It never fails to amaze me that people do not know the definition of feminism. Somewhere between media frenzies and extremism, ‘feminism’ has morphed into a dirty word that people simply do not like being associated with.
From attending an all-girls school, I have always been taught that I can do anything. If I wanted to play football and cricket, then study sciences and maths or aspire to be a doctor or engineer, then I could. Gender never came into question. It was the ability to have that choice that has made me who I am today: a friendly, bubbly, unashamed, feminist.
After stating once that I am a feminist, a friend turned and said ‘oh, I’m not a feminist because I don’t hate men’.
Just to clarify:
Feminism, by definition, is the political, economic, and social equality of the sexes.
Feminism is NOT misandry, man-hating or burning bras (which is a myth create to perpetuate the idea of feminism as violent) to make women superior. It is the mind-set and theory that women are equal to men. That the pay-gap should not exist. That women shouldn’t have to choose between children or a career. That women shouldn’t feel intimidated to work in a typically male job role. That women should not need their husband’s permission to live their life. It is the concept that a woman is equally able, equally as important and equal in every respect to a man.
Then again, being a feminist as a woman does not mean that you lose your femininity, you can still love cooking/wearing florals/embrace your female self and be a feminist. The same goes for men: you don’t lose your manliness by being a feminist, it just means that you believe your mother/sister/wife/girl-friends deserve the same opportunities as their male counterparts.
Another friend recently argued that, ‘I don’t think feminism is an issue, I’ve never experienced sexism, especially in today’s society’.
Just because you haven’t been affected yourself by sexism, doesn’t mean it doesn’t exist. It’s like making a remark as bold as ‘Malaria doesn’t exist because I have never had it’, or ‘Oxygen doesn’t exist because I can’t see it’. Even in the Western world, where women have more rights and power, there is still everyday sexism going on: just because you don’t see it, doesn’t mean it’s not there.
Feminism is crucially important because:
- Only 1% of the world’s land is owned by women
- In the UK, the gender pay gap stands at 15%, with women on average earning £5,000 less a year than their male colleagues.
- Globally, about one in three women will be beaten or raped during their lifetime. About 44% of all UK women have experienced either physical or sexual violence since they were 15-years-old.
- Globally only a 24% of senior management roles are now filled by women.
- In 10 countries around the world women are legally bound to obey their husbands
Recently, the #heforshe campaign by the United Nations, with Ambassador Emma Watson has transformed the idea of feminism, reminding people of what I have aforementioned. It is this mentality that should be promoted and hopefully will continue in the future.
It is not shameful, brave or bad in anyway to be a feminist.
If you agree that women and men should be equal, then quite simply, you are a feminist! Wear the label proudly and embrace the equality.
