Everyone has heard the ridiculous stereotypes that feminists are all non-shaving, man-hating, lesbians. I’m not even going to waste time debunking those. But as feminism has evolved past those laughable ideas and become more mainstream to focus on the real issues, some misconceptions and questions still remain in the minds of women everywhere.
Misconception #1: Feminism means getting all your fellow women out of the house.
The root of this comes from the fact that women were assigned the role of taking care of the household for hundreds of years in most cultures around the world. Through the feminist movements over the years, a focal point has been letting women join the workplace. The keyword is letting, meaning letting a woman make her own decisions when it comes to her career. If a woman wants to stay home and is not being forced to stay there, more power to her. Feminism is allowing a woman to be in a position of power she puts herself into, not where a man or anyone else thinks she should be. Support women who are stay-at-home moms or homemakers along with those women holding CEO positions across the world.
Misconception #2: All women on average earn 78 cents to every dollar a man earns for the same job in America.
This statistic only shows that 78 cents is the number for all women on average in America. Looking at the statistics just for women of color, the wage gap is much bigger. Compared to white men, Asian American women have a 90% wage gap, Pacific Islander women have a 65% wage gap, African American women have a 64% wage gap, Native American women have a 59% wage gap, and Hispanic and Latino women have a 54% wage gap. These statistics get hidden behind the average 78% that is most commonly used. Know that women of color in particular still have a society built against them and an economic reality to fight.
Misconception #3: Feminism is only about women’s issues.
Feminism is equality of the sexes, which means men are involved too. Women’s rights are the most prevalent because these are issues that have been mishandled by men for years and women are getting their chance to fix that now. Men’s issues can go unnoticed because of the patriarchal society they happen in. For example, if a young man claims he is raped, he can be told to “suck it up” or “you should have enjoyed it” because statistically a male being raped is uncommon and society does not understand. Another major issue in feminism is women and men being freed from the gender roles they have been established in. It is supporting men who want to be emotional or passive who are told to “man up” and not supporting the insult “you throw like a girl.” There is a male privilege, but that doesn’t mean men don’t have issues about gender. Feminism is about the equality of the sexes, which means not only bringing women up, but also not putting men down.
Misconception #4: I have never experienced sexism so I don’t need Feminism.
Yes, many women have luckily lived very privileged lives and don’t experience patriarchal ideals head on. But just because you don’t think you need feminism doesn’t mean other women in particular around the world don’t. Tell the 21-year-old college girl who cries herself to sleep at night from the memories of her sexual assault and being told to keep her mouth shut that you don’t need feminism. Tell the single mother of 5 down the street, working 2 jobs while going to night classes who dreams of becoming a nurse, but can only focus on where her children’s next meal is coming from that you don’t need feminism. Tell the 16-year-old girl in Pakistan who wants to learn how to read but is denied her right to an education that you don’t need feminism. If you feel that you as a woman don’t need help, fantastic. Women everywhere wish they could be in your shoes. So think of those women and how easily you could have ended up in that situation if you were born into a different circumstance.