(Note #1: In this post, when I say “man/men,” I am referring to cisgendered men as trans*/genderqueer/non-binary gender men are generally excluded from the privileges that their cis counterparts enjoy)
(Note #2: I am relatively new to the theory and issues surrounding modern feminism. Chances are, you’re more well-versed in this subject than I am. Please feel free to comment to correct me on anything that I mention, call me out on my unchecked privilege, etc.)
A couple weeks ago in my Couple and Family Relationships class, the professor was going over the various theories about how families interact with society. One of these theories was a feminist theory that states that societal policies and norms reinforce patriarchal views about the family. For example, paid maternity leave is usually a year long, but paid paternity leave (IF this an even an option for the father) is usually much less than that. This usually forces the mother to stay at home to take care of the newborn, even if the father had wanted to be the one to stay at home.
As the professor was explaining this theory, one girl put up her hand and said feminists were just whining and not doing anything about the issues that they’re complaining about. Needless to say, this pissed me off and got me ranting in my head about all the rights that women now have thanks to feminism, AND the inequality that still exists between men and women. Since then, I’ve noticed more and more people that have (and express) completely inaccurate views about feminism and about women’s rights in general. Views such as:
“Feminists hate men”
“Feminists want special rights”/”Feminism is sexist”
“Feminism was relevant 100 years ago, but not anymore”/”Men and women are equal now, so we don’t need feminism”
Please excuse me while I bang my head against this desk for 10 minutes.
OK, I’ve done my head-desking. Now let’s get into this.
That’s start with the most infuriating assumption about feminism: the whole “they just hate men” thing. I don’t hate men. At all. In fact, there are many men that I love and care about deeply. People like my grandfather, my soon-to-be stepfather, my friend Dan (who has been one of my best friends since we were 13), and my many other male friends.
However, I do believe that men enjoy many privileges that women do not have. This website has a good overview of those privileges. No, I don’t believe that any specific man is too blame for women not having these privileges. However, the societal constructs that have created these privileges need to be acknowledged and changed for women to be truly equal to men.
And, needless to say, there are many men who identify as feminists. Many more men are feminists but don’t identify themselves as one. If a man believes that women deserve all of the same rights, freedoms, and privileges that he enjoys, he is a feminist.
Now, on to “feminists want special rights.” No, I don’t want special rights. I want equal pay for equal work of equal value. I want my reproductive rights to be respected. I want my sexual freedom to be respected. I want rape culture to end. I want the same above mentioned privileges that men enjoy. None of these are “special rights.” They’re equal rights.
Finally, the whole “feminism isn’t relevant anymore” argument. This is one that I hear a lot. Yes, women’s rights have come a long way in the last century. Thanks to first and second-wave feminism, I enjoy the right to vote (and yes, I do exercise this right), the right to an education, the right to run to run for public office, the right to choose to have a family, a career, or both, and I am not seen as the property of any man. I am extremely grateful for the women that fought for these rights.
However, although women have made great strides toward equality with men, we are not still not there. We’re not even close. Here are just a few examples of inequalities that still remain:
Women in the workplace. In Canada (a country that I would argue is fairly liberal compared to the rest of the world when it comes to women’s issues), women are still being paid less than men for equal work of equal value. In 2008, Canadian men who worked year-round and full-time were paid an average of $62,600. That same year, Canadian women who worked year-round and full time were paid an average of $44,700 (Source). That translates to women making $0.71 for every dollar that a man made in 2008. This wage discrepancy remains even when you control for career. In every type of occupation, from medicine to retail, women are earning less than men.
Also problematic is the fact that girls are still being socialized by society to pick female-dominated careers such as teaching, social work, hairstyling, etc. (which are generally lower-paying) and being discouraged from male-dominated careers such as medicine, engineering, and business (which are generally higher-paying). I’m not saying that girls shouldn’t choose a female-dominated career (that would be pretty hypocritical of me, considering that I want to be a social worker). What I am saying is that society is still socializing girls into these roles.
AND if girls do choose a career in a male-dominated field (or even a gender-natural field), it is very likely that their boss and higher-ranking officials in their workplace will be male. It is also likely that they will be passed over for a promotion in favour of a man. In Canada, only 13% of directors of the top 500 companies are women. That’s telling of the inequality that still exists.
Rape culture. We live in society where rape is still permissible. Women who are raped are often blamed for “asking for it” if they were dressed a certain way, acted in a certain manner, or were under the influence when the rape happened. Sometimes this victim-blaming comes from the very people who are supposed to be punishing rapists. Instead of teaching men* how to not be rapists, our culture instead focuses on teaching women on how to not be raped. It implies that women who don’t follow these rules to the letter “deserved it” if they do happen to be raped. This blog post is a very good overview of rape culture.
(* Yes, I know that women can rape men as well. However, men-against-women rape is FAR more pervasive in our society.)
Slut-shaming. Chances are, you’ve either called a woman a “slut” or (if you’re a woman) have been called one yourself. Maybe you fall under both categories. Have you ever noticed that there no male equivalent of “slut” that carries the same weight as “slut” does when it’s used against a woman?
This word reinforces that sexist attitudes that society has about female sexuality. If you are a heterosexual male, you are free to have sex with as many women as you want without having to worry about society judging you harshly for that choice. If anything, you’ll probably be seen as more masculine because of it.
For women, however, something called the “virgin-whore dichotomy” exists. This means that if a woman decides against being sexually active for whatever reason, she will typically be seen as weird, be called “prude,” etc. because of this choice. However, if she decides to sex outside of marriage or a committed, monogamous relationship, she will typically be called a “slut”. Regardless of her sexual choices, she will be shamed.
Again, this is just a small sample of the many inequalities between men and women today.
I am aware of the many legitimate criticisms against feminism. I’m aware of its history of racism, heterosexism, and cissexism (and sometimes outright transphobia). Some of these problems continue to pervade the feminist movement, although it encourages me to see some feminists working to address these issues.
Although feminism is by no means perfect, but it still remains relevant and needed in today’s society. This is why I call myself a feminist.
Relevant stuff you should check out:
Feminist Frequency (Awesome videos about sexism in popular culture. I want to be Anita when I grow up)
The Male Privilege Checklist (I linked to this in the post, but deserves mentioning again)
Rape Culture 101 (Again, I’ve already linked to it, but it deserves to be here)
On Tuesday, I became the owner of an iPhone 4S. I know that in December, I said that I would probably go for a cheaper smartphone, but the multitude of apps available for the iPhone convinced me to go with it. I’ve already fallen in love with Instagram, as seen by the number of pictures that I’ve tweeted already (mostly of my cat).
follow me on either Twitter or Tumblr. This is the first time I’ve seen my cat Cookie since Christmas, and I’m going a little nuts with my iPhone. These two things combined means taking ALL THE CAT PICTURES.
