Let’s just start out by clearing up what feminism is not. It is not just choosing to forgo deodorant or shaving one’s legs, although a feminist could choose to do so. It is not about hating men or thinking women are better than men even though some make this mistake. Feminism is a flawed belief system; this cannot be denied. It’s complex and has a bad rap, which has led so many to be against it. But if we take feminism in its most basic definition, it cannot be such a taboo thing. It is simply seeing women as equal to men in social, political and economic spheres. It might be more beneficial to call feminism equal rights because the misconceptions come from the name.
However, feminism is what it shall remain, as women have been historically oppressed through the widespread system of the patriarchy and need to be able to find their voices. Women have already been second in most matters, so I think it’s appropriate that we have this one thing, allowing us to be equal.
Feminism is about advocating for change in the wage gap. Women, on average, make less than men for doing the same work. Women have fewer higher-up positions and have trouble breaking through the glass ceiling. This vision of lack of power for women in the workplace is outdated. Women are just as capable of men in areas of critical thinking and decision-making. They can take charge and are more educated to do so than they have ever been. Women deserve the same pay as men because they work just as hard and are equal as workers. Why shouldn’t they get the same treatment as men?
Women also lack representation in government. They make up less than 20% of representatives in Congress. We’ve never had a female president. Most people believe that women do not make good leaders and cannot take their emotions out of decision-making. For one, just because some women may be more emotional than men does not mean they can’t control their emotions. And secondly, how can anyone say that emotions stay out of decision-making and the positions political officers take? Opinions are the culmination of the emotions one has regarding any issue. It’s a feeble argument when representation should be equal to those they are representing. About half of the U.S. population is comprised of women, why shouldn’t government be the same?
One of the most basic challenges of feminism is getting women’s equality on a social level. There are so many stereotypes women have had to fight against. Women are not as strong as men. They can’t stand up for themselves and have to be saved. They have too many emotions and can’t control them. They are sexualized beings that are seen only as objects but if they have a lot of sex, they’re sluts. Although, if they don’t have sex at all, they’re prudes. Not only that, but what a woman wears can affect how she is seen—tight, short dresses=slut; turtlenecks and loose clothing=prude. Women are meant to do the cooking, the cleaning and the homemaking. While some of these are not necessarily bad, it needs to be known that women are not limited to these ideals. There is nothing wrong with a woman being a breadwinner for a household. There is nothing wrong with a woman wearing whatever she may want to wear. There is nothing wrong with a woman being emotional. Women are human beings and therefore can be whoever they want to be without restrictions or expectations.
In addition to feminism being about gaining equality for women, there is something in it for men too. It’s all about breaking the boundaries of femininity and masculinity. Just as women should not be restricted to sitting with one’s legs crossed or being submissive to a male, males can share one’s feelings or believe in non-violence. Men should also not be subjected to objectification. The actions they take that may be more feminine should not be labeled as “gay.” Men suffer just as much from gender stereotypes as women do and with feminism, society can learn to be more accepting of people, regardless of gender.