It makes my heart happy to see that more and more conversations on feminism are being had. These conversations are crucial to developing a gender equal world. In order to have powerful dialogues, it is important to have a clear understanding of some feminist vocabulary. Some words that I believe to be important are listed below.
Feminism
/ˈfeməˌnizəm/
noun
The social activism movement for equality between women and men.
Feminist
/ˈfemənəst/
noun
A person who supports feminism. Can be a woman, man, or anywhere in between.
Equality
/əˈkwälədē/
noun
The equal social, political, economical, and emotional treatment between groups.
Inequality
/ˌinəˈkwälədē/
noun
The unequal treatment between groups. (Unfortunately, there is a lot of inequality across many different categories in the world right now). Antonyms: Equality.
Misogyny
/məˈsäjənē/
noun
The (sometimes internal) prejudice against women.
Misandry
/miˈsandrē/
noun
The prejudice against men.*
*Feminism does not = misandry. Feminism strives to create equality between the sexes, not to raise women above men.
Intersectional Feminism
/in-ter-sek-shuh-nl feməˌnizəm/
noun
"The interconnected nature of social categorizations such as race, class, and gender as they apply to a given individual or group, regarded as creating overlapping and interdependent systems of discr imination or disadvantage." -Kimberlé W. Crenshaw
Patriarchy
/ˈpātrēˌärkē/
noun
A society that is male-dominated, which often leads to women being excluded.
Mansplaining
/manˈsplān/
verb
When a man unnecessarily explains something to a woman. It is usually meant to undermine or downgrade, or belittle the woman's intelligence. For examples on mansplaining, please reference this very funny twitter thread.
Now, use this feminist vocabulary to start and engage in revolutionary discussions.