Feminism G
rowing up, I equated feminism with selfishness, child abandonment, and a desire to destroy the family. I believed that feminism was destroying the country by elevating women at the expense of men, leaving men emasculated and the family in shambles. Feminists were, I thought, man haters who mocked motherhood and the family, pursuing instead their own selfish dreams of worldly fulfilment. It wasn’t until college that I learned what feminism actually is. According to Wikipedia: Feminism is a collection of movement and ideologiesaimed of defining, establishing & defending equal political, economic, social & cultural rights for women. Furthermore, feminism transcends religious boundaries,finding its place both within Christianity and outside of it. Today there are even Muslim feminists who are also callingfor equal rights for women. Feminism is not anti-religion, and it’s not anti-family. Feminism is a universal problem to which any human being who believes in true equality can lay claimFeminism is something to which men should, and do, lay claim alongside women.
I have some questions to arise from this discussion:
First, why do we still need feminism if most people are feminist?
Today people believe in racial equality, but that doesn’t mean that actual racial equality has yet been reached. It’s the same with feminism. Just as there is structural racism, even so there is structural sexism. For example, women still suffer from income inequality. Part of the reason is that women who enter stereotypically female jobs are paid less because, well, jobs that have been historically held by females pay less. But it’s more than that. There is still inequality of pay between men and women working the same jobs. Some might say that this is the women’s fault; they should just learn to negotiate! First, though, I’d point out that women are socialized NOT to negotiate but rather to compromise in order to ensure tranquility.
Second: If the man-hating feminist is a
stereotype and feminism is merely a belief in female equality, why are there anti-feminists? Three main reasons are involved which are:
•There are still misogynist pricks who make rape jokes and think its funny to talk about woman's place being the kitchen. •There are still women who should identify as feminist but couldn’t because of misinformation and lack of knowledge about this topic. •There are anti-feminist who actually disagree with feminist goals andfor religious reasons they believe that man should be in charge and woman should follow.
A fter all I believe that women can do anything & they have much strength, determination & persistence as much as men when they have a goal.
“A woman without a man is like a fish without a bicycle.”