bell hooks (yes, that's how she writes her name!)
WHAT IS FEMINISM?
The traditional definition of feminism refers to the fight for equal rights for men and women. Although this is correct, it is incomplete. American author and feminist eminence bell hooks gave us an even better definition: feminism is “the struggle to end sexist oppression”. This definition is fantastic primarily for two reasons. On one hand, it expands the “struggle” so that it includes people of all genders affected by sexism (women, transgender people, queer people, and even cisgender men). On the other hand it emphasizes that feminism is about fighting oppression, which refers to the fact that in our heterosexual cisgender male-centered society people of other genders are more likely to be the subject of injustice.
Feminism focuses on defending female and non-male rights in a society that is traditionally patriarchal (i.e. it is based on a set of rules that favor the interests of cisgender men). Feminism's mission is to bring people together and build a world that's fairer for all. Everyone that defends equality and justice for all genders, regardless of their own gender, is a feminist. Men can be (and should!) be feminists.
WHAT ARE THE CONSEQUENCES OF FEMINISM?
Historically, any step that has been taken to help women advance in society has been achieved thanks to feminist advocacy. If it hadn’t been for the suffragettes, black feminism, second-wave feminism, and women’s rights advocacy groups, women would not have gained the right to vote, have equal access to education in a large part of the world, or would have any reproductive rights at all. Every single one of these rights are enjoyed thanks to the courage of women that risked their safety and even their lives to fight for gender justice.
The modern feminist movement is (or should be) currently working on things as important and as different as:
WHAT ARE THE OBSTACLES FEMINISM FACES?There have been many ups and downs in the popularity of the feminist movement, and in recent years it’s started to shine again with public figures jumping on the bandwagon (for better or for worse!). And yet,anti-feminism sentiments are widespread.
No, we are not yet equal (original text 2018)
Here’s some facts for you:
WHAT IS INTERSECTIONAL FEMINISM?
The mainstream feminist movement has historically exculded several groups and communities. For most of the 20th century and up until recently, the feminist agenda was set from a middle- and upper-class white heterosexual cisgender female perspective. This made it biased and not inclusive enough of the issues that affect LGBTQIA+, lower and lower-middle class, and non-white communities. Not being inclusive leads to a study and break down problems in a pretty narrow way.
For example, an issue that affects all women is the risk of sexual harassment or assault that we face throughout our lifetime. However, the chances of being sexually harassed or assaulted vary greatly depending on race, socio-economic position, able-bodiedness. For instance, 83% of women with disabilities are sexually assaulted throughout their lifetime, compared to 33% of women overall. This happens more often because women with disabilities are easy targets and also do not have enough resources (such as ASL interpreters) to be able to report assaults.
Intersectionality refers to looking at issues from a lot of different perspectives (gender, race, sexuality, ability, economic class, etc.), and understanding that each one of us has a set of identities that mix and cross to create our own unique perspective of the world. Working together to help us overcome our struggles, whether common to all and or particular to some, sould be the marks of contemporary intersectional feminism.
The traditional definition of feminism refers to the fight for equal rights for men and women. Although this is correct, it is incomplete. American author and feminist eminence bell hooks gave us an even better definition: feminism is “the struggle to end sexist oppression”. This definition is fantastic primarily for two reasons. On one hand, it expands the “struggle” so that it includes people of all genders affected by sexism (women, transgender people, queer people, and even cisgender men). On the other hand it emphasizes that feminism is about fighting oppression, which refers to the fact that in our heterosexual cisgender male-centered society people of other genders are more likely to be the subject of injustice.
Feminism focuses on defending female and non-male rights in a society that is traditionally patriarchal (i.e. it is based on a set of rules that favor the interests of cisgender men). Feminism's mission is to bring people together and build a world that's fairer for all. Everyone that defends equality and justice for all genders, regardless of their own gender, is a feminist. Men can be (and should!) be feminists.
WHAT ARE THE CONSEQUENCES OF FEMINISM?
Historically, any step that has been taken to help women advance in society has been achieved thanks to feminist advocacy. If it hadn’t been for the suffragettes, black feminism, second-wave feminism, and women’s rights advocacy groups, women would not have gained the right to vote, have equal access to education in a large part of the world, or would have any reproductive rights at all. Every single one of these rights are enjoyed thanks to the courage of women that risked their safety and even their lives to fight for gender justice.
The modern feminist movement is (or should be) currently working on things as important and as different as:
- Regulating and defending domestic labor (housework, care-taking of children and the elderly)
- Trans rights
- Women's health issues
- Childcare rights
- Wage inequality
- LGBTQIA+ rights
- Addressing unobtainable and excluding beauty standards
WHAT ARE THE OBSTACLES FEMINISM FACES?There have been many ups and downs in the popularity of the feminist movement, and in recent years it’s started to shine again with public figures jumping on the bandwagon (for better or for worse!). And yet,anti-feminism sentiments are widespread.
No, we are not yet equal (original text 2018)
Here’s some facts for you:
- Wage gap is a thing. Women get payed less for every dollar earned by a man. An Asian American woman gets 90 cents, a white woman 78 cents, a black woman 68 cents, a Native American 59 cents and a Latina 54 cents.
- Even when women have the higher income within a household it is generally much lower in proportion to the cases where it is a male partner's income that is higher than a woman's (researchers note this is due to people's "aversion to a situation where the wife earns more than her husband.")
- Across the globe, an estimated 35% of women have been victims of partner violence or non-partner sexual violence.
- There are way less women making important political decisions. For example, of the 100 U.S senators, only 20 are women, and only one is a woman of color. Another example in a world with 196 countries, there are 18 female leaders.
- Representation of women in media is very limited. Most female roles on TV or in movies are played by young and attractive women. For instance, actor Denzel Washington is currently 60 years old, but it seems that none of his characters has ever been paired with an actress over 35 years old. ( 2017 Update! Fences! Viola Davis!)
- Childcare is insanely expensive. Daycare costs an average of $14,939 per year in New York city. And the US is one of the few countries with no mandatory maternity leave pay.
- Certain jobs that have been done traditionally by women, such as housekeeping and taking care of children, the elderly, or the sick, are generally not recognized as work by the state. Those doing this type of domestic work in their homes do not receive a salary, benefits, retirement, or any other compensation, which leaves them in a very vulnerable position.
- In many countries women are deprived of human rights such as reproductive rights or education. Frequent harmful practices for women include female genital mutilation, sex trafficking, forced marriages (yes, even in the U.S.) and female infanticide.
- Women are more often judged by their looks, whether it’s because of their body, weight or clothes. Food for thought: around 92% of cosmetic plastic surgery is done on women.
WHAT IS INTERSECTIONAL FEMINISM?
The mainstream feminist movement has historically exculded several groups and communities. For most of the 20th century and up until recently, the feminist agenda was set from a middle- and upper-class white heterosexual cisgender female perspective. This made it biased and not inclusive enough of the issues that affect LGBTQIA+, lower and lower-middle class, and non-white communities. Not being inclusive leads to a study and break down problems in a pretty narrow way.
For example, an issue that affects all women is the risk of sexual harassment or assault that we face throughout our lifetime. However, the chances of being sexually harassed or assaulted vary greatly depending on race, socio-economic position, able-bodiedness. For instance, 83% of women with disabilities are sexually assaulted throughout their lifetime, compared to 33% of women overall. This happens more often because women with disabilities are easy targets and also do not have enough resources (such as ASL interpreters) to be able to report assaults.
Intersectionality refers to looking at issues from a lot of different perspectives (gender, race, sexuality, ability, economic class, etc.), and understanding that each one of us has a set of identities that mix and cross to create our own unique perspective of the world. Working together to help us overcome our struggles, whether common to all and or particular to some, sould be the marks of contemporary intersectional feminism.