Why feminism is important

With Women’s Marches popping up all around the U.S. on the first anniversary of Donald Trump’s presidency and growing awareness of equality, I reckoned it was time to write about feminism.

Now, if we look at the definition of feminism (some of you will be surprised by this) it doesn’t state: “A way of life in which women burn their bras and hate men.” It does however state “The advocacy of women’s rights on the ground of the equality of the sexes.” Not a single word in that definition states that women want more rights than men. It should also go without saying that women are not the only ones marching

for equality but men too. For some reason, people are afraid of calling themselves feminists. You are not signing up for a radicalised group of people who don’t shave or wash their hair, you are simply stating that you believe women should have the same rights as men. While not all men are sexist, all women face the impact of sexism in some way, so the point is that there’s a massive problem to be solved, and you can be a big part of the solution.

The reason why the word feminism has been given such a negative connotation is purely because we bestow that connotation upon it. Guys, why are you so afraid of saying that you want your mother, your sister, your friends to have the same rights as you? Girls, being a feminist doesn’t make you less attractive and if a guy deems that it does, he’s not worth your time. If enough people speak up not only for themselves but the voiceless, we could change the narrative on feminism and women’s rights. How do you think women got the vote? Had women not marched and fought to have people actually listen to them, we would be living in a very different world. The notion that feminism is a ‘battle of the sexes’ and is about blaming all men and setting up a ‘gender war’ is a handy, controversial media hook. But it doesn’t reflect reality. It’s not what feminists want.

Some people believe that gender disparity only exists in developing countries. This notion is false, gender inequality exists everywhere. Not a single country is equal. To those of you who are Icelanders, you may smirk and know that your country is number one on the 20 Best Countries for Gender Equality list but you’re still not entirely equal. Inequality inevitably exists in the workplace.

There are more male CEOs named John than there are female CEOs. It’s not that women aren’t qualified for the position. It’s just the way we have been raised, what kind of TV we watched, what toys we played with, comments we’ve heard from the people who raised us, comments made by our teachers. When told to picture a person in a position of power, most of us will picture a man. It’s not ‘going too far’ to demand equality so that the number of people choosing a man reduces and those picturing a woman increases.


So, ladies and gentlemen or if you go by another label then apply that one, let’s make the world a better place not just for women but everyone. “I am a feminist.” Now say it with me.

What do you think about it? Share your thoughts!
