Being a feminist activist in the twenty first century isn’t
exactly celebrated. This so called fourth wave feminism is not socially
acceptable; identifying as a feminist is usually frowned upon. Feminists are
seen as man-haters and menopausal freaks. But, the work of feminism is still
not done, even in American society, with women making 81 cents for every dollar a man makes, for
doing the same work. Or, the fact that according to the New York Times, on an average day, about 19% more women than men report doing household
chores (this is because of the expected gender roles). Even looking at the
recent attacks by the government on reproductive health care can show the
sexism that is written into the fabric of our society.
The above information doesn’t even account for
women who don’t live in America. 140 million women worldwide who have
experienced female genital mutilation. There are Even more don’t have access to
education, or aren’t allowed to be in school after they menstruate. You also have to remember those who aren’t even
allowed to leave their homes without their husband’s permission. With this kind
of oppression, it is laughable to say there is no need for feminism.
Feminism is what we need to embrace to fix these
societal inequalities. We must get rid of the taboo around the label feminist
and instead learn to embrace it. Just because you are a feminist doesn’t mean
that you want to dominate men! Quite the opposite! A feminist believe that men and women deserve
equal rights; nothing more, nothing less. Feminism has opened so many doors for
women already, from getting us the vote to the decriminalization of
contraception to a more active presence in sports. It is because of this that
we must carry on the legacy, and keep fighting for the changes that society
needs to make.
Activism is at the core of feminism. Feminists
have used activism as a tool to express their ideas and create social change
since the beginning of feminism! Just think of the hunger strikes that the suffragists
waged from prison cells or the women of the sixties hosting riots in support of
birth control. Activism is key to any
movement and feminism is no exception.
Learning to embrace equality is essential to
ending oppression. Male privilege is real and its time that our society acknowledges
and accepts that fact. Feminism is not the enemy. Women worldwide need us to
use our voices to speak up against injustice. So come then, pick up your sign
and join the movement; the fourth wave feminism movement.
Sources:
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