Feminism: Fighting for Equality, Not Superiority

Throughout the Western culture, there has been uproar of the growing “Meninist” trend. This trend is followed with the tendency to blatantly disrespect women, especially women fighting for their rights. A woman fighting for, standing up for, or even just making the most out of her rights could be classified as a feminist.

However, the term has obtained a negative connotation. There are many negative stereotypes that go along with being considered a feminist. This stereotypes may include not shaving and being hostile.Many tend to believe that being a feminist means being a man-hater. It is not uncommon to think of a feminist as someone who is only looking to gain superiority, instead of equality.

However, having these views towards a feminist are ignorant and incorrect. Being a feminist is not a negative quality to possess. It does not mean one gender is given more power than the other. Also, women are not the only ones fighting for their rights. There are men who have realized the things that women face and have taken their time to act out on it. Simply put, being a feminist means being a humanist, or an equalist.

There are many problems women are faced with, causing them to speak out. There are everyday issues like catcalling, but there are larger problems affecting women across the US. One problem women are facing is they receive lower wages than their male counterparts. It’s common to think that it is due to education and experience level. However, in a study done by Francine D. Blau and Lawrence M. Kahn of Cornell University it has been proven that even with balanced variables, the pay remained uneven. For example, a professional woman’s soccer player will make on average 40% less than her male counterpart. Eventhoug female soccer players play more games per season and bring in more money.

Another problem that women in America face is domestic abuse. According to the Huffington Post, one in three women of America will experience domestic abuse in their lifetime. And this abuse is most likely to be done by their significant other.

Many say that women in America are lucky, comparing them to women of other countries who are less fortunate with their rights. Yet, there are many positive things that feminists of America have done to help, not only the women in America, but also the around the world.

There are orginaztions started by the feminists here working to better the lives of the women who face larger scale problems in less fortunate countries. They have taken the privilege they have in order to spread awareness and take action for the women who do not have the opportunity to do the same.

In short, feminism does not deserve the negative backlash that it tends to receive. Standing up for one’s rights and personal beliefs are important. Feminism is not a bad thing, nor should it be frowned upon. There needs to be a realization that these women and men who call themselves feminist are working for the greater good of humans, not just looking to gain power.