I do not want to attack another woman on her views and beliefs. Rather, I’d like to educate you, and people like you who believe we do not need feminism. Hopefully, after reading this you will change your opinion written in "I Am A Female And I Am So Over Feminists."
In the first paragraph of your article you urged, “Relax feminists, we’re OK.” My first question to you is: Who is okay? Are women in nations like Cambodia, Pakistan and Nepal who discriminate against females by preventing them from furthering their education OK? What about women in countries like Algeria where it is “unattractive” for women to express their opinions in public – are they OK? What about the women in Saudi Arabia where they historically have no women in any cabinet-level position? What about women in Tunisia who may be unaware of what rights they even have? What about the women in Lebanon who are kidnapped for marriage? What about these women – are they OK?
Then you go on to talk about your inspiration for this post. “My inspiration actually came from a man (God forbid, a man has an idea these days).” By including your little side comment, you are perpetuating the stereotype that feminists hate men. Feminists DO NOT HATE MEN. Feminists want gender equality. Let’s use your inspiration for this article as an example. Feminists would not harp on you for writing based on inspiration from a man. Rather, feminists want a woman to have an equal opportunity to inspire you to write an article. Because feminism has been alive and well in this country for decades, you have the right to express your opinion and now you’ve inspired me to write this post – see, that's feminism at work!
Now you enter your next paragraph by stating, “Women have never been more respected.” Yes! You’ve finally dropped some truth on your readers. But then, you let me down again. “Women have more rights in the United States than anywhere else in the world.” Sorry Gina, but you should’ve done a little more research. The United States isn’t in the list of the top five best countries for women to live according to the Global Gender Gap Report
in 2013. And guess what? It's not in the top 10; it's not even in the top 20. The United States is ranked 23rd according to the Global Gender Gap Report. This report considers factors including economic participation and opportunity, education, health and survival and political empowerment. If you wanted to make the claim that women have more rights here than anywhere else in the world, move to Iceland.As far as your claims about Sports Center, you’re right when you say the majority of viewers are male, but women should have equal representation in the sports world. More people watched the 2015 Women’s World Cup than the 2015 Men's World Cup, NBA finals or the Stanley Cup – it deserves more coverage!
Next, you talk about chivalry – oh chivalry. Paying for meals and opening doors is totally OK for men to do, as long as it is done with the preface that the woman could do it, too. I’ll admit, sometimes opening a big, heavy door is hard, but I can still do it myself. Let’s be honest, who doesn’t love when someone opens the door for you or picks up a bill? It’s polite as long as someone knows that women are capable of doing such activities, too – which most people are aware of, so in most cases, this isn't oppressing women by thinking they are physically unable to complete such tasks.
You further your argument with talking about the male and female anatomy, bringing us back to sports. Are we the same? Obviously not or we wouldn’t be having this discussion in the first place. Men and women are indeed different. The main issue with professional sports is that women do not have the same economic opportunities and representation that men do. Do I want to be “tackled by a 220-pound linebacker?” – No. But, maybe I want the opportunity to make a career out of tackling another girl for close to $2 million per year, on average – sounds like a pretty sweet deal, right?
Moving forward, you acknowledge the wage gap – finally! I realize that women entered the workforce later than men, historically speaking. So, does that mean that I should get paid less than a man doing the exact same job with the exact same qualifications than me solely based that women entered the workforce later than men? ABSOLUTELY NOT. And apparently to you, this would be blaming men. There is no men-shaming here for wanting the same pay. It is not that a man does not deserve that sum of money, it’s that women deserve the SAME amount. And for this, I am “complaining.” I'm sorry that if I was as equally qualified and educated that I would be angry about not getting paid equally to do the same job.
You close your next two paragraphs with some really interesting thoughts like:
“Men and women are meant to complement one another—not to be equal or to over-power.”
So, women aren’t supposed to be equal to men? I’m confused here, Gina. I thought you were "all for girl power." Being complementary does not equate to equality.
“I don’t believe that being a female entitles me to put down men and claim to be the “dominant” gender.”
Being a female doesn’t entitle you to anything; nobody is entitled to put down a specific gender. THE ENTIRE IDEA OF FEMINISM IS THAT MEN AND WOMAN ARE EQUAL. There is no dominant gender.
The opportunities that men are provided are what women strive for; we want the same. Nobody is trying to put down the male gender. Rather, we are trying to raise women up. This cause is based on the empowerment of women. I hope this article somehow finds you, Gina Davis. I hope this provides a source of knowledge that was previously unavailable to you. I hope that after reading this you decide to raise women up, too.
