Hey Oles – April is Sexual Assault Awareness Month. Issues regarding gender equality and the role we all play in creating a healthy world for all people are important always, but be on the look out for special events this month from SARN, Feminists for Change, SOLAS, the Wellness Center and other groups to discuss issues regarding gender rights, sexual assault and sex trafficking, among others.
One question that constantly comes up in discussions regarding feminism regards whom feminism actually helps. Many people believe that feminism applies only to the middle–upper class white women. However, this is not the case at all. The point of feminism is to promote equality among genders. The idea is that there should not be one gender that has power over the other. So, can men be feminists? The answer, of course, is yes!
What exactly do men get out of being a feminist? One important thing that men get out of being pro-feminism is the idea that they are not superior to women. Men also get to meet women who are just as driven and educated as males have been for generations. It is refreshing to have a generation of women who can live up to their full potential and that is just as much something that is good for men as it is for women. Men are not and should not believe they are superior to women.
Men also see that women can have a dominate role just as much as men can have a dominate role. Men need to see that it is completely okay and even good that they can be submissive some of the time. Men in this day in age are being taught that they need to be tough and strong at all times, but that is not the case and it is important for a man to know that “being weak” is okay some of the time. There is a lot more to a man than just simply dominating over a supposedly weaker and inferior gender. Greater society is benefited, in turn, by realizing that every gender has a place and that one is not superior to the other.
Feminism also creates women who are much more confident about themselves. When a woman isn’t worried about being too overbearing and too outgoing, which in the past have been considered negative traits for women to have because it is too dominate, they can be confident about who they are. A man with confidence is incredibly sexy, so a woman who has confidence is also very sexy (in any sexual preference – not just the heteronormative) . Confidence overall is attractive and feminism promotes confidence of both genders which means no one is worried about the others’ thoughts.
For the larger population, by having feminism and having men who recognize the value of feminism for themselves, we get men who are much more respectful to women. They are much better at seeing the value of a partnership and the value of working with someone who has different talents than they do. By society teaching men that they are not the superior gender we no longer get the generation of men who believe they are so much better than everyone else. Feminism is able to promote equality between the genders and hopefully more harmony within them as well.
Feminism is not only good for middle–upper class white women, it is for all people of all races and for men just as much as it is for women. I think that if more people thought about it, it would be clear that most people are in fact feminists even if they don’t realize it.
Photo Credit: Feminist Men