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What it means to be “feminist”
February 1, 2018
Feminism is the advocacy of women’s rights on the basis of the equality of the sexes. The term and movement is often misrepresented as man hating or a white women’s cause but at its core, feminism calls for all women to be able to reach the same potential as a man and with as much ease as many men have. Egalitarianism is the doctrine that all people should be treated equally and deserve equal rights and opportunities. The fundamental difference between the two is that Feminism believes gender discrimination needs to be eliminated so that Egalitarianism can reach its maximum potential. Under Egalitarianism, each time men are given new opportunities, women are given the same. However, it is naive to think that gender discrimination can be fixed by moving forward and immediately treating everyone the same. At some level, all identities face discrimination but there is a difference, although no less important, between a man being expected to fulfill the expectations put on men to be strong and a woman earning between .59 and .83 cents for a white man’s dollar.
Egalitarianism isn’t the ideology that will be most constructive in achieving gender equality because it advocates for everyone to be equal, but has a history of making no tangible actions that work towards that goal. Our society is already generally egalitarian minded and the treatment and depiction of women and all genders has not improved enough. There is nothing wrong with everyone being equal; it’s a broader form of feminism, but the egalitarian mindset isn’t enough to make the changes that America needs to make regarding gender.
Sexual harassment has been endured by all genders and that needs to be remembered so that the notion of gender discrimination being admissible is forever a crime. Feminism is rooted in equality of the sexes and thus activism involved with the movement only serves to benefit all people. Each time someone that labels themself as a feminist knowingly criticizes others actions, or directs the same negative language used on them at another person or gender, they are perpetuating a society where gender discrimination is conditional and thus allowed. Furthermore, they are contributing to the misrepresentation of feminism as a movement that solely promotes a female identifying agenda.
The demonstrating that many hardworking and self identifying feminists are doing to create a more accepting and diverse world is the lens through which this society needs to see feminism. None of the truly groundbreaking and life changing work that policy makers, grass roots organizations, and other influential activists are doing involves a vision of women being more important than men or bring preferred. It’s about needing to be seen as equal. Feminism is more than a mindset, it’s a movement that understands that while technically everyone is equal, they are not being treated equally. Egalitarianism is a blanket statement that has a history of being inactive and neglects to acknowledge that disparities in gender treatment need to be addressed before change can occur. Feminism encompasses the statement that everyone should be equal but then goes a step further and demands that an increase in volunteering and advocacy is necessary for that change to take place.
Samantha • Apr 5, 2021 at 8:12 am
Hey Simon,
Starting off a bit strong there with accusations of an ‘ego’. Impressive for you to interpret the article in this way because this sense of ‘ego’ seems to become more from you than the initial article. Feminism was the first form of egalitarianism, saying it is a ‘narrower version’ erases the history that feminism has fought against and succeeded in. Considering women voting was a taboo a hundred years ago, yes, we have come very far. But pretending as if this work was not pushed by the initial feminist’s is to be disingenuous. It is almost to say as the civil rights movement leaders fought for All Live’s Matter when they fought for equal treatment for black people. So civil rights movement is a ‘narrower version’ of All Lives Matter. See the issue here?
Embarrassed? I may be embarrassed at how you missed the entire point. She acknowledges the pressures put on men to work and earn, but her point was that men also receive advantages for this too. That when men tell their boss their wife is pregnant, they get a raise, but when a woman tells their boss they are pregnant in America paid maternity leave is rare and, in most countries, very cheap. There is also a lack of support after the birth. So, for the mother, it is a net loss but for the father, it is a net gain. If we are to achieve social equality, we must not treat a new father differently from a new mother.
I explained in a previous point that the term feminism has become tainted with views of men-hating and not being seen as serious as before. Thus, self-identifying feminism means that the writer still believes in the socio-economic and political equality of the sexes but does not agree with the negative connotations attached that people in the media have forced onto it over the years.
‘Inherit considerations’. The first example you listed on maternity leave is a half-truth. Maybe you forgot human biology for a second there but of course, a woman has to leave work to give birth unless she decides to have a baby at her desk. Thus, weeks off is necessary. What you should be talking about is paid Maternity leave which isn’t common in America, because this woman would obviously need to rely on their partners for finance and overall support whilst raising their baby during the first couple of years where growth is essential and healing from childbirth too. Paternity leave exists, men don’t choose to take it as the issue. This is because we automatically assume the role of childbearing and caring is placed on women which feminism has fought against because fathers should also help with parenting too. This ties in with parental custody laws too, the automatic assumption women are the only parent that takes care of the child has influenced these custodial laws. Now to the law. Men do commit a disproportionate number of crimes, but men are also disproportionately charged harsher sentences too. This comes with jury bias; this also affects black people too as black men are more likely to receive the death penalty for the same crime too. And in the UK are 9X more likely to be stopped and searched. So yes, the justice system is flawed and needs to change. I do not know why you automatically assumed I did not agree. Lastly, domestic abuse attitudes. This also ties in with stereotypical views of how society views men and how we need to focus on how society views the sexes to achieve greater equality, that they are masculine and strong which directly comes in direct contrast with domestic abuse done towards them. It is unfair for people to think men cannot also be at the receiving end. To end this section, most of these issues is also at the heart of what feminist’s address. To remove stereotypes away from the sexes and not to assign roles.
Your last words are tone-deaf. Women do not make a majority of lawmakers or those in power in general thus blaming feminists for not addressing these are counterproductive. You should be directing your anger at lawmakers who have got away with these disparities instead of feminists who instead of you being angry at expressed your concerns as well. Your attitude is the reason why feminists are not rushing to help, it’s stained with bitterness and hate. Sort it out and we can work together.
Simon • Mar 19, 2021 at 6:14 pm
I’m surprised at the arrogance of the author in stating that “Egalitarianism is a broader form of Feminism”.
Given that Egalitarianism was / is cited as a key philosophy in the original foundation of Feminism, would it not be more appropriate to state that “Feminism is a narrower form of Egalitarianism”?
I doubt the Author’s ego would accept this as anything other than a reductive statement, undermining her personal politic.
I’m also embarrassed at the initial argument used to defend the aggressiveness and perception of female bias, which is often levelled as a criticism of traditional Feminism; the argument offered being:-
“there is a difference, although no less important, between a man being expected to fulfill the expectations put on men to be strong and a woman earning between .59 and .83 cents for a white man’s dollar.”
Besides the obvious weakness of the argument not comparing “apples with apples”, the argument attempts to reduce social / existential matters below the importance of financial matters.
I’m also disturbed by the connotations of the term “self-identifying Feminist”. This implies a person can validate their attitude as being aligned with Feminist doctrine and goals, irrespective of whether their actions / words support this.
Finally, there is absolutely no mention or recognition of existing and inherent considerations given to women, solely as a result of their gender. These considerations are either unavailable for men or not granted in the same terms.
Examples of these considerations include maternity leave, menstruation considerations, domestic abuse attitudes, parental custody laws, criminal prosecution and sentencing disparities…
For a political doctrine supposedly built on the principle of equality, I don’t see many Feminists rushing to address inequalities which lean in their favour…
Perhaps this is what is meant by “self-identifying”?