Women’s rights in society has come a tremendous way. Just 100 years ago in America, women could not vote, most did not work, and just had the roles of raising kids and staying home. A lot of people say that women are lucky to be where we are, but just because circumstances have gotten better, doesn’t mean they are perfect and we should settle.
One thing holding women back from embracing women’s rights is the negative connotation put on the word ‘feminist’. A feminist is any person who supports the equality of women. Anyone can be a feminist, and it is important that both men and women support this movement for the equality of all mothers, wives, and daughters. The concept “feminazi” has caused a lot of false stereotypes about all feminists. A feminazi is a radical or extreme feminist, but it is important to realize they do not represent the whole group.
Another reason why people view feminism negatively is because they do not believe women’s rights is an important issue anymore: Aren’t men and women already equal in the US? Shouldn’t women be happy to have so many more rights as opposed to other countries? It is true that we have come a long way and have progressed a lot faster than some other countries, and we should celebrate that, but there are still inequalities that hold women back. There are issues like the wage gap and violence/rape crimes against women as well as media representation and other social issues.
Women in America should feel proud of how far we have come but that shouldn’t mean we should retire the word feminism. There are still inequalities between men and women, and women should want to be empowered and follow the examples of women in history who made differences in the world. Men and women should both be proud to be feminists and embrace the word as a positive representation of equality.