While researching for this article, I learned that
less than 1 out of 5 women like to call themselves ‘feminists' in the USA. I have
often seen my closest friends and acquaintances shy away from calling
themselves a feminist. When I ask them if they support the equality of men and
women, they reply in the affirmative but they do not want to be labeled as
feminists.
The Cambridge dictionary meaning of ‘feminism’ is the belief that
women should be allowed the
same rights, power, and opportunities as men and be treated in the
same way.
Then why do so many women
refuse to call themselves feminists? The nagging question in my mind made me
find out all the probable reasons why most women support equality and yet stay
away from the term ‘feminism’. Let’s take a look at all the reasons:
1. Wrong or Inadequate knowledge
Some
women believe that feminism is all about hating men. Wrong or inadequate
knowledge is one of the reasons women refuse to call themselves feminists. They
think that feminism is only restricted to women which is not the case. Feminism is
not against men. It is against inequality and against patriarchy. Every woman
should read about the movement called ‘feminism’ and educate herself before
taking a decision.
2.
‘Feminism’ is confused with
‘Feminazi’
Feminism
is about the equality of men and women. Feminazi is about the superiority of women. A
feminazi can be violent towards men. They blame men for everything and also
blame women who disagree with their ideals. Feminism has nothing to do with
Feminazi. Often women get confused and think ‘feminazi’ to be ‘feminism’ and
therefore, they do not want to call themselves feminists.
3.
Internalizing patriarchy
Some
women have internalized patriarchy so deeply that the concept of equality of
men and women seems ridiculous to them. Simone de Beauvoir in her book ‘TheSecond Sex’ explained it beautifully why sometimes women trade freedom for
security and are comfortable being the second sex.
4. Competitiveness
among women
The first rule of feminism is women should help and empower other women. Simone de Beauvoir
has talked about the importance of gender loyalty in order to dismantle
patriarchy. Some women simply cannot tolerate the success of other women. There
is so much jealousy and competitiveness. They would rather celebrate the
success of a man than someone who belongs to the same gender.
5. Feminist
is often confused with ‘careerist’
Many
women feel that in order to be feminists, they have to be career women. They
think that stay-at-home mothers and homemakers cannot be feminists. This is not
true at all. Feminism is the belief that men and women should have equal
rights. Anyone supporting that belief is a feminist. It is not limited to
working women.
6. Stereotypes
associated with ‘Feminist’
Sadly,
feminists are labeled with a lot of stereotypes by the patriarchal society. Feminists are often thought of
as spinsters, men-hating women, lesbians, women lacking femininity, women not
wearing makeup and shaving legs and so much more. These stereotypes often repel
many women from calling themselves, feminists.
So, these are the reasons
why so many women refuse to call themselves feminists. I hope awareness of
these reasons helps women change their minds and make them embrace the term
‘feminist’ without any shame or guilt.
