Yes, I'm a feminist. No, I don't hate men.
Feminism is often considered a taboo stance in society today. Labelled as ‘man-haters’ and misandrists, their views and opinions can be seen as an incredibly radical standpoint. But why is this? Only a small percentage of feminists are anything like that, and most true feminists only see radical feminists as taking steps backwards for the community, and for equality. And many also see feminism as unnecessary in this day and age, but that really couldn’t be further from the truth.
It’s a word often spoken in hushed tones, or laughed at loudly by those who despise whatever they think it stands for, but feminism is only about equality, whether that be regarding gender, sexual orientation, ability, race, religion, or anything else. According to the Feminism page on Wikipedia, “Feminist movements have campaigned and continue to campaign for women's rights, including the right to vote, to hold public office, to work, to earn fair wages or equal pay, to own property, to receive education, to enter contracts, to have equal rights within marriage, and to have maternity leave.” So, how can a movement that has achieved so much for equality, be so despised?
I often wonder if it could be partially due to the connotation regarding ‘fem’ at the start of the word. Is it immediately seen as a bad thing because it’s associated with women, and brushed off by men, as they believe this movement could never be for them? There have been anti-feminists for almost as long as there were feminists, but these were first against women’s suffrage, and then against women entering institutions of higher learning, as well as working, joining unions, sitting on juries, and being able to access birth control.
And now more than ever, especially in America, it seems that a number of these rights are still being debated. In regards to abortion, which is now at its lowest rate in America since the Roe vs Wade case in 1973 thanks to birth control, there has been a bill in Ohio entitled the ‘heartbeat bill’. This would make abortions illegal as soon as six weeks into a pregnancy, which is often before the woman even knows she’s pregnant, and especially before she can make any decision regarding what to do with the fetus. Three other U.S states have already passed similar bills, effectively outlawing abortions and criminalising doctors.
There are always going to be people in a group that are at the extremes, that are not standing for what the majority are. This is applicable to misandrists and TERF’s in the feminist world; Misandrists can be likened to man haters who want women to run the world, whereas TERF’s don’t agree that trans people can be included in the feminist movement. There are also going to be people at the other end of the spectrum, namely women who identify as feminists, but who believe that feminism has gone too far now, and that women should stop, as we are ‘equal’, especially in the western world.I really don’t believe this to be the case; I believe that feminism isn’t about excluding people, or hating anyone, or stopping only once white, western women have equal rights.
Feminism is still necessary, until everyone is seen as equal. Until women aren’t told to be home by a certain time, or walk alone at night. Until we can stop child brides and marital rape, which are still legal in 120 countries around the world. Until young women in schools aren’t told to cover their knees or shoulders in case male students, or a male teacher, find their body too appealing. Until female children younger than 1 year old aren’t being murdered simply for being a woman in a number of Middle Eastern countries. We still need feminism, because many women aren’t able to speak for themselves. And feminism shouldn’t just be for those who are able to speak up.
Recently, Egyptian actress Rania Youssef attended a film festival wearing a dress that had sheer black material covering her legs. After the images were shared on social media, a group of lawyers filed a complaint against her, and she is now on trial with public indecency charges, facing up to five years of jail time. The fact that a woman in her 30’s can’t even wear some sheer clothing without offending Egyptian values speaks volumes of the discrepancies between genders, and the rights of each gender, around the world.
And it’s not just about women either. Feminism also brings into question a number of gender norms, and ideals surrounding gender that are harmful to men. Feminists argue for the same rights of male abuse survivors as they do for females, which is important as there is often a stigma in regards to male abuse survivors being open about their experiences. Feminism casts a critical eye on the treatment of males with mental health issues, which is important as in the western world, men die from suicide 3 to 4 times as often as women, though their suicides are often less spoken about. It is also important for men in other ways, such as attempting to remove the stigma when it comes to men and their emotions, openly admonishing the ways that men are often told to ‘man up’ and hold back their feelings, which can lead to a host of mental health problems and fear of their own emotions.
Feminism is part of society, and it is a part that I am proud to identify with. There are always going to be those who argue that it is unnecessary, or that feminism has ‘done what it needed to do’, but that won’t be true for a very long time. We deserve to all live in a society with equal rights and opportunities, and until then, we speak up. If you believe in equality, and fighting for what’s right, then join the movement.
We’d be happy to have you.