Feminism is on the rise in today’s society. This is directly influenced by the wage gap between men and women, the words, and phrases that Donald Trump used during his 2016 Presidential campaign and the culture surrounding today’s college and high school campuses. However, is Feminism actually “Feminism”? What I mean by that is, does Feminism (the political movement) believe and follow the exact definition of “Feminism” (the word)? “Feminism” according to Merriam-Webster Dictionary, is “the belief that men and women should have equal rights. However, this is not the correct definition of “Feminism.”
The problem with “Feminism” is that it is too broad of a term and is incorrectly defined. Let us focus on the broadness of the word. Feminism (the movement) is home to those who believe the men and women should have equal rights. But, the broadness of the term allows for extremist also to shelter themselves in this movement. Extreme Feminist are the Feminist that believe women should have more power over men. They give the typical Feminists a bad reputation. In all honesty, I would be a Feminist too if it was not for the extremist and lack of a correct definition. However, one simple change of terminology would make everyone happier.
Look at the term Masculinist. According to Merriam-Webster Dictionary, a masculinist is “an advocate of male superiority or dominance. So, with “Feminist” just changing the gender of the word, why does it also change the definition? The answer is that it should not, which means the actual definition of “Feminist” should be an advocate of female superiority or dominance. If you chance the definition, then that means only the extremist would be housed under the new definition and would force the Feminists looking for equality to find a different name. This group would have to be an advocate for equitable principles and rights. This is the definition of what it means to be an Equalitarian/Egalitarian. Equalitarianism/Egalitarianism as defined is “a belief in human equality especially on social, political, and economic affairs.” (Merriam-Webster). This is where the Feminist movement that believes in equality belongs.
There are a couple of main advantages that come out of the name change. The first benefit would be that there would be no extremist. With Masculinism and Feminism, there can be a difference in the superiority and dominance ideas. However, there can be no extremist in Equalitarianism/Egalitarianism. This is because you cannot get more even than equal, so once they achieve equality, the Equalitarian/Egalitarian’s job is complete. There would be nothing else for them to fight for. This is a benefit because 1) those who search for equality will no longer be labeled as a male hating feminist, and 2) it would be more of an invitation for non-women to join the fight for equality of all people, not just women. If this could be achieved, I believe that many more people would accede to the “Fight for Equality.”
