BATTLEGROUND

BATTLEGROUND FEMINISM

CONTEXT—The Oxford English Dictionary defines feminism as “Advocacy of the equality of the sexes and the establishment of the political, social, and economic rights of the female sex.” Feminism’s fourth wave, generally agreed to have started in 2012, focuses on issues such as sexual harassment and female empowerment. In the wake of January’s fourth-ever Women’s March, feminism is more prominent than ever, but some argue that it has become too radical and partisan. Is fourth-wave feminism a necessary and valuable movement in the U.S.?

Perspectives | 21 Our society has come a long way in the past century. Thankfully, women no longer face the same systematic sexism and social barriers they once did, but that’s not to say everything’s perfect. Discrimination today is more subtle, so feminism has evolved with it, becoming a diverse movement that uses its base of support to call out inequality for what it is. Take Hollywood. The entertainment industry has long had a problem with female representation, from unrealistic beauty standards to excluding female directors. That culminated in the #MeToo movement of 2017, when allegations of sexual harassment against producer Harvey Weinstein sparked the creation of Time’s Up, a feminist organization within the industry. The group created a $13 million legal defense fund for less privileged women who have experienced sexual misconduct in the workplace, and in 2019 announced the 4 Percent Challenge, which lobbies studios to hire female directors. As a result, more than 10% of films released last year were directed by women. While that number is still dismally small, it’s double that of 2018, proving that modern feminism can substantially improve an industry.

Inequality isn’t limited to the silver screen. Pregnant women or those with children still face discrimination from employers worried that their parental status will detract from work. For instance, the Stanford Center on Poverty and Inequality found that the average callback rate for job-seeking women fell from 6.6% to 3.1% when they had children. Furthermore, pregnant women can struggle to get accommodations at work (e.g. not lifting heavy items). The 2015 Supreme Court case Young v. UPS ruled that existing law does not automatically grant the right to accommodations, placing the burden on women to fight for them.

Thankfully, despite those challenges women face, feminists are trying to help. On Jan. 14, the Pregnant Workers Fairness Act, which makes it easier for women to obtain accommodations from employers, finally made it past the committee stage in the House. The bill isn’t particularly radical or shocking—it simply aligns with the feminist goal of ensuring that women aren’t hampered by their gender in society.

Fourth-wave feminism is linked to politics, and is sometimes accused of partisanship. But that criticism is usually an oversimplification. For instance, the concerns behind the Women’s March in 2017 were, in part, political, but also represented a response to the shocking disregard for women President Trump displayed in the Access Hollywood tape. Though the march was political in nature, its cause transcended party infighting to genuine concern about a powerful person disrespecting women. IThe whole feminist movement is much the same—though it intersects with politics, its aims are not partisan.

Many women of my generation may never face inequality or discrimination at all. But some will, and feminism highlights those

problems. Of course, it doesn’t always get it right—any internet-based movement will sometimes be reactionary. Yet, despite its occasional flaws, fourth wave feminism tries its best to bring about gender equality in our society. Feminism— conservatives cringe, but this isn’t how it should be. Feminism, at its core is a good thing. Women’s rights, fighting sexual harassment, and equality under the law are righteous; feats accomplished through respected litigation such as the nineteenth amendment, the Equal Pay Act, and Title IX. But what do these legislative victories have in common? They were achieved before the 21st century— accomplished by the brave feminists of the first and second wave movements. So why is feminism such a divisive topic? With equality won, fourth-wave feminists cite “empowerment of women” as their goal. Like almost all leftist agendas (free college, healthcare, etc.), this sounds positive and righteous, but in reality it deteriorates society. Twenty-first century feminism isn’t real feminism, it’s a radical, unnecessary movement that has degenerated into a leftist agenda targeted at conservatives.

Fourth wave feminism is focused on promoting left-wing interests rather than equality. On December 30, 2016, the New York Times published an editorial entitled “Feminism Lost. Now What?”, a reaction to Donald Trump’s victory over Hillary Clinton. The article stated that “Hillary Clinton’s loss was feminism’s too.” This was a popular view among feminists, and just days after President Trump’s inauguration, the 2017 Women’s March took the streets toting leftist signs such as “build the wall around Trump.” However, according to Pew Research Center, 39% of female voters voted for Trump. Do these women hate women’s rights? Are these women anti-feminists? No, that’s ridiculous. These women didn’t leave the feminist movement, the feminist movement left them.

The Women’s March 2020 website states the march is “a powerful movement of people who share a common belief that freedom is for everyone, without exception.” What’s ironic is that just two sentences under this is stated “for three years we have persisted and will not tolerate anymore attacks on our reproductive health, our reproductive rights, on our immigrant communities, and on our planet.” Basically, freedom excludes anybody with any sort of conservative views or women who voted for President Trump, and God forbid that you are pro-life.

Let me reiterate: feminism, by definition, is a good thing. It’s current manifestation is what’s harmful. Being a conservative man writing about feminism, let me make my views crystal clear. Rape is fundamentally wrong, sexism is fundamentally wrong, and man or woman, conservative or liberal, we have a moral duty to fight these wrongs. But taking grounds against conservatives, attacking men on the grounds of “toxic masculinity” and the “patriarchy,” creating a platform on reproductive rights and resisting Trump; that’s not feminism. Tammy Bruce, a conservative feminist and previous member of the National Organization for Women, states “Dignity is at the core of what feminism should always be about. Dignity means that a woman should be able to freely choose her own path in life,” and whether this is a housewife, CEO, or a pro-life, gun-toting conservative, it is up to women to choose. Twenty-first century feminism embodies a radical leftist movement concerned more in identity politics than equality and freedom. Illustrations by Audrey Carter DAVID GUST AVA SEVERTS 207551 DA January 2020 r1.indd 21 1/29/20 4:02 AM