First off, let me say I am not doing this to criticize the author or her beliefs. As she states in the beginning of her article, everyone is entitled to their opinion, and more power to you for sharing it online. That can be tough. I also know it’s been several months since this article was written; however, I’ve seen it a lot recently on my social media feed, and after some thought, I decided that it was something I wanted to address from a feminist’s point of view—simply because feminism and misandry can be confused. This is by no means a personal attack in any way, shape, or form.
If you haven't read the article yet, here is a link: https://www.theodysseyonline.com/female-over-femin...
The first point the article makes is a completely valid one—television stations are going to air whatever will get them the most viewers, and for many sports stations, they’re marketing to men. I mean, 94% of users of the online site are male; and that’s just online, not even television. That makes sense. As far as women playing in the NFL, the problem is that women don’t even have the opportunity to play. There is no chance for women in the NFL. Could I ever see myself playing? No, absolutely not. However, there are plenty of female athletes who are comparable in strength and agility to NFL players, and if a woman wants that opportunity, she should be able get it. I can’t take away the validity of a woman wanting to play simply because I would never choose to. That’s not how it works.
SEE ALSO: Yes, I'm A Feminist But I'm Also Anti-Abortion
There is a thin line between chivalry and misogyny. I am a feminist and a romantic—if I’m on a date and he offers to pick up the check, sure. If a man is offering to be a gentleman, that’s great. However, it’s important to note whether the offer is being made out of kindness or out of a belief that a woman is incapable. That being said, if I offer to pick up a check after a date, it isn’t because I hate men. It’s because I genuinely want to pay.
Women have made huge strides in the workforce (Let’s go girls!) and we are continuing to push the glass ceiling as each year passes. Does that mean we settle for being paid less than men for the same work? How about this—if a runner has a goal set, and they are steadily increasing their time, do they settle before reaching their goal? No. True feminists don’t blame men for the wage gap; we make an effort to change a society that isn’t as accepting of women in the workforce. That doesn’t mean complaining, it means raising awareness that this is still a legitimate problem while we continue to do a kick-ass job building our presence in male-dominated career fields (A point that I completely agree with you on. We definitely are doing awesome things!).
Please don’t confuse me--a feminist--with a misandrist. That isn’t what feminism is. The dictionary definition of feminism, according to the Oxford dictionary, is “the advocacy of women’s rights on the grounds of political, social, and economic equality to men.” The fact of the matter is we deserve the same opportunities that men get, without fearing discrimination or backlash. I speak for the majority of feminists when I say that we don’t hate men, and we don’t blame them for our problems. However, we feminists do believe that we should be treated fairly. As the article I’m responding to states: “There is no ‘dominant’ gender.” True feminists don’t claim to be dominant over men. Every group has its radicals…but don’t generalize the many based on the few.
Feminism=Equality; NOT domination. Time to embrace it.
