Historically, women have faced numerous hurdles in our journey to becoming full citizens with equal opportunity in the Western world. Many women (and men) spent their lives working for this admirable goal. After the first two movements of feminism won women respect and civil rights, what is left to do for this generation? Many claim that women are still oppressed in society, but in subtler ways. I disagree. Here are eight reasons I don't need modern feminism.
1. The pay gap is a myth
In 2013, women earned 78 percent of what men earned. However, this number is calculated simply by dividing the median income for all women by the median income for all men. This is a totally bogus way to measure pay disparity, since it is already known that men and women tend towards different types of jobs and that effectively explains why there would be a difference in overall median income. When you break it down by industry and years of experience, the measured gap severely lessens or disappears entirely. For example, there is a statistically significant pay gap in less than a quarter of academic STEM fields. Especially recently, there has been more and more data pointing to the fact that women no longer make less than men do when you control for things like education, years of experience, and length of time at the specific job). The overall 22 percent gap almost entirely stems from individual choices rather than discrimination.
2. Because non-western women need it more
I honestly fail to understand why modern feminists waste their time complaining about female video game character’s clothing choices when women in Saudi Arabia still aren’t allowed to drive. Or when 87 percent of Afghan women have been victims of domestic violence. Or in Lebanon, where only 3 percent of the parliament is female. Third-wave feminism is simply dripping with “first-world problems.” If you want to be a crusader for women’s rights, why not pick the battles that actually matter instead of taking pictures of “manspreaders” for your Tumblr page.
3. You don’t need female role models to know you can be successful
I personally have photos of my biggest heroes (both living and historical) up on my wall. Only two out of the 10 are women, but why does that matter? My (male) friend’s hero is Rosalind Franklin. Gender has nothing to do with whether or not you can look up to someone and believe that you can accomplish as much as them. This article discusses how psychology research on whether or not role models are necessary and what effects they have is basically impossible to quantify in any meaningful way. You could have a role model who is nothing like you, yet still inspires you to be successful.
4. Microagressions are just that--micro
You know what I don’t have time for? Being angry at cat-callers for making stupid comments. Or at waiters for automatically handing the dinner bill to my fiance. Or people saying I’m a slut for my sexual history. I think these relics of the dying patriarchy ought to be ignored as they fade away.
5. As a woman in STEM, I’ve been treated with nothing but respect by my classmates, coworkers, and labmates.
I’ve said this before, and a lot of the responses I got pointed out that I am too young to have valid experiences as a woman in STEM. And that is a legitimate critique. Maybe there is sexism awaiting me when I graduate and get a job in the field. But what I know is that in both my internship I’ve had, as well as lab work I have done, I have not been discriminated against as a woman . And I doubt that I just lucked out and ended up in the only lab and the only company that treat women with respect. While there may be workplaces out there that are hostile to women, they are not ubiquitous. And the beauty of being an adult woman with agency in modern society is that if I am in such an unfortunate scenario, I can quit and go work somewhere that isn’t run by sexist losers.
6. Media flattens, misrepresents, and objectifies everyone, not just women.
An example:
This is pretty much the definition of objectification --someone interrupting the content of what another has to say in order to expose their body for public enjoyment, effectively telling them they are only good for being looked at. It happens to both men and women. Men are photoshopped to look more fit and chiseled, just like women are photoshopped to look more hourglass-shaped. On the topic of characters, especially in movies, it’s not surprising that they tend to be cardboard cutouts and stereotypes. That’s what happens when you have only two hours to tell a complete story, there’s only time to really develop one or two characters if even that. This problem isn’t exclusive to women at all.
7. Men have gender-specific problems as well.
As just one example, men are way less likely to report that they have been raped, especially if that rape was by a woman. And I guess I should say “assault” instead of rape, because according to the law, a man cannot be raped by a woman (even if he was drugged or sleeping) because the legal definition of rape required the victim to be penetrated. If you are ready to be sad and angry, you can read this reddit thread of men telling their stories. On top of this, men are also generally disadvantaged in health. Despite their supposed privilege, men globally have a six-year shorter life expectancy than women, and there is a disturbing lack of research as to why.
8. I acknowledge and respect the work of first- and second-wave feminists to get us where we are today.
Many women still alive today faced huge amounts of discrimination when they were younger. And they did something about it. As a young woman, I’m glad that I can enjoy the fruits of their labor. But it’s time we stop seeing ourselves as an oppressed class and instead recognize that men and women have different problems, but we are no longer below them on society's ladder.
