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18 July 2012

Media Release

Who needs feminism?

The National Council of Women of New Zealand (NCWNZ) will be challenging misconceptions about feminism and demonstrating its relevance in today’s society with an exciting new campaign.

Inspired by a group of students at Duke University in the USA, NCWNZ has this week launched its own New Zealand-based version of the ‘Who Needs Feminism?’ campaign.

NCWNZ National President, Elizabeth Bang, explained, “This is a really fantastic photo campaign which allows people to share a message about why feminism is important to them and we really encourage everyone – men and women of all ages – to get involved.

“The idea is to show that feminists are not ‘man-hating’ and ‘bra-burning’ and they’re not just women – feminists are people who believe that men and women should be equal.

“We also want to overcome the perception that we don’t need feminism anymore. There’s a pretty widespread belief that equality has been achieved. Even in forward thinking New Zealand, there are plenty of shocking statistics on pay equity, women in leadership and family violence. And that’s before you even consider things like street harassment, the portrayal of women in the media, and the endurance of traditional gender roles.”

She added, “It’s really easy to get involved. Simply write your own personal message (“I need feminism because...”) and take a photograph of you holding it up. Finally, share it with us on Facebook or Twitter or by email (ncwnz@ncwnz.org.nz).

“We’ve already had some great submissions and we’re looking forward to finding out all the different reasons that feminism is important to a range of New Zealanders today.”

To view the photographs already submitted, please visit: www.whoneedsfeminismnz.tumblr.com

To view the campaign video, please visit: www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZUD6pHIZkOQ&feature=plcp
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