Before I write anything, I want to start by referencing the official, Merriam-Webster definition of Feminism for those that don't know.
Feminism (noun, fem·i·nism, \ˈfe-mə-ˌni-zəm\): the belief that men and women should have equal rights and opportunities.
There are many misconceptions about what Feminism actually is. Instead of focusing on debunking each of those misconceptions, right now I want to talk about why Feminism is important to me.
1. For my Future Daughter(s)
I was taught, at a young age, the importance of being independent and to never rely on anyone (specifically a man) for anything. I was taught this by my mother, who was also taught this at a young age. However, not from her mother, it was actually her father. Her father told her to always remember to work hard, earn a college degree, and secure a good job so she would never have to rely on a man for anything. Who knows what inspired him to teach her this, but I am thankful for it. Maybe this groomed me to become the strong woman that I am today, who knows. All I know now is that I will definitely be teaching this same philosophy to my future daughter(s). Now before you get offended, this doesn't mean that men can't be trusted or that they shouldn't have to provide for their family. This just means that I hope to teach my daughters the importance of hard work and success, and not to only aspire to marry a man who can "take care of her". My grandparents were taught the old fashioned way, to graduate high school and then get married and have babies. I want my daughters to have dreams and goals and to achieve them all while also pursuing love and family. As I was listening to Beyonce's song "Flawless", I heard this monologue (below) which really touched me. It shows how boys and girls are raised so differently, something that I hope to change when I raise my own kids.
"We teach girls to shrink themselves
To make themselves smaller
We say to girls,
"You can have ambition
But not too much
You should aim to be successful
But not too successful
Otherwise you will threaten the man."
Because I am female
I am expected to aspire to marriage
I am expected to make my life choices
Always keeping in mind that
Marriage is the most important
Now marriage can be a source of
Joy and love and mutual support
But why do we teach girls to aspire to marriage
And we don't teach boys the same?
We raise girls to see each other as competitors
Not for jobs or for accomplishments
Which I think can be a good thing
But for the attention of men
We teach girls that they cannot be sexual beings
In the way that boys are
Feminist: the person who believes in the social
Political, and economic equality of the sexes"
-Voice of Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie in the song "Flawless" by Beyonce Knowles
2. The Wage Gap
Some believe that this gap is not a result of discrimination at all. Since employees are sometimes able to negotiate salary and benefits, it could be said that women are just "bad negotiators"? This could be true, but either way, this "bad negotiating" excuse could be the thing blanketing the discrimination.
Women in show business are all too familiar with the wage gap conversation, as men are often paid significantly more than women for lead roles in both shows and movies. Many award winning actresses have included the topic in their acceptance speeches. Without Feminism, who would be standing up for the women being intentionally or unintentionally discriminated against? The answer is none or not enough. That is why I believe in the power of feminism.
3. The Glass Ceiling
The glass ceiling is described as "the seen, yet unreachable barrier that keeps minorities and women from rising to the upper rungs of the corporate ladder, regardless of their qualifications or achievements". The glass ceiling metaphor represents certain positions that can be seen but not achieved by women and minorities. Women often have to work twice as hard to "prove themselves" worthy of a higher position, the same position that might be handed to a man. This does not mean that men are lazy and still get promoted, this just means that women have to go through more hurdles than their male counterparts to climb up the corporate ladder. This is a topic often talked about in political settings. Hillary Clinton recently made headlines for breaking the glass ceiling by becoming the first female presidential candidate. She may end up breaking yet another glass ceiling by becoming the first female President of the United States. Some may not be happy to hear this, but it is quite a milestone in feminist history.
4. For Female Empowerment
The world we live in today has always had an odd relationship with females. Since the beginning of time, women have had to go up against body image standards, over-sexualization, physical and verbal abuse and severe objectification. Even today we seem to be put in a tiny box and have to be careful to stay in it. You shouldn't be too fat, but you shouldn't be too skinny. You should dress up and look pretty, but not seek too much attention. Men want to have sex with women, but don't want a woman that has had sex with too many men. It is all very confusing. There are several labels that us women get slapped with. You're either a bitch or you're a pushover. You're either fat or your skinny. You're a slut or you're a prude. I can't wait for the time when woman are looked at as people instead of objects. In 2016, we STILL are fighting body image issues in the media, over-sexualization, slut-shaming, domestic/verbal/emotional abuse, sex slavery, prostitution and the debate that won't die, "Did she ask for it or didn't she?" regarding rape allegations. As a woman, this is all very scary to think about. At any time, we/I could be subjected to any one of these issues. We cannot stop talking about these problems until they no longer exist. For our future daughters, nieces, granddaughters and all other females out there, we need to keep fighting.
5. The Anti-Feminists or Misogynists
I know a lot of men reading this will think I am just hating on all men in general. I assure you I am not, or at least that is not my intention. To all you male-feminists or anyone else who believes that men and woman should have equal rights and opportunities, you are amazing. We need more people out there like you. What I want to convey in this article is that we all may have "equal rights", but there are still people out there that wish we didn't. A misogynist is defined as a person who dislikes, despises, or is strongly prejudiced against women. A lot of the time, people don't think they are being misogynistic when they really are. Some people disguise misogyny under "old school" or "religious" values. Of course, everyone is entitled to their own opinion, but some of these opinions are out right discriminatory no matter what your values are. A real popular view is that women should stay home with the kids and not work. Now, I think this is fine if that's what the family has decided together. But when the "man of the house" tells the woman that she has to stay home, I think that is wrong. Another example, a church I used to go to had a rule that women weren't allowed to be pastors. I still have no clue what their reasoning was, if there was any at all. Once I found this out, I left the church and so did the rest of my family. How am I going to go to a church that won't let a woman teach the gospel? I could come up with many other examples of misogyny that I have come across, but that would take too long and would just piss me off even more. Maybe anti-feminists and misogynists are just misinformed or misguided? At least, I hope so because that can be fixed. If not, we have a lot more work to do.
6. Because I am a Woman
The most important and most basic reason as to why I call myself a feminist is because I too am a woman. I am a part of it all. I never have understood why some women say they are against feminism. Those women must have a skewed perception of the word. As I said earlier, feminism is defined as the belief that men and women deserves equal rights and opportunities. I don't know why any woman would be against having equal rights. If we don't stand up and fight for equal rights and opportunities, how will we ever get them?
It is important to note that within female discrimination, there is an even deeper layer of discrimination among females that are apart of various minorities and sexual orientations. Feminism is important not only for the white woman being paid less than her male coworker, it is important for the black woman who gets passed over for a job all together, or the transgender woman who doesn't even get an interview in the first place. There are many layers to feminism that need to be spoken for. This is why I am a feminist and I will always fight for equality between genders. If we don't stick up for ourselves, can we guarantee that anyone else will?
