance their gender awareness and proactive approach towards promoting women’s full participation and leadership. By highlighting examples from around the world, the brief illustrates that only by integrating gender justice are movements able to fully achieve social justice.

BRIDGE Update: Gender and Social Movements

This is the BRIDGE email update for October 2013 had a focus on Gender and Social Movements and featured key resources, reading and a quick guide to the issue.

More reading in our resources database

Gender Updates

The 16 Days of Activism Against Gender-Based Violence campaign – 2014
December 2014 : #107
The 16 Days of Activism Against Gender-Based Violence is an international campaign that starts every year on 25 November, International Day for the Elimination of Violence against Women, and ends on 10 December, Human Rights Day. The campaign aims to raise awareness about gender-based violence as a human rights issue at the local, national, regional and international level.
People in street with messages 16 Days of Activism Against Gender-Based Violence campaign. Issue No. 102, November 2013
November 2013 : #102
Feature on 16 Days of Activism Against Gender-Based Violence campaign including:

News

A crowd gathers in front of a Rhodes Must Fall banner
29 Feb 16

It’s time to decolonise feminist knowledge

The Rhodes Must Fall campaign has brought the movement to decolonise education out into the open and African gender scholars have a large role to play, professor Signe Arnfred argued at a recent lecture at IDS.
Women singing at a Million Women Rise march
24 Nov 15

BRIDGE joins anti gender-based violence campaign

The 16 Days of Activism Against Gender-Based Violence runs until 10 December and each day the Institute of Development Studies will be highlighting work on sexual and gender-based violence, gender, education and militarism from around the world – from academic research to blog posts, news and video.
Commission on the Status of women
20 Mar 15

Innovators share their challenges to gender inequality

Winners of the End Gender Discrimination Now! contest tell their stories during the United Nations Commission on the Status of Women in New York
16 Dec 14

Tweet marathon to celebrate intergenerational activism

BRIDGE joined AWID's #ICommit tweetathon on Tuesday 16 December to share commitments and stories of collaboration from within the women’s movement.
Gender and Social Movements policy brief front cover
20 Nov 14

Gender justice in activism: New policy briefs for donors and social movement leaders

While women's rights and gender justice are 'on the agenda' for many social movements, activists still encounter strong resistance to changing gendered politics and practices within movements and allied organisations. BRIDGE has recently published two policy briefs to support our Cutting Edge pack on Gender and Social Movements
14 May 14

Have we seen progress since International Women’s Day 2013?

Every year, International Women’s Day is celebrated around the world on 8 March.

29 Jan 14

End Gender Discrimination Now! Winners announced

The winners of the highly-contested Gender Discrimination Now! competition have been announced.

20 Dec 13

UN resolution recognises women human rights defenders

It may have been a long time coming, but on 27 November 2013 the United Nations General Assembly Third Committee adopted its first ever resolution on women human rights defenders.

13 Apr 12

12th AWID International Forum on Women’s Rights in Development

BRIDGE is delighted to attend the 2012 the Association for Women's Rights in Development (AWID) Forum from 19 to 22 April at the Haliç Congress Center in Istanbul, Turkey.