The definition of feminism has gotten lost somewhere in the midst of all of the chaos that is the world today. The true and most encompassing definition of feminism is “the social, political and economic equality of the sexes.” When brought up, the topic of feminism is usually waved off.
Most often though, this happens because no one truly understands it. It is thought by most of the older generation as well as some of our generation to be a giant club where women hate men and want to become the dominant species.
This could not be farther from the truth. Tried and true feminists are advocates for any and all persons who are struggling to be seen as equals among whichever powers they are being forced to work alongside.
Another misconception of feminism is that those of us who define ourselves as feminists believe that women should replace men in their roles of power. The problem is, no one ever said this. No one ever even alluded to this. It came about from what we call “selected hearing”. People shy away from concepts that they don’t fully understand or ones that they feel particularly threatened by. Instead of replacing the men that make up the workforce, we simply strive for the same opportunities as them.
We want to have the chance to interview for the same jobs. Not only that but if given the opportunity to work in a position that is much more male-dominated, we want equal pay that our male counterparts would have and do receive.
There is no reason for two people to be receiving two completely different salaries for doing the exact same amount of work. A person’s starting salary should be the same regardless of anything other than their job title. Based on the results that they produce during their time in this position, raises and bonuses should reflect that accordingly.
The same goal applies to men that are attempting to work their way through a female-dominated workplace. For example, simply because someone has different anatomical structure from someone else, it does not in any way communicate their ability to do their job. It depends on the character of the person and whether they are hardworking and dedicated to their trade.
Feminism is not scary. It is not man-hating. It is equal opportunity. It is equal pay. It is simply equality. The entire force being feminism is begging the world to just stop a minute and work on better understanding the messages that we are trying to communicate. When we as a population show a simple willingness to listen and comprehend things, we could allow ourselves to learn so many vital aspects of our society.