Aaminah Ghani is President of YWCA Tāmaki Makaurau and a member of the YWCA national board. Born and brought up in Kirikiriroa Hamilton, Aaminah has been inspired by her family to give back to the community and advocate for just processes. For Aaminah this means amplifying the voices and presence of young women of colour in areas where they are often unseen. Aaminah has a Bachelor of Management Studies from the University of Waikato and in 2018 was awarded the Prime Minister’s Scholarship for Asia. 

The YWCA is a proudly feminist organisation supporting women and girls, and has been challenging gender inequality in Aotearoa for over 140 years. The YWCA advocates for the well-being, development and achievement of women and girls in a society that still does not afford them an equal place alongside men.

Writing on behalf of YWCA Tāmaki Makaurau, Aaminah lays down a challenge, asking “is gender equality enough?” and “how will you help us move forward?”

Aaminah raises the uncomfortable question, what does gender equality mean?  For second-wave feminists, gender equality had the clarity of meaning women having equal footing with men. Not being shut out of educational opportunities, being able to break through the glass ceiling, not expected to shoulder the burden of domestic duties in relationships. But as feminist theory has evolved through the third and fourth waves, taking on an intersectional perspective, ‘gender’ has morphed from the binary to embrace a spectrum of gender identities and diverse expressions. The meaning of ‘equality’ has also evolved, expanding beyond purely reference to equality with men within existing systems and hierarchies. 

Aaminah’s text leads us to a more aspirational future. A future where equality for everyone is measured against a new ideal, not the existing orthodoxy. A future that we arrive at together through collective action.