Choosing Battles: Claudia Ramirez Ramos on Feminism’s Imperfections
In September’s edition of Diary of a Feminist, Politics4Her spoke with Political Scientist Claudia Ramirez Ramos. Claudia, from Mexico, is also the founder of the platform Desde Mujeres, which means “From Women.” This platform aims to highlight talented women academics from around the world and highlight their talent and research.
Claudia explained how Desde Mujeres grew to what it is today, a team of nearly 400 feminists in social sciences online across 11 countries. “It began with a Tweet, I was tired of always reading the male perspective, so I put out a Tweet asking for recommendations of women in the social sciences space to follow their work.” The response was overwhelming, with around 200 names sent back to Claudia. “Having this extensive list made me think I need to do something with this information, and to bring visibility to these women and their work, so that’s how Desde Mujeres was born.”
Today, Desde Mujeres has become a unique space for women in social sciences to gain the recognition they deserve, many of their members publish work to their page and build their network. The founder believes its success is largely because it gives visibility to this growing network and because it is accessible to all women from the social science field.
At peace with imperfection
Even with her hugely successful international platform, Claudia pointed out that her feminist journey was not always perfect. “In the beginning, it was hard to realize, I could not always be the perfect feminist, this was about understanding that I couldn’t always do things right, or speak up every time I felt uncomfortable, there were so many times I felt attacked or felt disadvantaged in certain situations.”
Years later, Claudia reflects on her feminist journey, emphasizing the value of being kind and compassionate to oneself. “I know you can choose your battles, and you are allowed to do that, you don’t always need to be performing at the maximum. It was not an easy journey, but everything that you encounter through this journey you take is truly beautiful,” she said.
Is Mexico’s political shift really a symbol of feminism?
Mexico’s newly elected president, Claudia Sheinbaum made global headlines, as she set a precedent by being the first woman to hold that title in the country’s history. Politics4Her asked Claudia, what the reaction has been like toward the new president, and whether this can be considered a win for feminists.
“It is true, we can finally say we have our first-ever woman president which is a big win in a sexist country like Mexico. However, what is very important to stress is: it is a feminist victory but it does not mean her government will be feminist.”
Claudia went on to recall, that Sheinbaum is known for her actions against feminist protests, especially during her time as head of government. “So for this reason we are reminded that just because you are a woman does not automatically make your actions feminist.”
In terms of the public’s reaction in Mexico, she expressed that: “People who are against Sheinbaum are not necessarily against her because she is a woman but because of her political stance.”
However, those who do critique Sheinbaum as a politician have been making their remarks with “a sexist and patriarchial tone that they would not make if the president were a man,” mentioned Claudia. One of the examples, she recalled, was that people are assuming “she will be emotional in her decision-making process,” a common sexist stereotype used against women in power.
Three main problems women face in Mexico
Women in Mexico are living through a gender-based violence crisis, with around 10 women and girls murdered every day. Claudia noted that women’s bodies are being weaponized by organized crime groups. “When women go missing it is usually to sexually exploit them. This is not the case for men who go missing. This needs to be brought to light more, we need to keep talking about it, and we need to keep feeling uncomfortable about this because we cannot live in fear of someone taking our freedom this way,” Claudia stated.
Another major issue, is the lack of support and systems in place for caregivers, which generally are women, this is something Claudia said needs to be discussed more. “Women need to be recognized in this role, there are not enough public kindergartens, help for those caring for people with disabilities.”
For the third point, Claudia said there must be a push to increase women’s participation at decision-making levels, and in communities. “Many times, yes, there is more a divide between women in politics now but when it comes down to the decision-making role, there is still a majority male ratio.”
The need for representation goes beyond numbers, there is plenty of evidence to support women’s strengths in decision-making. “We have research to prove that women think more about others and are less egocentric, we are less corrupt, and we bring more visibility to groups that have been marginalized.”
What gives you hope?
“Women give me hope, it sounds like a whimsical answer, but it is true, every space that is full of women changes the surroundings completely, we are ready to fight, empathize, to speak up, and we are always looking to better the lives of not only ourselves and our issues but other communities,” said Claudia.
You can find more out about Desde Mujeres via their website here:
About the author:
Olivia Hooper is one of the co-directors of Politics4Her, she is a British journalist and editor with a degree in translation. Olivia uses her career in journalism to advocate on gender-based issues surrounding women and girls.
