The Meaning of Feminism

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.