Photo: WENN.com
Beyonce has spoken out on issues of womanhood and feminism, declaring that gender equality is 'a myth' in a new essay.
The 'Grown Woman' star was writing in 'The Shriver Report: A Woman’s Nation Pushes Back from the Brink' - a 400-page study that investigates 'the millions of women who are doing it all and barely scraping by, struggling to provide and parent in a nation that hasn’t kept pace with the modern realities of their lives'.
As well as Beyonce's essay, 'Gender Equality Is A Myth', other contributors include Hilary Clinton, Eva Longoria, Jada Pinkett-Smith and many more. The Shriver report can be downloaded for free from Amazon here until 15 January.
Read Beyonce's full essay below:
"We need to stop buying into the myth about gender equality. It isn’t a reality yet. Today, women make up half of the U.S. workforce, but the average working woman earns only 77 percent of what the average working man makes. But unless women and men both say this is unacceptable, things will not change. Men have to demand that their wives, daughters, mothers, and sisters earn more—commensurate with their qualifications and not their gender. Equality will be achieved when men and women are granted equal pay and equal respect.
"Humanity requires both men and women, and we are equally important and need one another. So why are we viewed as less than equal? These old attitudes are drilled into us from the very beginning. We have to teach our boys the rules of equality and respect, so that as they grow up, gender equality becomes a natural way of life. And we have to teach our girls that they can reach as high as humanly possible.
"We have a lot of work to do, but we can get there if we work together. Women are more than 50 percent of the population and more than 50 percent of voters. We must demand that we all receive 100 percent of the opportunities."
Watch Beyonce performing 'Grown Woman' at Chime For Change below
Beyonce returns to the UK in early 2014 for a string of live shows. Dates are below.
February 20 - SSE Hydro Arena, Glasgow
February 21 - SSE Hydro Arena, Glasgow
February 23 - LG Arena, Birmingham
February 24 - LG Arena, Birmingham
February 25 - Manchester Arena, Manchester
February 26 - Manchester Arena, Manchester
February 28 - The O2, London
March 1 - The O2, London
March 2 - The O2, London
March 4 - The O2, London
March 5 - The O2, London
March 6 - The O2, London
March 8 - The O2, Dublin
March 9 - The O2, Dublin
March 11 - The O2, Dublin
Tickets are on sale now. For more information vist Gigwise gig tickets.
Below: the best bits from all 17 of Beyonce's new videos
