Many people today think that feminism is just women screaming, “Girl Power!”
They do not understand the meaning of feminism or the reason that women and men continue to fight for it.
Feminism is the advocacy of women’s rights on the grounds of political, social and economic equality to men. Feminism is not only about equality but it also focuses on the beliefs, ideas, movements and agendas for action to be taken. Feminism focuses on both sides of the spectrum. It evaluates what the culture is like for women just because they are women and what culture is like for men just because they are men. This aspect is referred to as descriptive feminism as it describes the lives of both sexes. Feminism also focuses on the goals, ideas and visions that women have and what they must go through in order to reach those goals. Most importantly, feminism refers to a movement, a movement of change that is run by individuals and groups that have the same ideas of making a difference in the lives of women and the world. Feminism focuses on changing the way the world thinks of women and values the importance of women instead of standing back and accepting it because that is just “the way the world is and must be.” Women are much more capable of being just mothers and housewives. The role of the woman has changed dramatically over the decades, but it is still evident that women are not as highly valued as men are.
Feminism focuses on different ideas and movements for women. It evaluates what is considered unfair and what is considered discrimination. It also researches the disadvantages that women still face today. There is a focus on whether the discrimination is more towards women of different races, classes and age groups. Today, there is an obvious need for this sort of group and work to be done as we are even still fighting for equal pay and equal treatment in the workplace.
A feminist is a person who supports feminism and the movement. This could be a woman or a man. It is becoming more widely accepted to be open about the fight. This is not a movement that is easy to be a part of. In the real world, this is a tough calling and it takes strong individuals and believers to make a difference. Celebrities like Madonna, Anne Hathaway and Beyoncé, are proudly fighting the stance for feminism. They are not alone as Ashton Kutcher, Justin Timberlake and John Legend are a couple of men that are proud supporters of women’s rights and equality.
In this judgmental world we live in today, most people do not see the need to stand up for such a movement as this and if they do, then they do not say anything about it. But if you believe that women should be treated equal to men in all cases, then you too are a feminist and believe in the feminism movement.
