Recently, I watched a TedTalk in my Challenges of Democracy class about why gender equality is good for everyone - including men.

The speaker, Michael Kimmel, talked about how Feminism benefits more than just women. It’s a concept that if executed correctly, is beneficial to both women AND men. He talked about how we do not recognize privilege unless we don’t have privilege.

He recalled a time back in graduate school when he was in a study group, which consisted of 10 women and himself, and a conversation he witnessed between two women. One woman was white, and the other was black.

The white woman turned to the black woman and said, “Every woman is in this together. We struggle together, we fight the same battles, we suffer in the same ways.”

The black woman responded, “See, you say that because you have privilege. You don’t recognize the struggles because you don’t have the struggles. You cannot see your privilege, because you have the privilege.”

Kimmel continues on to talk about how it is so important for men to take a stand with women, and to fight with them for equality. He expresses that the more husbands share household duties with their wives, the happier the family is. The child is less likely to drop out of school, have depression - even have ADHD, and the men are more likely to be happy and feel accomplished.

This is so important to hear, because sexism and gender inequality is still so, so real. It is still an ongoing issue, and as women, we need men to get on board. We need men, those who hold such ‘privilege’ within society, to understand that if women are appreciated in the ways that they are deserved, or if they are given equal opportunities, that our society will only better because of it.

There should never be a question of if a woman is qualified enough, simply because she is a woman. Our gender has no influence on our abilities. Being a woman limits us in no way, nor does it condemn us to live a lesser life simply because we share different body parts.

Women are not stealing YOUR jobs. They are not your jobs to steal. You do not own them, you cannot lay claim to them, and you certainly are not entitled to them. Women get jobs because they are qualified for them, not because they are a thief - and the fact that a woman, who out qualified her male counterpart in every way, was beat in the role of Presidency, says a lot about how our society still is today.

I encourage everyone to watch the TedTalk mentioned above (see link below), and to truly listen to the message it is sending.

So the choice is yours. Are you willing to put aside your pride, your privilege, and join the fight?

https://www.ted.com/talks/michael_kimmel_why_gender_equality_is_good_for_everyone_men_included