Feminism is defined as “the belief in the social, political, and economic equality of the sexes”; feministic activism is the struggle for that equality (Reisenwitz). The definition encompasses something that should be common sense: equality for everyone. In a national survey conducted by the Washington Post and Kaiser Family Foundation it was discovered that fifty percent of men and thirty percent of women do not identify themselves as feminists, some even believed that we just did not need it. The numbers may not seem like large ones, but compared to the twenty-three percent of men and forty-three percent of women that consider themselves feminists, the opposing numbers are not far off (Cai). Feminism is more than a woman who is incredibly angry at men and hates them, it is fighting for something that both the sexes deserve: equal rights. It has given women the right to vote, the chance to obtain a higher education, and feminism is the only reason for that progression to occur. Resisting change does not mean that others will stop bringing it. We need feminism because it’s improved the lives of the women in westernized countries, and is opening people’s eyes to the privilege that western women have compared to non-westernized women. It takes the edge off the stereotypes that society has mandated true for as long as humans have been around. However, Feminism is still looked at in a negative light because of the common misconceptions that are associated with it. 

Throughout history feminism has helped women. It has allowed them to obtain the right to vote with women’s suffrage, pushing legislation that opened universities to female students, and the civil rights movement among others. The reason that women can vote and get an education is because of feminism, the people that refuse to believe this clearly are historically ignorant. Feminism has improved the lives of women of America. In 1923, the Equal Rights Amendment (ERA) was proposed as a constitutional amendment for women to have equal rights in the U.S. but the ERA failed to let it through, but the fight for it to be passed prevailed. The shift that it caused, provoked a change in the thinking of the roles women play in society. Moreover, feminism has called out the rape culture that is occurring, something that is quickly increasing across the country, “…it was feminism that helped begin to remove some of the stigma surrounding sexual assault, giving survivors the language to label their sexual trauma” (Maxwell). Throughout time, everyone has pointed fingers at the victims and claimed that women were “asking for it”. When going to the government for help, a Canadian judge  approached a rape victim by asking her, “Why couldn’t you just keep your knees together?” (Slate). Then people wonder why sexual assault victims do not try to get help, it is because they will continue to get blamed for it. Instead of teaching women to cover up, why not teach to not rape? 

Unequal treatment goes back to the women even on the highest podiums. Before Ruth Bader Ginsburg was a Supreme Court justice, she was arguing gender discrimination cases in front of the court that she would later have a prevalent role in. Feminism has allowed Ginsburg to fight for equality. She has made it to the highest court in all the land to fight for women and the inequality they face. Equality is in the little things, ”The number of women in public office has only grown over the years, and the Senate currently boasts 20 women, the highest total in American history,” (Maxwell). The public office has only grown throughout the years but there are eighty-three men in total in Senate, there is no denying that progression has been made but the difference between twenty and eighty-three is a big one (Maxwell). Another law that feminism helped pass is Title IX, “commonly associated with compelling colleges and universities to support women's athletics, one of the biggest and most immediate impacts of the law affected women enrolling in law and medical schools.” It ensures them equal access to higher education, hence why women make up “fifty-eight percent of college undergraduates”, which is an improvement from numbers in the past (Maxwell). The internet has given feminism a platform to shine light on key issues and to bring more awareness. There are many blogs dedicated to discussing feminism and the struggles that women are facing, because of the internet, women from all over the world are able to come together. 

This coming together, though, does not venture out too far from the computer screen. The backlash that women face in first-world countries is not by any means being undermined but the backlash that women face in third-world countries is far worse, especially in middle-eastern countries. The women in the United States are allowed to speak out about our rights, women in some middle-eastern countries get hit by police for not having their burka on. There are women in those countries fighting for their rights, but it is not all that safe for them to do so. We need feminism because the women of first-world countries must recognize the privilege they have and support the women that do not even have basic human rights. Feminism has accomplished a lot in terms of a transnational level, but the concern now is, whether most Western feminists see feminism as a global issue. Western feminists have no idea what non-Western feminists endure in their countries, so the privileged group’s job is to educate themselves on what exactly the others are facing and not assume that it is already known. Western cultural norms are not feminist for everyone, the countries that the non-Western feminists are from are not as modern as Western countries are – for example women in Saudi Arabia are not supposed to drive themselves to work or anywhere else (Bustle). The biggest complication that emerges when it comes to Western-feminists trying to understand what non-Western feminists endure is not being able to understand why their “norms” are even existent. For example, when the women choose to wear niqabs, hijabs, or burkas in the heat – that is something that is out of the norm for Western-feminists, so it is difficult to understand why it even happens. One important fact that Western-feminists need to understand is that some of those women wearing the niqabs, hijabs, or burkas have chosen to do so, not all of them feel forced to abide by their norms. Hence why, pushing Western norms/culture onto them is not going to show any support (Bustle). It is time that everyone realizes that being a woman in the Western world comes with privilege: being able to get an education, having the freedom to speak out, etc. Western women certainly do not have it easy but it is important to realize that not all women get the same rights everywhere else.

The human mind tends to bunch things up in schemas and it boils down further into stereotypes, which is far too common in our society. Everything and everyone comes with a stereotype, sometimes it is not so bad and it helps but other times, it generalizes people into groups that they are not a part of. We need feminism because it takes the edge off the stereotypes that society places on all sexes. Women are meant to be housewives, cook and clean. A man comes home from a long day of work and boasts about how hard his day was but fails to recognize that keeping the house together is just as difficult, only because it is not a real job. This is not always the man’s fault; the patriarchy has woven these gender roles. Patriarchy, “describes the way ideas around gender, specifically performance and expectations, inhibit economic, educational, and personal growth,” (Reisenwitz).  The gap between men and women is so wide that women are not taken seriously at times when they need to be, like at a job. Hillary Clinton, for instance, had more political experience compared to her running mate, Donald Trump, yet he won. A quote that was submitted to a Public Relations campaign for feminism on why feminism is needed stated, “I need feminism because when talking about women’s rights, someone came up to me and said, ‘Women are only good for keeping our stomachs full and our testicles empty” (Gaag).

The patriarchy not only inhibits women, but men as well.  Men are meant to be macho, “manly” men, no crying allowed. If they cry, they are quickly called out and called a girl or a pussy as if it is an insult, because women are known as the weaker ones. They are not meant to have feelings nor can they show them, which is why homophobia is so intense in the male community, because homosexual men are in touch with their feelings, show them as they please and that goes against what heterosexual males are taught to be. Although, the term pussy refers to the vagina of women and endures things that men could not even bear to go through but yet, it is quickly associated with weakness.  Women have more choices when it comes to who they want to be and how to express themselves, men on the other hand have to restrict themselves to certain models of what being a “man” entails. For example, cross gender behavior is not as acceptable in boys than it is in girls, “tomboy” is something that is used to describe a phase in a young girl’s life where she actively dressed like a boy would and it is deemed acceptable but for a boy, it gives way for bullies to poke fun.  Furthermore, the revolution that is feminism has made some men feel as though their needs and voices are being pushed aside hence why, some of them are not supporters. The men that do call themselves feminists and recognize their privilege are called out for “not being a real man” (Gaag). 

These stereotypes that have been around for years and years have been passed down to children and that is a mistake that must be stopped. A four year old named Jeremy went to  nursery school wearing barrettes, he was told that he must be  girl because “only girls wear barrettes.” Many would argue that his parents were doing the wrong thing by allowing their son to come to school wearing the barrettes but they were not doing anything wrong, they were simply trying to raise their son in a gender neutral house. Jeremy tried his best to explain that “wearing barrettes doesn’t matter” and “being a boy means having a penis and testicles.” The children just retaliated “Everybody has a penis; only girls wear barrettes.” (Gaag). This story shows without a doubt how gender roles are molded at such a young age, children quickly notice things and once they learn how things are “supposed to be” they continue to think that until they mature. However, children’s movies are on the road to changing the way kids think. The Disney movies Cars and Toy Story present their characters as natural born leaders, typical alpha male qualities – especially in Cars. Lighting McQueen starts off attaining a victory that he arrogantly knew he would achieve, his fantasies after winning the Piston Cup includes many female cars worshipping him. Later during the film, he meets Mater and Sally. Sally is a headstrong woman who does not fall for McQueen’s charms and he does not think much of Mater, but he soon realizes that he does need them both. The same goes for Woody and Buzz in Toy Story, Woody is the natural born leader but is faced with Buzz who is the same as him. Towards the end of the film, they both become the best of friends and learn that they need each other. Films like these stray kids away from the typical gender roles that are shown in movies; the girl needs to be saved so the guy saves her, she falls for him immediately, he acts as if he owns her, and in the end, they are married. It is not fair for young children to feel as though they can not truly be who they want to be because society has a messed-up definition of what it means to be a girl or boy. (Gillam)

Feminism not only has to fight the stereotypes that society has placed on all sexes, but it fights the stereotypes and misconceptions that are placed on its ideology. The definition of feminism is equality of all sexes in every aspect, it is not bashing men. Women are not saying they are better than men, they simply want to be treated equally – not above or below anyone. Feminists essentially are fighting the patriarchy, which is what creates the stereotypical ideas that surround gender roles. Although, it is important to note that they are not advocating for the matriarchy, which puts women above men. As the UN Women Goodwill Ambassador, Emma Watson so eloquently put it, 

“Men don’t have the benefits of equality, either. Both men and women should feel free to be strong. It is time that we all perceive gender on a spectrum, instead of two sets of opposing ideals. If we stop defining each other by what we are not, and start defining ourselves by who we are, we can all be freer. It’s about freedom,” (Bahuguna).  

Gender roles do not just embody female gender roles, they embody all gender roles – including men. Feminists are not angry women hating on men, a statement that has been said far too many times. Another common misconception is that, men can not be feminists. One does not have to be an animal to support animal rights, why would one have to be a woman to support women’s rights? What some people fail to understand is that, if one believes in equal rights for women, then by definition they are a feminist. Although, the connotation behind the word hinders some from identifying as a feminist. 

Fellow women believe some misconceptions pertaining to feminism as well, specifically that feminists are “career oriented”. Feminists are not bashing women who want to stay at home and be mothers, the are fighting for those mothers and advocating that their voices be heard as well. Having a career is not the only thing that defines having a job, managing a household is not an easy task. Feminism respects a woman who has chosen to be at home as much as it embraces a woman who steps out into the corporate world. (Bahuguna) There are many women who want to have a family and a career – feminism is fighting for those women as well. Moreover, feminism is fighting for the stay-at-home dads that have compromised their careers for their wife’s; just as she would do for him. Feminism is about freedom, whether that leads to a woman bent over the stove cooking or a woman bent over her desk signing off on a major corporate deal. 

Feminism fights for many things, it has progressed from just fighting for equality for  both sexes to equality for everyone.  One accomplishment feminism has joined in on that most look over is the struggle for marriage equality, though it is not known as a popular feminist issue. Feminists have fought tirelessly over the years to ensure that the equal rights the LGBT community and the victory of the law for same-sex marriage passing speaks volumes. It gives everyone the right to marry who they please, as it should be.

The time when one of my friends told me that she did not understand why feminism was the moment that I realized that I 100% identify as one. My response was to roll my eyes and attempt to explain to her that the only reason we both are even allowed to be in school or able to vote is because of feminism, but she refused to accept it. Being an immigrant and a person of color (POC) has made a big impact on how I view feminism, especially because of the Indian culture I grew up in. My parents did not raise me in a typical Indian manner but the orthodox views towards women was apparent in the fellow Indians around me. The fact that my friend’s mom refused to do anything about a boyfriend beating her because of what the Indian community would say is the reason why feminism is needed, though talking some sense into the mom would help too. The way that men talk about and to women nowadays is the reason we need feminism, women are only seen by some as subjects to talk about in a vulgar way. I need feminism because I am tired of being cat called, I’m tired of boys thinking they are entitled to my attention just because their nether regions contain testicles, I’m tired of fathers telling their sons to stop crying like a girl and letting them grow up thinking that they are not allowed to have feelings. It is 2017 and we are struggling to make all the sexes feel that they can be who they truly are. We are caging in men and allowing the recurring stereotype that they are meant to be robots who do not feel anything but the head below their waist. We are caging in women and allowing the recurring stereotype that they are meant to just be at home, taking care of the kids.  Feminism is not about women hating men – it has never been about that. It is about the patriarchy that has been around for years and the caged in expectations and stereotypes that have been created for men and women. It is about the prejudice men and women face – not just all men and women, but white men and women, POC men and women; they all face their own kinds of prejudice. Many have said that 2016 had been the year of feminism, but why not make that an event that occurs for years to come? 
