Our goal was to create something that people around the world who have experienced sexism could relate to, while encouraging viewers to see that their struggles are linked to the struggle of girls and women living in the poorest parts of the world. We're calling on viewers to take action for the women hardest hit by gender inequality – those living in extreme poverty.
While the video does depict hot-topic issues like gender roles and the treatment of women in the workplace, we want this video to be a clear message that issues like child marriage and girls' access to education must be included in the call for gender equality.
This video holds the namesake of ONE's Poverty is Sexist campaign, which we launched three years ago to make the point that poverty and gender inequality go hand-in-hand. The facts to support this are damning: In Sub-Saharan Africa, girls without an education are five times more likely to to be married by the time they are 18. They are 7% less likely to complete secondary education than boys, and are less likely to be given the opportunity to participate in, or contribute to, their countries' economies.
We wanted this piece to make sense to women everywhere, no matter where they live or what language they speak. We realized that 'no' is something that women hear universally and at every age, and wanted to lean into the power of collective experiences women share.
This video powerfully calls upon its viewers to stand with women & girls everywhere by signing our Poverty is Sexist petition, which aligns with ONE's theory of change: that individuals can have a significant impact on policy by engaging in direct advocacy actions, like signing petitions or writing, calling, or visiting their elected officials - all of which we know can help move the needle on critical policy decisions by demonstrating a powerful constituency behind our issues, and holding world leaders to account.
All told, Poverty is Sexist amassed a remarkable 2.69 million views, reached 12 million people, and earned 50k engagements and 6,500 shares on social media - and it has brought in over 5,000 new members, and counting, who we can engage in future political actions.
