Yes, I’m a woman
Yes, I identify
As a feminist
Yes, I feel sick inside
That none of our 44 presidents
Identify with the female gender type
Yes, I believe in equality
And yes, actually,
It’s my number one priority
Yes, I want equal wages
For all races and all sexes
Yes, I want everybody
To be treated the same
Yes, I want to empower women
But we’re still living this way
And who’s to blame?
Why don’t we focus
On everyone
All genders
All sexes
Why don’t we look at
Everyone’s problems
And try to address
Everything?
Why do guys have to be
the breadwinners, I mean
I’m gonna be a doctor someday
So why can’t I make the money?
Couldn’t that be okay?
I mean, come on,
It’s not just a “female” issue
All you men out there:
It’s your problem, too
Why should I do the dishes
And why should I
Spend all my time in the kitchen
I mean honestly,
Can we erase the stigma
That male housework
Isn’t such a bad idea?
We know it happens
We know it’s real
When will we just stop
And realize that feminism
Isn’t just a female cause?
Why don’t we
Bring everyone to
The table
And realize that right now
Equality isn’t real.
Why are women more
Likely to be raped
But the better question is
Why the hell
Does rape even
Exist at all
Why are those girls
Over there
Criticized for wearing
Tight fabric
But those boys
Can walk shirtless
Down the school hall
In the end it’s not
About our bodies
After all
Shouldn’t matter
If you’re a guy or a girl
Why can’t this world
Be a safe place for all?
Yes, I’m a woman
Yes, I’m a feminist
Yes, I identify
With the female
Gender type
But, I mean,
Isn’t it time
that we look at
both sides?
Isn’t it time
that we look at
both
sides?
Inspiration:
The idea to write this poem came to me through several recent happenings, the first of which being a few conversations I’ve had in regards to the definition of feminism. I’ve heard over and over again, “I believe in equalism, not feminism.” But, the truth is that defined in a sociological context, feminism is “the social, economic, and political equality of the sexes.” It seems as if some anti-feminist women-haters (insert smirk emoji here) have successfully played a backstabbing move to define feminists as man-hating, androphobic, feminazis. But, at its scientific core, feminism is no man-hating movement.
With that said, a few weeks back, my Introduction to Sociology class completed a section on gender equality, and the amplitude of these gender equality issues that still exist today really struck me. We looked at several case studies on the societal “shame” of being a temp male clerical worker, the reluctance of heterosexual males to give up their title as head of the family to their wives making higher incomes, and the fact that an alarming majority of men just can’t seem to do housework. In this instance, most people would criticize men, but I chose to take it a different way. Why can’t we, as in females AND males, decide once and for all that it’s fine if your wife makes more money than you, and it’s fine if you clean the toilet instead of her?
Throughout all of this, I realized that I believe there are things we can do to boost gender equality by changing the societal stigmas that accompany what being a “man” is.
I’ve always been a strong-minded woman, and my family raised me to stand by what I believe in. So, I don’t like the idea that somewhere out there, someone is absolutely going to hate this with all they’ve got, but maybe, just maybe, that’s what needs to happen.
