Why It’s Dangerous to Attack Research on Gender
In the last few weeks the Danish People’s Party (one of the most right-wing parties in parliament) has attacked branches of social science, including gender and migration research. This attack has risen as a consequence of the parties new political program related to culture. It is mentioned in it how: “Instead of bringing us closer together, the left-wings identity political cultural revolution is fragmenting our community and tearing us apart as people.”
As a part of this “culturally revolutionary” movement - and with a master’s degree specialization in gender studies, I would like to comment on why I see it as dangerous to attack specific fields of study and parts of civil society.
When you read the quote above it is tempting to think, but why then attack a political movement, if the purpose really is to bring people together?
Something that the Danish People’s Party in my perspective have misunderstood is the real purpose behind this movement. Because what is the point behind fighting for black people’s right to live? Women’s right to their own bodies? And refugees right for a better life?
Is it about tearing groups apart, as the party suggests, or is it really about bringing groups together despite their differences? I lean towards the latter.
In my perspective the current movement is about two essential things. Human’s right to existence and human’s right to a good life. Two very essential things that most people (hopefully) would agree on are good and decent purposes to fight for.
It is a purpose built around love for all people - and a wish that there should be room for everyone, so everyone can have a good life. A love that creates inclusion and well-being.
When gender research and migration research is attacked as a cultural revolutionary left-wing project it becomes dangerous for multiple reasons. First of all it is because of gender studies that we understand a lot of the mechanisms behind violence in society. Because there is a difference between the violence that women and men face. There is a reason why men more often are violent - and this is the same reason why men more often are homeless.
Gender research can answer questions about inequalities between gender, that the society has somewhat accepted as natural and normal. The inequalities that politicians still not are taking seriously enough. Even if it is going in the right direction - one small step at a time.
In the same way, migration research gives us knowledge about, why people migrate and what that means for individuals, societies and world development. Social science is supposed to teach us about societies and the world. Studying people will make us learn more about them. We need this knowledge. We need to learn how the world functions.
We need it because we have a lot of challenges to overcome. Not just in terms of violence and a lack of human rights, but in general to prepare ourselves for the development of the world. A development that is already happening, and cannot be avoided.