Disclaimer: the views expressed in this article are that of the author’s and the author’s alone. They do not reflect the views of Her Campus as a whole.
I know what you’re thinking, “Oh boy, another twenty-something, middle-class, white girl is going to lecture me on feminism and gender equality.” Well, not quite. Okay, maybe just a little. Wait, please don’t leave!
Don’t worry, this article isn’t some sort of rage piece; it’s about the origins of feminism and, more importantly, where it went wrong.
“Feminism”, as you might know, advocates for equality among sexes. Notice that the definition (a round of applause for Merrriam-Webster) reads, “the theory of the political, economic, and social equality of the sexes,” or, “organized activity on behalf of women’s rights and interests”. Here we see the source of our current confusion.
The definition of feminism says nothing about women at all. It makes no mention of gender, just biological sex. Which leads us to wonder, “What about people who are not of female sex, but identify as a woman? Where does this leave them?”
To be concise, the feminist movement damned itself when it assumed gender was equivalent to sex. Somewhere between bra burning and patriarchy smashing, feminism tied gender identity to biological sex. Thus, the promotion of feminism, as we see in today’s mainstream media, tends to do nothing but further marginalize those with unconventional gender identifications.
Plainly put, if the feminist movement only advocates for biological females, then it implies that those who identify as a gender different from their own do not also suffer from inequality. This definition neglects to advocate for transgender, cross dressing, or gender fluid individuals.
If we assume that feminism = female = woman, then we fail to recognize or advocate for people outside that definition. This would be akin to saying that transgender people are at no social disadvantage, despite their gender identification. It would imply that society views and treats transgender people the same way as their cisgender counterparts. It would say, “the transgendered man is a biological male and still benefits or suffers from the same inequalities that other (not trans) men do.”
It would assume that gender identification has no impact on social equality.
There are not just 2 gender identities, man or woman, as most people commonly think. The idea of “gender” itself is cultural and fluid. Gender is not something that is stagnant, but something viewed from an individual and cultural lens. Gender is relative to societal context and, consequently, subject to change just as much as the culture is.
While people are becoming increasingly aware of the difference between sex and gender, feminism has yet to catch up. In order to achieve the goal of feminism, “…equality for all genders…”, we need to recognize that sex is not gender and that by making feminism a female movement, we are perpetuating further inequality. Instead of creating more barriers, maybe we should work on breaking them down and making the feminist movement inclusive to all genders regardless of sex.
Perhaps we should shelve the P*SY Power t-shirts and “FEM” mugs until we can get ourselves together and realize what it really means to be a feminist in the 21st century.