“If you stand for equality, than you’re a feminist. Sorry to tell you.” This quote from Emma Watson calls out the misconceptions around feminism. Emma Watson has used her fame from Harry Potter to speak out about feminist issues. She stresses the importance of equal rights among all genders. Despite the negative connotation associated with feminism in today’s society, men are able to, and should be proud to be a feminist. Feminism is a debate of gender equality, not masculinity.
Feminism is known to have started in the United States in waves. The first wave was between 1948 and the late 1920. Its focused on women’s right to vote, right to own property, and having custody over their children after a divorce. This was also the time when birth
One of the biggest ones is that women believe they are superior and they dislike men. Feminism is against gender stereotypes, so the hatred of men would be going against their mission. Feminists, however, do realize that men have a certain privilege. A privilege that, when used well, can help those who are most harmed in society. The movement is not saying that women or other oppressed groups are better, just that they should be as good as men. Based off of women's economic standpoint, their higher risk of sexual abuse and domestic violence, and the denial of basic human rights in some places proves that women are not yet seen as equal to men. The newest feminist wave is actually promoting intersectional feminism, which is the theory that looks at all aspects of humanity impact discrimination. This term covers race, class, ethnicity, religion and sexual orientation along with
It’s no secret that men still dominate society. We cannot escape the patriarchy unless the men are working on equalities behalf. When a man speaks of gender equality, it is taking more seriously than when a female talks about it. Some people see females striving for equality as selfish. They think women only care about getting ahead of the men. Male spokesmen for feminism reaches a wider audience and show that feminism is for the benefit of everyone. Men can also help but refraiming from sexist and judgmental comments about women. Each negative comment by a man is one step backwards in feminism’s journey. In order to move forward, men need to listen to what women have to say about their oppression and educate themselves. Research can give a newfound appreciation for the cause and can even point out things that are offensive that someone did not know was. Sharing this information with male friends will spread awareness and propel the movement
Everyone is capable of wanting equality for all people. Women are not the only people to strive for gender equality for woman. Many men want to see all people treated equally but do not feel confident enough to talk about it. Many women who call themselves feminists tend to blame men for the position woman are in today, excluding them, and essentially doing nothing to help us as a society progress to equality. This only feeds into the well known stereotype of feminism. When referring to men in this society, Serano say’s, “It is difficult for men to move through a world in which they are non-consensually viewed as predators” (417). Society takes this general view as men being t fault for how women are treated today and making it hard for many men to join women in the fight for equality. This is not to say all men are supportive of woman, unfortunately, there are still men in the world that believe women can not do a job as well or better than a man, but to believe all men are like this would be inequitable. When contemplating whether to include men in feminism we must remember the main reason for feminism, which Roxane Gay reminds us when she says, “So much responsibility keeps getting piled on the shoulders of a movement whose primary purpose is to achieve equality, in all realms, between men and woman” (173). So why not let men join the movement? Woman must move past this idea that men are to blame
In conclusion, the negative stigma of feminism should be changed and looked at from a different point of view. In addition to the other movements, feminism could potentially give women the equal rights they deserve and finally all of humanity would be equal. As Cavanaugh stated, “It’s not a gender issue – it’s a humanity issue” (Cavanaugh, 2014, p.
Although men are definitely crucial to fixing the problem, “the young [women] are prominent in most revolutions” (Evans 165-166). It is very important for women to stand up for equality through their actions not just their words. That means pushing back on the expectations some men put on them and proving they are just as independent and capable as men. It is equally important for men to be advocates for gender equality because change will not happen if we do not keep our minds open. Women can protect as many times as they wish but if men do not acknowledge their actions, equality is impossible to achieve. It is difficult to understand why people discriminate based on gender because we’re all the same, we’re all human, gender does not define who you are or what you are capable of doing. Once every man comes to that realization, we will all be equal and there will be no gender roles or standards. In Emma Watson’s HeForShe campaign speech at the United Nations, she explains the importance of involving men in the movement because “gender equality is [their] issue too” (Watson). She believes if men do not have to be aggressive in order to be accepted, women will not feel compelled to be submissive in compliance. Many problems related to gender inequality impacting women specifically are caused by the social standards placed on men so involving men in the movement is unquestionably important, as Watson emphasizes in her entire
Most men and women today believe that we do not need feminism, that the world is fine. Sorrowfully they are far from being accurate. We don’t need feminism because it is about genders, we need it because it is about our society’s humanity. Women all around the world are denied basic human rights simply by the fact they are women which is absurd. For instance,
Feminism and the right to equality has been a long and arduous struggle for women before the Civil Rights Act. The Feminine Mystique sparked a change, questioning society, which continues today as women fight for equal treatment regardless of laws that claim for their protection. Feminists will continue to fight for the day where women will be treated as equals, where there will be no gender bias, and for the day when a woman can state her mind, just as her male counterpart, without being called an uptight
The second definition found in Merriam-Webster is “the belief that men and women should have equal rights and opportunities,” which corresponds to “the theory of the political, economic, and social equality of the sexes” (“Feminism | Definition of Feminism by Merriam-Webster”). The second definitions should be what it actually means, but for the most part, feminism has been gearing its interest only towards women and completely ignoring men in the equation. Emma Watson delivered a HeForShe speech back in September 20, 2014 at the United Nations Headquarters in New York. With the tag line “Gender equality is your issue too,” that would draw all of us in for a second until you realize that there aren’t any issues feminism has addressed for men; you may see a few here and there, but cases relating to men barely get any media attention. Real feminism is equality where the other gender is not ignored
Feminism is commonly thought of as a tool for educating society on the rights of women. It teaches that a woman is equal to a man in every civil and societal accord. Realizing this is not always the case, Charlotte Bunch, a noted lesbian feminist of the 1970s also defined feminism as "a way of looking at the world - a questioning of power [and] domination issues" (WIE). Many feminists attempt to bulrush the ideals of stereotypical women and push them away from those who believe in these standards. "Feminist scholars also seek to question and transform androcentric [sic] systems of thought which position the male as the norm," says Barbara McManus. They strive to find, examine, and eliminate biases in a world encumbered with intolerant men who see women as thoughtless objects and most certainly not equals. Other women announce their impressive intellect, economic well-being, and individual personalities to the people who oppose them. "A woman should always present herself and explain her forthcoming jaunts into Feminists, like Edna, howe...
Women are given a set of expectations, roles, and limitations within institutions run by men that have long been embedded into society and feminism seeks to change the unproportionate power which would ultimately lead to a more equally represented body of people. Feminism is a tool that can aid women in abolishing all the connotations that come with gender. In One Is Not Born A Woman, Monique Wittig argues that "To refuse to be a woman...does not mean that one has to become a man," to refuse to conform to the ideal images of women, and to break free from the social constraints, stereotypes, controlling images, expectations, and oppression from social institutions does not mean becoming a man. Feminists aren 't aiming to make everyone a man, it does not aim to "bring down" men or favor women, its goal is to liberate all oppressed groups because the privileges exclusive to men "should be considered as the entitlement of everyone" according to Peggy McIntosh in White Privilege: Unpacking the Invisible Knapsack. Feminism today is very important because it is not longer exclusive, and advocates for fairness for all (people of all ethnicities, any race, any religion, any social class, community, sexuality, etc). Instead of excluding people with different identities or
Feminism could be dated back to the Women’s Right Movement in 1848. Women were tired of their voices not being heard, so they held the first women's rights convention is held in Seneca Falls, New York. After 2 days of discussion and debate, 68 women and 32 men sign a calling for equal treatment of women and men under the law and voting rights for women. (Imbornoni, A.. N.p.. Web. 27 Mar 2014. http://www.infoplease.com/spot/womenstimeline1.html). This eventually allowed women to vote for the first time in 1893, Colorado.
Feminism has always been a colorful word with a wide variety of meanings, interpretations, and connotations. Unfortunately, these definitions and connotations are sometimes depicted in negative and wrong ways. Feminism is not wearing pants and shunning pink and being mean and poo-pooing child-rearing and hating men. It is not about scoffing at those that choose to stay at home with children or judging other women for their own choices. It is not about relying on stereotypes or assumptions about what the word 'woman' should or should not be. Most importantly, feminism is not a universal, one-size-fits-all term, simply because there are so many women living such differing experiences around the world. Rather, feminism is “the organized activity on behalf of women’s rights and interests” (Radacic). It is the belief that women should have the right to choose to live whatever lifestyle they desire, and the notion that women and men should be considered equals in every aspect of life. Depending on who a person asks, feminism can mean any number of things. When, where, and even how a woman is raised greatly influences and often times, alters, her view and personal definition of feminism and gender equality.
Feminism can simply be defined as a range of movements and ideologies in which share a common ground in terms of defining, establishing and achieving equal opportunities to that of males, in regards to economic, cultural and social rights. It is a critique of male supremacy with efforts in changing this to end the social oppression of women. (Hooks, 2000)
It's not something we should be striving for. It's a necessity. Equality is like gravity. We need it to stand on this earth as men and women, and the misogyny that is in every culture is not a true part of the human condition. It is life out of balance, and that imbalance is sucking something out of the soul of every man and woman who's confronted with it. We need equality. Kinda now.”(00:06:54-00:07:31). Unfortunately, inequality between the sexes began hundreds of years ago and has grown tremendously through each generation. It seems almost unfathomable that even today, the fight for gender equality, one of the most vital building blocks of feminism, is still alive and
The two articles by Reed (1999) troubling boys and disturbing discourses and by Ringrose (2007) gender and education. Both of these articles highlight how gender plays a role in education. For example, it shows how girls outplay boys in exams.
Even though society has distorted the ideals feminism was founded upon, some of the remaining true roots still hold true. While women are gaining equal opportunities in society, they need to not diminish the importance of working together with men to form a functional society. The widespread idea of quotas needs to be analyzed. People should be accepted into college or hired for a job because they are the most qualified, not because of their sex. Society has demented feminism as a harmful dogma because it has been an excuse, almost a cop-out by women who do not want to work for their acceptance. Both men and women need to realize the necessity that exists for each other to make society work.
Throughout the 19th century, feminism played a huge role in society and women’s everyday lifestyle. Women had been living in a very restrictive society, and soon became tired of being told how they could and couldn’t live their lives. Soon, they all realized that they didn’t have to take it anymore, and as a whole, they had enough power to make a change. That is when feminism started to change women’s roles in society. Before, women had little to no rights, while men, on the other hand, had all the rights.