F E M I N I S M

                                                                

                                                                  F E M I N I S M

The word ‘feminism’ can be a scary and confusing word to some. Many people believe that feminism means hating men or wanting women to rule over everything– this could not be further from the truth! Feminism simply means believing that men and women are equal, neither is better than the other and neither should be treated with more respect than the other – everyone should be equal on all levels, simple as that.

 Feminism allows equal opportunities for both sexes. Gender roles (a set of conforming rules that say how a person should behave based on their gender) can be harmful to both men and women. The popular belief is that women and girls are meant to take care of the home while boys and men are meant to go out and provide for the family. Can you imagine not being allowed to go to school just because you’re a girl? Or being forced to stay at home and look after the house just because you’re a woman? This is the reality that many girls around the world face, even in South Africa. They are restricted simply based on their gender. It is also unfair to place pressure on boys to fulfil certain roles that are based on their gender. Feminism is about allowing both boys and girls the freedom to do what they want and making sure that people are not held back by gender roles and expectations whether it be at home, at school, in the workplace or in parliament.

  Being a feminist doesn’t mean you have to change who you are. You can still enjoy your femininity while being a feminist. Feminism has nothing to do with how you dress or how much make-up you wear. It has everything to do with striving for the same rights men have. Feminism also has nothing to do with your gender/sex. You can be a man and be a feminist too. Feminism shouldn’t degrade or ignore men. It’s not feminism if one gender is not noticed. As long as you believe that both men and women should be given equal opportunities, then you believe in feminism.

 We can’t call ourselves feminists yet deny boys the right to show their emotions. Whatever we teach young girls, we should teach young boys the same things. Girls and boys should be given the same responsibilities and learn to meet equal challenges so that they both know that they are capable of achieving anything they want. We need to stop saying there are ‘male’ and ‘female’ jobs. We’ve seen how capable men can take care of children (mannies – men who are nannies), just as much as we’ve realised how awesome women can be as CEOs of a company. Whatever opportunities there are available for men, there should be equal opportunities for women.