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Do you call yourself a feminist?

International Women's Day got me thinking about feminism and how few people in our generation seem to identify themselves as feminists.

You can read my thoughts here.

I'm curious to hear what other 20-somethings think.

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Permalink Reply by Mika...Dancing Through Life! on March 9, 2009 at 9:49pm

I am a "Liberal Feminist".

Permalink Reply by Vee on March 9, 2009 at 11:47pm

"Feminist" has become a bad word, so we're afraid to use it. I don't want people to think that I hate men, that I'll jump down your throat, that I think stay-at-home moms are ruining my life, that I'm angry and bitter and blah blah blah. But what is a feminist? In my view, it is someone (usually a female) who believes that women and men are pretty much equal in most ways. And yeah, I'm definitely a feminist, and I think most women are.

Permalink Reply by Alianna on March 10, 2009 at 5:50pm

There are so many arguments here and examples.

Feminism, to me, is about the right to choice, just like abortion. It's not about bending the rules for a certain group because they were devalued before. It's certainly not about keeping women out of the kitchen. If that makes me a feminist, an egalitarian, a humanist or all three doesn't really matter to me.

I think more women would feel comfortable labelling themselves as feminists if men did too. Men don't because most Feminism didn't actively try to change the attitudes of men towards women. They tried to change the behaviours and they did. We can vote. We can work. We can divorce. Still, so many men don't value women and that needs to change. It needs to be taught and it's not being taught. Women are often taught to be strong, independent and self-sufficient, but men are taught to be chauvinistic. Feminism has converted most if not all women whether they label themselves feminists or not, now it's time to show the men they don't hate them and to teach them why they should value women.

Permalink Reply by Sarah on March 10, 2009 at 5:58pm

That's a brilliant point, Alianna! I think you're absolutely right. Trying to explain that feminism in no way needs to be a threat to masculinity is always a struggle.

Permalink Reply by cooper on March 10, 2009 at 11:25pm

The part about men not valuing women is an interesting point. I understand in the fifties men may not have valued women as equal providers with equal capabilities, but what I see now is men not valuing women because they are not taught to value women as people before they see them dancing around naked, being slapped around on television, being called a ho by others, often other women, or being mounted by some guy in some internet pron site that any 9 year old can access.

I think it is so much less about men who remain chauvinist and fear women who are equal to them than it is about a culture which is really fairly schizophrenic if not ambivalent in their presentation of women through different forms of media.

You really can't learn to value women, it isn't really taught except by example, it comes from being brought up in an environment where women are respected, where women can do what they want and where little boys get to know little girls are people just like them, before they see them waltzing around on tv and elsewhere in their thongs and push-up bras.

Permalink Reply by Oats on March 11, 2009 at 12:23am

I believe in somewhat equal rights for men and women. I draw the somewhat at the point where you must come to the realization that men and women ARE different, they have different needs, and if these are not accommodated for, then equality becomes just another means for oppression.

Permalink Reply by Sarah on March 11, 2009 at 4:14pm

I'm not sure I follow you. Can you give an example?

Permalink Reply by prostokvasha on March 11, 2009 at 1:40am

As someone who has celebrated International Women's Day for over 20 years (for real; it's a cultural thing) and someone who is getting her Ph.D. in feminist psychology, I was intrigued by this thread. Every day women psychologists are faced with inequalities in various domains within our field, s.a. the medical, clinical, and social spheres of psychology. It's not that we are fighting a fight against men, but it's that we are trying to catch up in our understanding of women, many of whom were in no way part of the original theories and conceptualizations of human identity. So, in short, yes, I will absolutely call myself a feminist. And I'm married to a man and have never even burned my bra.

Permalink Reply by Elysa on March 11, 2009 at 4:22am

It's 3 am and I was so intrigued by this discussion that I just finished writing a blog post, more or less recapping the discussions and view points brought up in this whole process. And I'll first say this topic is honestly something I've never given more than about 2 minutes to - I feel like the wealth of information I've been given through each of your comments has sparked some curiosity. And the question that I asked on my blog that I was really directing at the 20sb community is ...

"so what? now what?" - maybe it’s the marketer in me but I’m looking for a call-to-action in all of this. I’m curious with all of the passion, research and energy that I saw displayed in this discussion what actual steps (if any) can/should/would someone take because of the information that has been so gracefully hashed out in the past few days via an informal forum. If before the election someone had asked "do you call yourself a republican?" and a nine page discussion broke out, at the end I would feel compelled to go vote - that's my very clear action.

And I must add I'm impressed with the level of research and knowledge that showed up in this discussion. I love to see an intellectual debate any day of the week.

Permalink Reply by Sarah on March 11, 2009 at 9:59am

It's definitely tricky to decide what to actively do to address many of these problems (at least the ones taking place in developed countries) as a lot of them have to do with attitudes and misconceptions rather than straightforward and obvious barriers such as women not having the right to vote.

But I think that just by having a discussion like this, we can start to make a difference in the way people think about feminism and equality, and if one of the main things we're trying to change is perception, then talking about it and getting people to really think about and challenge what they believe and why, as well as having our own beliefs challenged and being open to what others have to say is certainly an actual step.

Other than that I think it's up to each individual to choose the part they feel most strongly about and do something about it. Volunteer at a women's shelter, teach your sons and daughters that feminism is not a dirty word, lead by example, lobby for pay equity, better daycare, better training for police and medical staff who deal with victims of rape. Do as much research as you can and talk to people about these issues. A lot of them are unpleasant to think about, but do it anyway. Join groups that already tackle these issues and stay informed.

When the issue of feminism arises, the more of us who are willing to proudly and unapolagetically stand up and declare that we are feminists, who believe that issues of equality between the sexes are important and relevant, and the more of us who are able to calmly explain why, the more people will start to have a better understanding that we're not crazy man-haters on a crusade to create some kind of matriarchy.

It's hard to be the only one who will stand up for an unpopular or misunderstood cause, whether it's within your group of friends or a college class or a stadium but it's also strangely empowering. Be brave.

Getting even one person to open up to some of these ideas can have an amazing ripple effect. A change in perspective could make all the difference.

Permalink Reply by cooper on March 11, 2009 at 3:33pm

I knew if I brought my work home this afternoon I'd end up on the internet all day.
I sat through this whole discussion on What Is the State of Feminism Today , mainly because of this discussion here, and honestly all I have to say is that if these women are an indication of what we have to look forward to for solution it is a pretty sad state. Thought their points were not poor their solutions are non-existent, this is what I see a so typical of feminism today. Chin, the only one who doesn't academically pontificate on feminism ( and who I admit a predilection for having seen her quite a bit when I was in college), is the only one of that group who has a full view of the situation.

Permalink Reply by Sarah on March 11, 2009 at 4:10pm

Thanks for the link! I really liked Chin's point about it being important to look at the average woman, the people in wal mart and k-mart and McDonalds.