This Tuesday, March 8 was International Women’s Day. In class, my teacher asked who there was a feminist. As I looked around, some girls sheepishly raised their hands, myself included. The guys in the class only raised their hands upon further prompting from the teacher.
However, if she had asked, “Who here believes in equality for both genders?” most people wouldn’t have hesitated in raising their hands.
The title “feminist” gets a bad rap. People seem to feel as if saying you’re a feminist is something you should be self-conscious or ashamed of. But what some don’t understand is the basic definition of feminism. Feminists are not anti-men, and don’t believe women are superior to all others.
Feminism is defined in the Oxford Dictionary as “the advocacy of women’s rights on the grounds of political, social, and economic equality to men.” It is a desire for equal rights, opportunities and a playing field where women’s voices are respected just as much as men’s. Feminism doesn’t assign specific tasks, duties, jobs or expectations to either gender.
Some are turned off by feminism due to their perception that it is “too aggressive towards men.” But feminists are not here to tear men down; our goal is to build up all. However, it is indisputable that women need to be advocated more than men, by the very virtue of the fact that women are treated as inferior to men in society. Therefore, advocating for women’s rights isn’t an aggressive act- -it is simply trying to right the wrongs that have been made throughout history, where one gender was valued more than the other.
Some people are blind to the gender inequality around them every day. The United Nation’s International Labour Organization reports that in 2010, American women earned 81% of what their male counterparts earned. This doesn’t mean that all women together earned 19% less than all men together. People would attempt to justify this as stay at home mothers bringing down the average salary for women. No, this is for two people doing the exact same job at the same company with the same boss. The only effect on their salary is their gender.
The gender inequality is greatened in positions of leadership. As of Feb. 3, there are only 20 women (4.0%) who hold CEO positions at S&P 500 companies, according to Catalyst.org. In 2009, women CEOs were earning 74.5% of what male CEOs were. This sends the message to women that their talents and leadership skills aren’t good enough or valued in comparison to men’s. That being said, there has been progress. In 1998, only one woman led a Fortune 500 company.
Job positions and salary aren’t the only source of gender inequality. Society’s expectations and opinions further repress women and don’t allow them to freely express their individuality and make their own choices free of judgment.
Working women are forced to feel as if they are choosing between a career and a family, due to the societal expectation that all females must aspire to be homemaker. Working mothers are questioned about what they do with their children during the day and whether they miss their kids while they are at work. However, these same questions are never posed to fathers at work, though the male is one half of the typical parental unit. Why should it be the woman who is judged by those around her for balancing work and children, while it is perfectly normal for a male to do so?
This societal judgments stretch into relationships and sexuality as well. While it is considered admirable and cool for a guy to sleep around with many girls, a female who does so is deemed a slut and is frowned upon. Society’s judgment about one’s personal sexual choices should be constant among genders, if it must insist on judging to begin with.
As women continue to make important strides for equality, they are met with resistance and backlash for doing so. People misconstrue feminism as being anti-male or being a movement exclusively for women. This discourages people from identifying as feminists and takes the attention away from the true mission of rectifying the inequality. Some people believe that inequality is a thing of the past, and then fail to recognize the inequalities that they encounter on a daily basis.
If you believe that men and women should have equal rights, resources, and opportunities, then step up the next time someone asks and declare that you are a proud feminist.