Feminism.  A word known by all, argued by a significant amount and feared by many.  Why is it that nowadays a girl being referred to as a feminist by a guy is seen as more of an insult than a compliment, or simply a fact?  Feminism is a serious issue that’s worth fighting for, however over time it’s lost its meaning and subsequently lost the support that it so rightly deserves. 

Don’t get me wrong, I am in no way an expert on the subject.  I mean, I took GCSE History and I studied the suffragettes and I’ve read enough articles and literature to at least form the basis of an opinion on the subject.  However, I don’t have to know every fact there is to know about feminism inside and out, and I’m not going to use this post to argue for feminism.  I want to use this to explain what feminism really is, because honestly it’s a lot tamer than many people who fear it believe it to be.

Firstly, feminists do not hate men.  In fact, the most common misconception is that feminism encourages the demeaning of the male species in order to boost females.  This is a lie, and any feminist that believes this doesn’t fully understand the fundamental principles of feminism.  The feminist movement is built on the foundation of equal rights for all.  That’s right.  Equal.  Not women being better than men.  Not men suffering like women once did.  Everybody being equal.  Do you believe that women should be paid an equal amount to men when they do the same job?  Do you believe that women and men should be judged equally in specific situations?  If you agree with these then believe it or not you have feminist views, whether you call yourself a feminist or not.

Yes, it was created to get better rights for women, but feminism benefits men too.  Equal rights means that in certain situations men would be judged and ridiculed less as well.  Take the case of feelings being expressed:  a woman expresses her feelings and it is fine, because she’s a woman, but a guy expresses his feelings and he’s ridiculed for being a “pansy” or “gay”.  Why is communicating how you feel a girly thing to do?  Do we not all have feelings?  Feminism aims to discourage double standards, helping everyone (and that means both genders) be treated equally.

So why do so many people fear the feminist movement?  Because, like every other cause, there are extremists that taint the general view.  Think of it like a celebrity fandom:  you get the fans who love a celebrity and what they do... and then you get the fans who send death threats to the partners of a celebrity, because they want them all to themselves, thus ruining the general image of the fandom.  It’s those extremists that dominate and argue with their anti-male attitude, creating the negative views of feminism that are so greatly seen by the majority of people.

And yes, we’ve progressed, and girls can wear trousers and work in non-domestic jobs, but even though it’s more discreet, women are still not equal.  The sad truth is, in the 21st century women are still not receiving an equal amount to men.  In fact, according to ‘The Fawcett Society’ the overall gender pay gap still stands at 19.1%!  That’s right.  19.1%!  (If you don’t think that’s a significant amount of money, consider how much of a difference a 20% off discount makes when you’re shopping).  We are slowly making progress, and that gap has fallen from the 27.5% that is was in 1997, but we’re still not there, and the difference is rather worrying.

So where do you stand on the feminism issue?  Are you ready to fight or are you still in fear?