Saturday, January 21, 2017, women and men all over the country took to the streets to march in protest of the inequality still happening in this country. While I definitely don't agree with everything that those who marched this past weekend believe in, I do support them exercising their freedom of speech. Here are a few things that people get confused about when it comes to feminism.
1. We don't hate men.
I know there are some women who call themselves feminists who happen to hate men; that's their personal prerogative. A woman who hates a man simply for his gender is no feminist. Feminists disapprove of the patriarchy, and the support of it from either gender. Feminism is defined as "the advocacy of women's rights on the basis of the equality of the sexes." I don't see "man hater" anywhere in this definition.
2. Men can be feminists too!
Many of you may recognize the man pictured above as that guy who makes hilarious videos on social media. He wasn't the only man showing his support for women this past weekend. One sign that I saw that sticks out in my mind said, "Men of Quality do not fear equality!" Many people believe that to be a man who supports women's equality is to be against their own gender. This isn't supposed to be a war. To be for the success of one isn't to be against the other. It's just like loving one friend doesn't stop you from loving another.
3. We will EARN that same wage.
Feminists don't want everything handed to them on a silver platter just because of our reproductive parts. We aren't asking for anything too out of this world. It's not a concept that's difficult to understand. We are simply asking for equal pay for equal work. According to the Institute for Women's Policy Research, in 2016, women only earned 80 cents for every dollar that a man in the same position made. We aren't asking for a female secretary to make the same wage as a male CEO of the same company, because they have completely unequal responsibilities.
