As with
the names of many political and social movements – the meaning of the word
feminism has been twisted, distorted and misinterpreted. A word built on a
movement of bringing hope and prosperity to women across the globe, has become
a one weighed down with baggage and shame.
Before
I begin this post, it is important for me to be clear on the true definition of
feminism when discussing it. Gender is such a complex issue alone that changing
the definition of a whole movement can cause misunderstanding, which can result
in misled anger or offence.
Feminism - the
advocacy of women's rights on the ground of the equality of the sexes.
When we
hear people criticising feminists – often women themselves – it is extremely
hard to believe that they really do disagree with the simple ideology of women
being equal to men. Some might. However, there must be something missing from
the debate. Such people often use words and phrases like ‘irrational’ and
‘angry’ when describing feminists. The first of these words must be wrong – it
is not irrational to strive to be seen as equal if you are in the same job as a
man, participating at the same level and with the same skillset, yet getting
paid less, just because you are female. It is not irrational to feel it is
wrong have to work harder, worry about what you wear and the way in which you
present yourself, just to be taken seriously – whether at an interview, a
social event or in the public eye – just because you are female. It certainly
is not irrational to want to change the fact that if you are touched, sexually
assaulted or raped, the blame could be put on you because alcohol was in your
system or you were wearing revealing clothing, just because you are female.
(Some people may remember the controversial ad
campaign put out by the NHS in 2005-2007 stating the
words ‘One in three reported rapes happen when the victim has been drinking’).
The second word regularly
used by people who argue against feminism – angry – is correct. At least when
put into context. I’m sure most feminists are generally happy in their
day-to-day lives but how could you not be angry that just because you are female,
you face oppression, judgement and shame throughout your life. These are issues that we should feel
angry about. Not just women but men as well. We must realise that a
vital aspect of the journey towards equal rights for women is how it directly
affects men. This is not a fight for dominance; it is not a movement for women
to be regarded at a higher status to men. Yes, we have fought to get to where
we are and we still fight every day, but we fight beside men as well.
Masculine
‘Masculine’ is a word that
sticks out when exploring these issues. What is masculine and what does it
actually stand for?
Masculine -
having qualities or appearance traditionally associated with men, especially
strength and aggressiveness: "he is outstandingly handsome and robust,
very masculine"
Synonyms: virile, macho, manly, muscular, muscly, strong, strapping, well built,rugged, robust, brawny, heavily built, powerful, red-blooded, vigorous…
When we consider the
history of the concept of masculinity, it can date back as far as 3000 BC,
where expectations for men for were fierce and gods and heroes defined the
strengths and characteristics of those expectations.
It is clear that
throughout history, as much as cultural guidelines, restrictions and
expectations have been laid out for women, men have had to face them as
well. Just as women have been taught to be seen but not heard, to be
domesticated and to aspire ultimately to become a mother and a wife, men have
been taught to shy away from ‘feminine’ emotion – never to show fear - to be
the pack leader, the hunter, the protector and the provider. To show violence
over kindness and to show anger over empathy.
The suicide rate for men is over three times
more than women.
Expressing emotions that
could be perceived as weak and therefore confiding in someone and seeking
professional help for depression has become a huge challenge for many men.
Suicide is the biggest
killer of men under the age of 45.
None of these issues are a reason to reject the
concept of feminism. They are in fact a direct reason to embrace it - the advocacy of women's
rights on the ground of the equality of the sexes – as soon as we have
equal footing for women and as soon as women’s strengths and attributes are put
on a level playing field to men’s strengths and attributes, society has to
become more accepting of the traditionally feminine qualities so often hidden
by men.
It
already exists
Gender
equality is a vast and complex subject and there is far more that I feel should
be covered in this post so I may have to revisit the issue at a later date,
however, there is a key element that I feel must be highlighted. This element
stems from a phrase often used when critiquing feminist views – “We live in
modern western communities, women have the right to vote, they can go out and
get the same jobs as men, they can make their own decisions, we are already
equal by law, therefore feminism in the UK is pointless – it already exists.”
The truth is that it does
not exist. There are many examples that can be used to demonstrate how gender
inequality is still prominent in our society; I could go down the route of body
image, social inclusion and how women are constantly defined through their
sexuality. How we teach women that they must be built on a framework shaped by
the desires of men, how they should be sexually attractive, yet at the same
time be ashamed of showing too much sexuality. How there is a one in four
chance of a woman facing issues of domestic violence in their lifetime. How
over two women a week are killed by their current or former partner. I am,
however, going to go down a different route and speak about how women are being
oppressed by the very leaders of this country.
Austerity
The UK
has been facing crippling austerity over the past six years. Our government
claims to be fair, however, it is a fact that austerity hits women the
hardest. Women make up around 65% of public service workers, meaning that
cuts to the public sector – resulting in pay freezes and job losses – have
affected women the most and will continue to primarily hit women the hardest as
hundreds of thousands of more jobs are set to be lost in the near future.
Benefit
cuts also hit women harder than men as benefits make up, on average, one fifth
of women’s income, whilst only making up one 10th of men’s. With plans for
billions of pounds worth of cuts still to be made, women will be feeling the
negative impacts of the governments ‘long term economic plan’ the most.
In fact, according to
UNISON, of the £14.9bn welfare savings already being implemented, around
three-quarters (73%) are coming straight from women’s pockets.
Unite
All of these factors
demonstrate why the movement of feminism is so vital to our society today. By
misinterpreting the message of feminism we are doing an injustice to not only
women, but to men as well. The word itself is not important, but the meaning
behind it is.
Whether man or women, feminist or humanist,
conservative or communist, we must speak together, for if we place ourselves
into separate pockets our messages become fragmented and we may all be burned
by the effects of inequality. If we stand united and speak our message
together, we can turn weakness into strength, minorities into majorities and
words into meaning.
