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The word feminism didn’t exist for a longest time but the struggle for equal rights has existed forever. The first wave of feminism started in the late nineteenth to early twentieth century which was later followed by three other waves.
It doesn’t matter how much it is important as it continues to be a much-criticized concept and because of this not only men but women also hesitate in accepting feminism. The concept surrounds itself with many myths which have only built up over the years. To understand its importance we need to first look at what it is and how it affects our society.
Mary Wollstonecraft wrote a popular book "A vindication of women's rights" in which she talked about several rights of women like the right to education, speech etc. Many philosophers believe that from there it all started.
Whereas the word was first introduced by the French philosopher Charles Fourier as 'fèminisme' in 1837.
Feminism is mostly misunderstood, misused or degraded many times. Feminism does not mean to empower one gender over the other it just simply means equality.
Equality of sexes politically, socially, economically and personally. Feminism demands reconstructing many social stereotypes regarding gender supremacy and inferiority status. Male dominance and female oppression should be completely stopped according to feminism. In a country like India, patriarchy still exists and as in many regions women are considered inferior to men.
Feminism works against it and tries to dismantle it completely. One must understand that it is not a gender-specific and feminist work in support of equality and not misandry. Both men and women can be a feminist proudly as it supports equal opportunity and rights without pulling any other gender down.
Myths the about Feminism
There are many kinds of myths about feminism for the year:
Feminists are only women- Feminists can be anyone lesbian, gay, transgender, or queer irrespective of their gender identity. Feminism fights for the equality of everyone. Emma Watson in her speech (2014) “gender equality speech” that feminism isn’t just about women but men also. It supports many ideas like men should express their emotions and vulnerability. Lesbians and gay should be supported and treated equally in society.
Feminism is to make women a dominant gender- For feminism, the ideal world is of equality where everyone should have equal rights and opportunities. Where women shouldn’t be behind four walls cooking, struggling and suffering violence rather they should live happily, get educated and have equal paychecks like men.
Women can’t be a feminist and feminine at the same time- It is not important that feminists would dress up in shirts pants etc. Many feminists love to dress in traditional clothes and wear makeup or heels. They dress up the way they love to and it’s nothing to do with their feminist thinking.
Feminists misuse privileges and reservations given to them- Feminists don’t have easy jobs. Many times in supporting women's rights they face a lot of backlash from their gender too and not just this women in general face a lot of discrimination at their workplace, education and lack of safety have been a forever issue. How can a person misuse things when they are getting the bare minimum?
Importance and Impact of Feminism
Feminism is not just for women but the truth is that mostly it is the women who face oppression therefore, many feminists we see are women. Feminism allows people to live their life freely without gender stereotypes or labels. It helps women to become independent, speak and stand for themselves, earn and question many stereotypes like why men always earn whereas women cook for family.
Feminism has existed for a long time in our society and we should all be thankful to all the feminists who have shed not just their sweat but blood also for this freedom and life we are living today. From the protests for voting to equal rights for education, 19th and 20th-century feminists did struggle a lot and it is because of them today I can write this article and you can read it.
We can choose our education, and careers in modern times today because someone fought for our rights in past. . There still exist many people who like to be independent and enjoy all the benefits of feminism but still are scared to be identified as one because of the social stigma attached to it (To know more about it and feminism in general watch unlimited girls- a wonderful documentary by Paromita Vohra). Not just women because of the rise of feminism LGBTQIA+ communities have also gained recognition in the society.
Feminism should always be looked at positively and not in a negative way. Feminism has ended the suffrage of women by providing them many rights like abortion, to initiate divorce, better education, equal paychecks, the right to own property, to make individual decisions about marriage, pregnancy, careers etc. We have gained a lot from feminism but the fight is still on for our rights.
Do many people think that is feminism still relevant? Haven’t we achieved everything? The answer is a big no. The fight will go on until people stop having the image of “ideal women” as young, fair, and thin until they stop judging women by their clothes. There are many career fields like science, and technology where the ratio of women is very less than males as they are just pushed away or discouraged to enter there.
The reasons can go on and on about why we need feminism in modern times too. Lastly, I would end my article by saying if we can’t associate with something we should at least not disrespect it.
Written by- Kirti Garg
Edited By- Rumela Gupta
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