There is a movement out there that has been condensed down to a single word. It receives many different reactions depending on who you ask. Some may even call it controversial. It’s the dreaded F word: feminism.
Okay, I am sorry for the dramatic intro, but I am an opinions writer—it’s what I do. Anyway, feminism seems to be a touchy subject for some people, but why is this the case?
Before I touch on this, modern feminism, and the different misconceptions that surround this movement, I want to first begin by giving a quick summary of feminism’s history and where it came from.
It is said feminism didn’t really “begin” until the first Women’s Conference that was held in 1848, after a notice went out stating, “A Convention to discuss the social, civic and religious condition and rights of Woman will be held in the Wesleyan Chapel at Seneca Falls, New York, on Wednesday and Thursday, the 19th and 20th of July” (Edsitement 2014). There was an estimated 300 turnout from both men and women, which ended in the signing of a document, calling for women’s suffrage and overall equal civil treatment (Edsitement 2014). This document sprung the feminist movement into action around the United States. From then, the movement evolved over time from the women’s suffrage movement to the 19th Amendment that granted women the right to vote.
Later in time, what is considered as the “second wave of feminism” rolled in and expanded the movement to aim towards equality in the workplace and towards depleting the expectations and standards of women and their duties, especially when it came to the household—which was seen as the woman’s first duty.
This is very similar to the modern feminism we have today in the way that there are still inequalities between genders when it comes to the workplace and in society. However, there have been contortions in what feminism really is. There has been the wrongful portrayal of feminism as “men haters and bashers.” We have seen this type of aggression be depicted in the news or online ploys; however, that is not true feminism. Feminism aims for the equality of both genders in many different aspects. It is not the desire to bring men down, but to bring women up to the same platform and level. I get extremely uncomfortable when I see this type of man-hating and protest; it is tainting a movement that I truly stand for and believe in. And it disheartens me when people, both men AND women begin to hate feminism due to this hateful and false depiction of feminism.
I wish for everyone, whatever your opinion may be, to educate themselves on what true feminism is. I hope through awareness and proper education, this sentiment will stay alive and diminish the misconceptions that have been created about this movement.